The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-08
HEROES OF THE SEA
CAPTAINS WHO GO DOWN TO DEATH
WITH THEIR SHIPS.
Working of the Honor Code In the
Deep Sea Fraternity-Nohle Exam
pies of Living the Faith" When "a
Move to Escape Meant Dishonor.


Move to Escape Meant Dishonor.
Tradition. which is to say the honor
code of the deep sea fraternity, de-
crees that in event OF mortal disaster
to vessel Of whatever kind, sail or
steam, large or small. the master must
be the last person TO leave.
From this law, unwritten though it
be, no captain is exempt. SO stern is
it, so memorable and so jealousy up
held, not only by those of the sea, but
by landsmen, that where escape is
impossible for passengers and crew
the commander of stricken ship
stands rigid on the bridge until she
sinks, carrying with her, it may be, a
score or hundreds of human beings,
considering his sacrifice but slight in
the face of the alternate of self pres
ervation at price too great for any
man to pay, at the price Of worldwide
scorn, the averted faces OF those who
had formerly held him in esteem and
the pain of those who had loved him
as husband, father, son or brother.
Death and a name written bold on
the roll of those who have persisted
sublimely at sea is infinitely the easier
way. Many have found it so. And not
a small element of the dignity and the
nobility which attach to the calling Of
the ocean is due to that exalted army
Of martyrs who in the heart of fearful
darkness, in the wreck OF elemental
fury triumphant. have kept the faith
70 for rNrrir oil t~hn Cd
ed-men who in dying have put up a
steadfast star which leads far from
sordid things and ennobles the credit
Of mankind
Annals of the sea record not A few
instances OF captains who have refused
to leave their vessels even after every
other human being has been saved.
Love of their ships. for which many
shippers evince such affection as they
bestow upon wife or child, may explain
this, or pride or despair. where the
master has been at fault, or-oh. ever
so many reasons may be advanced.
The captain of a great liner not many
years ago, whose boat had met with an
accident which seemed likely to bring
him before court Of inquiry, was
found dead in his cabin when the YES
sci finally made port. He brought her
in safely-and then he died. Apoplexy.
they said at first. Later came a rumor
that has never been satisfactorily ex-
plains away to the effect that this
captain died by his own hand. 1t is
not at all unlikely. He had been emf
nently successful. His pride could not
bear up under his first great setback.
Another case of the kind was that Of
the suicide of Captain Brunswig Of the
beautiful cruising steamship Prinzessin
Victoria Luise after he had run her on
the rocks near Port Royal, in the West
Indies. The invariable comment Of the
shipping world has been that the Ger
| man commander did the only thing pos
| sble under the circumstances. Brun-
| swig would probably have lost his GER
| tificate, and since steamship companies
| as a rule prefer to grow their own
captains and in addition have absolute
~ no use for a skipper with lost ship
| against his name poor Brunswig's fu-
ture must have looked dark to him in
| deed.
| 1t is far more pleasant to turn to the
case Of a man who. paradoxically
enough, was not captain, but who is
one how if rewards in the next world
are meted out in accordance with big.
| brave things done on the waters Of a
| lower creation-to the case of Chief
| Officer Paterson Of the British King
| He left New York in that craft one
| ha MI q
great rending waves simply beat in
her bow plates. Tons of water flowed
in, and before the leak was discov.
cred she was listing seriously. Captain
| O'Hagan led his men into the hold tC
shift cargo and thus right the wal
lowing steamship.
Barrels, boxes, what not, were flying
wild, and a case of machinery finally
caught the captain against a brace
crushing his leg so that splntered
bones were driven out through the
skin. He was carried to a lfeboa'
made ready for launching, and Pater
son took command. From his post or
the bridge he never moved Lower
and lower drove the British King, anc
the crew Of Belgians, verglng on pan
ic, but held by the personality ant
calm assurance Of their new command
err, watched him like dogs ready t
obey his will. From his post the chic
officer signaied the Mannheim anC
the Bostonian. which We're plunginl
through the riotous waters to the res
cue, and he it was that Unanswered
his sinking craft so that small boat
from the succoring vessels could conn
alongside Three boats filled with tn
British Kings men were carried t.
safety. and as the storm increased
prohi biting further attempts at res
cue. the stricken vessel took her lonj
plunge with Paterson on the bridg
blowing a farewell blast upon hi
mates whistle.
Paterson was fine. Paterson wa
noble" said an officer Of the Britis
King brought to New York on tn
Mannheim. He was not a captain
But when he took O'Hagan' place h
took OHagau's responsibilities witt
out a mUrmur and died as O'Haga
would like to have died. AS it wa:
O'Hagan was the first man by Patel
sons express order to be lowered int
the rescue boats He died the day bt