The Washington herald., 1908-01-05
FLEET FACES TERROR
OLD SEADOCS PREDICT THAT WARSHIPS WILL PASS
THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN WITHOUT ACCIDENT

hours of 10 p. m. and a. M. and even
then, if the weather be fair. there is day
light in the skies all night This will
benefit the feet, and SO will the fact
that January and February are the sum
mer months in the straits, correspond
ing TO July and August here So you
see the vessels will have mild weather
for their trip. The average temperature
in winter Is . degrees. and one is apt 10
find the weather thick In summer the
average Is 81 degrees. From the straits
the fleet will proceed to Callao, Peru, and
the worst of the voyage will be over
Personally. l see no reason why there
should be any apprehension in regard
10 the passage Of the straits Our boats
go through all the time, and there Is
no more trouble than you could expect
anywhere along the coast OF course,
there are accidents there. but there are
accidents everywhere on the deep sea or
the coast. Navigate carefully, keep your
eyes open, avoid recklessness-thes are
the requirements for absolute safety"
Another captain. a man who has com
manded old Black Ball packets and mod
ern transatlantic liners, who has been
called upon to pilot United States naval
vessels through hidden passages in
China-perhaps the greatest American
authority upon the merchant marine
was NOT inclined TO regard the passage
so nonchalantly as was the first skipper:
= Cautious Point of View.
Now he said. 4 doubt if any of
those navy chaps have ever been through
the straits I should say that the straits
are a place where local knowledge is Of
value. II Admiral Evans has obtained
man of such knowledge. whether this
man was of the army transport. the
merchant, or any other service. then Ad-
miral Evans has given proof thereby
that he is a careful and sensible COM
mander
No doubt Admiral Evans reasoned this
way. Here we can take these ships
through the straits as well as any pilot
in the world. but. nevertheless. we want
you here on the bridge of the leading
ship, and We want you TO talk as much
as you please, and We will listen and do
what you say While the admiral. II
he gets a pilot, wlI not do an absolutely
essential thing. he will at least be doing
an eminently wise thing. and You NAV
be sure that a careful, sensible, English
admiral or any other admiral would do
likewise.
Now, you have heard a lot of CANNON
about the straits being safe and all that.
Wen, they are to good navigator.
whether he has ever made the passage
or not. And yet accidents will happen.
l have had under my own care six or
seven vessels, which have had sections
of their bottoms ripped out in the straits.
and have been tOwed here for repairs
One boat, I remember, tore out part
OF her bottom and was brought here
filled with cement TO stop up the holes
You see, the trouble about the
straits is not too little water. but too
much water, few anchorages. There is
a narrow shelf along the shore, and then
the deepest water. ] recall a vessel.
which, while anchored in the straits.
dragged her anchors off the rocky shelf.
She at once went into water so deep that
her anchors hung az the full lengths of
the chains without getting bottom at all
AS for deep-sea sailing vessels, they
never thought of going through the
were easier ways to turn
your craft up on the hind legs. No. sir.
we'd hang TO the coast after leaving
PeTnambucO, get close into the Horn
and go through the Straits Of Lemaire
Admiral Evans need not he ashamed
10 use merchant pilot In the civil
war, you remember, the government took
a dozen men from the merchant service
and created them lieutenant commanders
simply to run the warships, which.
though engined, depended upon sail
power, mode Of propulsion with which
the navy men, through lack Of ADEQUATE
experience were not as familiar as they
should have been"