The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-05-13
HARD TO SAIL IN
WEST INDIAN SEAS
SHIPMASTERS DECLARE NAVIGA.
TON NEAR ISLANDS ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE AT NIGHT.
LIGHTS ARE ECCENTRIC,
No Regular System Under Which BeaconS
Are Kept UP and Lightkeepers
Are Lax.
LIGHTS ARE ECCENTRIC
HAYTIAN PILOTS ARE GRAFTERS.

Cruising the West Indian seas IS no
easy task if some OF the shipmaStcrs are
to be believed; and what they have to
say is borne out TO Il great extent by the
wrecks of ships tina, r" ~, tar aL"ul
in the Bahamas, and further down on
the shores of the Caribbean Sea, says
the New York Sun.
The great trouble seems to be the &c.
centricity of the lighthouse keepers ON
those islands where the British and
American governments have no concern
The mariners say they have confidence
in British or an American light be
cause they know what it will do.
Lights Ale Eccentric
But down in Colombia or along thu
coast of llayti the lights are apt TO he &c
centric. For instance, in the lighthouse
book the information may be gwen that
a certain South American light is visiDi,
at nineteen miles and flashes every for
ty-iive seconds. The trusting mariner
who is looking for that light isn't abb,
TO identify 1t just that way.
In the night he doesn't know for SURF
just how many miles he is from land II
he judge 10y the light, because it shows
only about nine miles. Furthermore, II
flashes one time every thirty eight see
onds The next voyage the light may
show every scvcuIy-hyc seconds; tn,
time thereafter the night may flash every
hity-iYc seconds.
There is no way Of telling what il will
do, 1t doesn't take any very gifted
mind to see how that is likely to com
pIcatc the uayIgator's reckoning.
The lighthouse boards in the rCpuhli,
OF Colombia always are sending moI
around to the ships To get reports OF
the actions of lights. That is, the mcl
say they are dcputcd to that end, Thcu
! chlci object however, seems tu be TO Ec
Il free meal on board the boat.
If they succeed in that they seem {,
lose nll interest in the lighthouse mat
/ ters Perhaps that is why the lights Il,
not seem 10 improve. Complaints ap
parenlIy do not reach the board, and il
they do they get Scant attention.
The mariner has two courses. Whcr
he knows he is approaching dinicLl
coast he can either lay to for the morn
Ins or keep on aud take chances.
Lightkcepers Are Lax.
Most of them lay TO, because occasion
ally the Iightkc"pors fail TO light tn,
lights. Even if they did keep them 20
lng the flashes get mixed 50 that they
correspond 10 the Slgrais of those tina
are far away and are utterly confusing
Down at l'Wotrp Colombia. in Suutl
America, there are two lights that ar,
supposed IO keep the shipma,tcr in
/ formed of where he is. 1t isn't So lon,
ago that one of them wasn't lighted
| mat WAS the light ON the bar some dis
lance out from the shore.
The shore light was on and the mastc
of the steamer Darien thought il was al
right to keep ON until he made what h,
supposed would be the shore light il
back of the other. The first thing h.
knew he was hard aground on fin
sandy beach. The Daricn still is there
but the sands ana the seas have move,
her Il couple Of miles from where sh
struck. She'll stay there until sh
! breaks up.
The lIaytian coast is very dangcrou
! because the harbors are open and file,
with deceptive shoals and rocks. Th
lights are badly tended and the naliy
system of pilots is very CRAFTY.
The rules are that no shpmastcr shall
lrng huUt in after & O'Clock. In m
place called Jeromic, in ilayti, there pr
two steamers fostoOning the rocks. Th
old Valencia of the Hamburg American
line went on one night, and only re
Gently the guuboat troyantc of the Hay
liHn navy was taken ashore.
Haytlan Pilots Grafters.
There are only three lights on Tn
llaytian coast and that in spite of It
dangers. When n boat approaches in th
daytime there may not be a pilot o
hand. If the shipmastcr, impatient q
| delay, takes his boat in himself, JUS
| about the time he is ready to drop au
| chor out comes pilot and boards tn
! vessel
| He asks for his fee When he is toll
! that the boat got in without him h. say
merely You should have waited for me
| was coming out, ana he gets his fuD
| Otherwise the boat would not bc Above
/ to proceed after it's business il over.
Some of the llaytian pilots APPARENT
! never did much in the line of plotting
| One shipmaster says he was buarde
| outside the harbor one day by pilot
! who after ascending 10 the bridge said
Now, sir which side is sturbourd an
! which is pouY
We'll" said the shipmastcr. with som
! verbal trimmings, IF you'll stand owe
| there and keep your head shut | CUES
| wen get the boat IN IN spite of YOU
| being here
! II was another such iucomplctcly cdr
! Gated pilot who gave order tp let go TIA
! anchor when the boat was many ward
away from where 10 should have hrcI
The first officer gave the uulucky Has
tian cloLt that knocked him down III
| way from the bridge aud laid hin
spraying on the deck with his arm hn,
| ~ hurt II cost some money ~ suuar
that with the pilot
he worst uf the matter is that thpr
| are heavy charges for lighthouse duliu
| waich represent iu most cases none
| simply paid on with mo- return. III
| shipmasrrrs lou't like go take yhauc,
! with Tie ships and the cargo. and the
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