Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1909-07-09

Brave Captains Who Have Per-
ished With Their Ships.
A STERN RULE OF THE SEA.

tne Last 10 Leave ana FTOn HI'
Mandate No Captain Is Exempt
Eieroisn In Face of Certain Death
"The captain Of the vessel shall be
the last to leave"
This heroic sentiment has been ex-
emplifed time and again by the brave
men who go down to the sea In ships.
and to their everlasting honor there
is no attempt or desire to shlrk the
fearful duty and responsibility. So II
was that Captain Sealby Of the III
fated Republic refused to leave his ship
till every man, woman, child and mem
Der Of his crew had been saved
1.-THE last to leave!" It is the law.
universally acknowledged at sea by
officers and men alike as the basis Of
self respect and honor From 1t no
captain is exempt.
One Of the bravest of these heroes
was Chief Officer Paterson Of the
British King. One day some winters
ago he sailed from New York under
Captain O'Hagan. Great storms i'm
peded the passage Of the ship, and so
stupendOus was the violence Of the
waves that they stove in The bow
plates, and before the leakage was
discovered tons Of wafer rushed into
the hold
Captain O'Hagan told his men to
shift the cargo but barrels and cases |
were hurting this way and that, aud |
one Of them. driving the captain back |
against the wall, crushed his leg so
severely that he had to be carried to
the lifeboat.
For a brief space there was no cap.
tain. Then Paterson took command
At a critical moment his strong per.
sonality and calm assurance saved
the crew from panic. Three boats
filled with sailors from the British
King were launched I'm safety. while
the new commander stood I'm silence
on the bridge Lower and lower sank
the i'll starred ship, and as she heavcd
and took her final plunge Paterson
blew a farewell blast upon his whistle
to the fast departing crew.
Quito different hut no less heroic. wa
the manner in which Captain Griffith
of the Atlantic Transport line steam
ship Michigan faced death Though It
was scarcely darker than twilight. Il,
had run his vessel on the rocks neal
the Needles in October, 1898. and /,
was rapidly sinking. The last glimpS,
Of Captain Griffith showed him stand
ing on the bridge ordering the boats
to be lowered in order to save his crew
Heroic in death, too was the captain
of the oil ship Loodiana which sevcra
years ago was burned at sea- Before
of his own safety he saw ev
cry man Of his crew clear Of the doom
ed vessel, and then It was too late
Foot by foot he was driven forward
by the flames till at last he hung over
the bow. A tramp steamship came up
but the waters were too rough for tn.
lowering Of the boats. Finally the
flames compelled him to loosen INF
hold, ana while his ship burned fierce
ly on he was dashed into the unvi"
seas beneath
But s.ill more dramatic was rl,Gar
Of Captain Deioncle OF the .laur
liner La Bourgognc sunk i'm The sun.
mer Of 1898 AS me stood 0ua Mich.
npon the bridge q Jlll bark students
loomed ont Of the darkness ami lnl !
ing La Bourgogne fatal blow steam
ed hurriedly away The men on bo9rr !
went frantic. In scramble for sofe.
fremen and crew lost their wits. and
people ran up and down the deck H.
wild despair.
Deloncle stood calm amid the tn
mutt Suddenly he abandoned himself
to the dramatic horror of the scene
and. Selling the whistle rope. sent into
the skies one long wild, wailing groan
1t was Deloncle's last salute.
Perhaps the noblest death of all was
that Of Captain Craven of the monitor
Tecumseh mt the attack in August
1864 on Mobile. The ship was faa
sinking There was not Il H9mut
be lost At The foot Of the adder lone
ng TO the uanholc above the tulrc
If safety. two men met. Captain Ore
zen and his pilot There would be
line for but one to mount The cap
ain knew if; the pilot knew It nut
here was no hesitation With n snilo
Captain Craven stepped to one side,
After you, pilot" he said
The man sprang up the ladder. and
lis life was saved, but the brave cap.
ain was swept under and carried 10
destruction by the cruel sea. Gordon
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