Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-08-23


passages of great ocean steamships.
And generally the captain looks the
part.
1t is not so much his uniform, eth
err. Ordinarily the captain is not
young. There is gray in his hair, mus
tache or beard. That young man in his
twentics. no matter what his school
ing for beginning the work, isn't called
at a moments notice to the captains
bridge. He must have his maximum of
training for six or seven numbers be-
fore he is called to the foot of the lad
der.
On the British passenger vessels
most of the beginners at navigating an
ocean vessel of the first-class will have
had lieutenant's commission from the
navy. 1t is from the royal navy re-
serves that the lowest officers vacancy
is filled. Filling it, he has his chance to
rise to the position of captain.
With the growth of the worlds ship
ping and it's naval armaments, the
trails" of the Atlantic grcyhounds
have been charted-by the compass.
But even with wireless service there
may be little i'm the dark and fog and
storm and spray TO chart the tramp
steamer-the occasional sailing vessel
a hundred days out of port in the anti
it and home-the iceberg floating ST.
lently with only tenth Of its ice cap
projecting from the black water or
out of the dense fog-the abandoned
hulk. water-Soaked and drifting dere-
lict with winds and tides-these are
some of the uncharted things that the
captain of the giant passenger steam
er must consider.
His vessel has left no water trace
behind it. There are no water trails
ahead. And when he may have stood
upon the bridge i'm storm for "a to &c
hours, sleepless, shall one wonder that
the strain upon steel nerves Is written
early in his face and hair?
Midnight of July 3, when in a fog
the White Star Baltic struck the Ger
man oil steamer Standard, the Baltic
needed it's captain and he was there.
His ship carpenters were rushed to the
bow of the vessel and began the work
of patching up the hole in the Baltic's
steel Sheating. Two hours the Baltic
rolled in a heavy swell and no answer
came, 900 miles out from Fire Island.
that in the wide wastes of fog and wa
ter was a vessel to come to the Baltic's
aid.
Suppose that in a stampede of the
Raltic's crew it's employees had rushed
up to fill it's boats? 1t was within the
captains power to have shot down the
leader-to have brought about war to
the knife, revolver and rife in the in
terests of his vessel and its passengers.
Or had some passenger or passengers
become paniCstricken and against or
ders menaced the welfare of the ma
jorty on the ship, death would have
been dealt with the same rigid d 5cip-
line which requires of the captain
that he be the autocrat at his post.
There are no forms of Writs or war
rants necessary. There is no court at
which the passenger or the seaman
may give bond In that instant of sud-
den great emergency which arises the
captains word is more than written
law: il is the unwritten common law
of the high seas. in the spirit of which
the vigilance committee of the wild
west of the United States rose, law
lessly lawful.
Today the captain of the great liner
may step into the palatial cabin and
command order. He may go into the
smoking cabin and stop the game of
cards at which the sharper is playing
for his stakes. In case of refusal, that
ancient land right of no deprivation
of liberty without due process of law"
becomes farce. The ce.lrOom or even
the iron manacles of the captains au-
thority may be used upon the individ-
ual who has paid $500 or $1,000 for his
suit of rooms and his passage. On the
high seas the captains ship becomes
an autocratic democracy. The indi-
vidual in the first cabin and at the
captains table must share with the
immigrant, far below, those equities
that are granted to each in his place.
Don't buck the captain" said an
official in the offices of great steam
ship line He is all there is of author
ity. He is the supreme entity of his
ship. He is dressed for it, but, more
than that, he is trained to it. He is
empowered to take life, if he must,
and on land this is the most serious OF
ali things in the statute books.
But as the old captain nears the
shore you may see some of the dignity
and iron poise begin to ooze. The
harbor light and the floating buoy
marking the channel are affecting him.
That day after his landing and get
ting into his street clothes-why, if
you are acquainted with him, slap him
on the back and you'll get smile that
is worth it's shining on your face.
Commodore of the fleet" is one of
the offices toward which the old sea
captain looks. not enviously-not with
disdain. 1t is a naval number in the
passenger service which marks the age
of retirement. In the Cunard service,
for example, Captains John Pritchard
and ]. b. Watt have passed on to the
position. Captain r. G. War; is the
present active man for the position.
"Commodore of the ileet?" There is
honor in the title. 1t does not descend
To his children. He gives half his life
to the gaining of it. And it means
that his activities and powers are at an
end.-Chicago Tribune.