The national forum., 1910-10-08
Gar c or HIS SHIP
,.+
The Captain of an. Ocean Liner
Is a Real Autocrat.
HIS WORD is ABSOLUTE LAW.


Imagine mayor or a judge OF
circuit court or county sheriff or, a
town marshal of village OF $500 pop
ulatlon stepping out into the street
and ON general and self imposed au-
thority picking up citizen, ordering
him to cell and capping irons on
him for safe keeping!
Wouldn't the bird of American lib
erty set up scream? Wouldn't the
old and badly cracked Liberty bell
resonate In discord?
After one of the great transatlantic
passenger steamships leaves the three
mile limit of New York the passenger
is in foreign territory on the high seas.
English, French. German whatever
the flag at the masthead--the ship Is a
section of its fatherland, douting In the
high seas, where only maritime laws
regarding its transit in times of peace
may hold check upon the czardom Of
the ships commander, on or OF the
bridge.
No czar has more power within his
territory than has the captain Of the
great Atlantic liner on the high seas.
He is on an island of his country's
ownership-a floating island, having
population of 800 employees and look.
ing after the welfare and safety of per
haps 5000 passengers. He is prac-
tically the administrative, executive
and judicial single individual. such as
exists rarely on the map Of present
day civilization. Aside from his au-
thority over mankind, he may have
100000 of vessel under him, to say
nothing of the International mails ano
millions In gold In transshipment
"There's the captain" is whispered
bit of comment made million times
year In the beginning of the pas.
sages of great ocean steamships. And
generally the captain looks the part.
Ii Is not so much his uniform either.
Ordinarily the captain is not young.
There Is gray In his hair, mustache
or beard. That young man in his
twenties, no matter what his school
ing for beginning the work, isn't called
at moments notice to the captains
bridge. He must have his maximum
Of training for six or seven numbers
below before he is called to the foot
Of the ladder.
On the British passenger vessels
most of the beginners at navigating
an ocean vessel of the first class will
have had n lieutenant's commission
from the navy. 1t Is from the royal
navy reserves that the lowest officers
vacancy is filed. Filling 1t, he has his
chance to rise to the position of cap
tain.
AS to the captains authority: One
midnight, when in fog the White
Star Baltic struck the German oil
steamship Standard, the Baltic needed
its 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 Batic's
steel sheathing.
Suppose that In stampede Of the
Baltic's crew its employees had rushed
up to Gil Its 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 passen
gers Or had some passenger or pas
sengers become panic stricken and
against orders menaced the welfare of
the majority on the ship death would
have been dealt with the same rigid
discipline which requires of the cap
tain 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
sudden great emergency which arises
the captains word Is more than writ
ten law; 1t Is the unwritten common
law of the high seas. in the spirit OF
which the vigilance committee of the
wild west IF the United States rose.
lawlessly l"wful.
Today the captain of the great liner
may step into the paatial 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 mo deprivation
Of liberty without due process of law"
becomes farce. The cell room OF
even the iron manacles of the cap
tain's authority may be used upon the
individual who has paid $500 or 81 900
for bis suit of rooms and his passage
On the high seas the captains ship
becomes an autocratic democracy. The
individual in the first cabin and at thu
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 bis
ship. He is dressed for 1t; but, more
than that. he is trained to II. He Is
empowered to take life If he must, and
on land this is the most serious Of all
things in the statute books"
Commodore Of the aeet' is one of
the offices toward which the old sea
captain looks. not envlously, not with
disdain, 1t Is naval number In the
passenger service which marks the
age of retirement There is honor In