The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-04-20
WHAT TH[ FA1E Of CAPTAIN PETERSEN? !
Case of Princess Irene's
Commander Attracts
Attention.
1VYHETHER Captain Petersen,
wv who was in charge of the
Princess Irene when she

Princess Irene when she
went ashore off Fire island
recently, will lose his certificate or
even get another command is a sub
ject Of discussion in steamship cir
cles. In the case Of shipwreck or COL
ision at sea the general rule of the
big steamship lines has been that the
captain who is at fault not only loses
his place in the service, but frequently
has his certificate suspended by the
licensing authority. This is one reason
why captains prefer to go down with
their ships. Captain Petersen has
high hopes for the best, inasmuch as
his ship was not lost.
A few companies, the North German
Lloyd among them, are lenient, giving
commanders and other officers another
chance if their previous record is good
and if the ship does not become a to-
tai loss. On the other hand, the White
Star line and others have a hard and
fast rule that commanders who lose
their vessels or are in a collision that
costs the company a big sum of mon
ey are to be dismissed.
Captain Inman Sealby, who COM
manded the Republic when she sank
after collision with the Italian liner
Florida on Jan. %, 1909, although no
blame was attached to him for faulty
navigation or seamanship in handling
his vessel, was dismissed from the
service and is now studying admiralty
law at the University of Michigan
All his sea career had been with the
White Star line, and he had been six
teen years in command in the China,
Australian and Mediterranean trades.
Captain e. Prehn Of the North Ger
man Lloyd liner Prinz Friedrich Will
helm, backing out Of his pier at Ho-
boken last September, went two-thirds
of the way across the river and COL
ided with the outbound French liner
Lorraine, smashing in her bows and
doing considerable damage to her
plates. He is still in command of his
vessel, which is evidence that the d.
rectors considered he was not to
blame.
Different Fifty Years Ago.
Captain Sidney Leyland, in COM
mand of the Atlantic Transport liner
Minnehaha when she struck on the
Scilly islands two years ago and was
afterward got off and repaired, had his
certificate suspended by the British
board of trade for three months and
was dismissed from the service. He
had" previously grounded the compa-
ny's liner Minnetonka at the mouth
of the Thames, but without damaging
the hull Of the vessel. She was the
commodore ship, and as disciplinary
measure Captain Leyland was put in
command Of the Minnehaha. He is
now in charge of number of dredges
for the Panama canal commission at
Cristobal after failing to get another
sea command when his three months
suspension expired.
Steamship companies look askance at
the mariner who loses his ship in these
days. but forty or fifty years ago, when
there was no official load line and cof-
fin ships left port frequently never to
return, the master who could pile his
ship up snugly on a sandy beach along
the African coast for preference with
out losing his crew could always get
plenty of work.
One of the chief factors which mill
tates against steamship company civ
ing a captain another command after
he has lost his vessel is the insurance
companies. From the time a man gets
command of a ship his record is kept
at Lloyd's agency. London, in a big
book alphabetically arranged so that
the underwriters can refer at once to
the career of a captain when he is ap-
pointed to a new ship.
Captain Dunning, in command of the
'Cunard liner Slavonia when she struck
~on Flores island on June II, 1909, and
became total loss, was reprimanded
severely by the court of inquiry. but
his certificate was not suspended He
had to leave the Cunard service, how
ever, and is now the marine superin-
tendent Of the United Fruit company.
Captain LIE Horn, formerly commo-
dore of the Peninsular and Oriental
Navigation company, stranded his YES
sci, the China, off Perrin island, in the
Red sea, in 1897. It cost the company
about 100000 to get her off. At the
court Of inquiry it was proved that the
second officer, who was on the bridge
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