The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-01-27
CzAR OF HIS ship
The Captain of an Ocean Liner
Is a Real AutoCrat.
HIS WORD IS ABSOLUTE Law.


circuit court or II county sheriff or 0
town marshal of village of $500 pop
ulatioiI stepping out into the street
and Oh general and self Imposed au-
th0rity picking up citizen, ordering
him to a cell and clapping irons on
him for safe keeping.
Wouldn't the bird of American lib
erty set up Il 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. whatever
the flag at the masthead-the ship is
section of its fatherland. floating in the
high seas, where only maritime laws
regarding its transit in times Of peace
may hold check upon the czapdom of
the ships commander on or OFF 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 bis 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 bis au-
thority over mankind. he may have
$7000000 Of vessel under him. to say
nothing of the international mails and
millions IN gold In transshipment.
There's the captain is whispered
bit Of comment made II million times
year In the beginning of the pas.
sages of great ocean steamships. And
generally the captain looks the part.
II IL 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 trimming 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 ieutenants commission
from the navy. II 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 a 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
or patching up the hole In the Baltic's
steel sheathing.
Suppose that in a stampede Of the
Battles crew its employees had rushed
up to ill It's boatsy 1t was within the
power to have shot down the
leader-to have brought about war TO
the knife. revolver and rifle 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
me majority Oh the ship death would
nave been dealt with the same rigid
discipline which requires of the cap.
ain that he be the autocrat at his
lost
lnefe are no forms of writs or war.
ants necessary. There Is no court at
ihich the passenger or the seaman
lay give bond. In that instant of
udden great emergency which arises
ne captains word Is more than writ
en iaw: It Is the unwritten common
NV or the high seas. in the snirit ~
men the Vigilance committee of the
'lld west of the United States rose.
lwlcssly lawful.
ioday tue captain or the great line -
lay step into the palatial cabin NJ =
order. He may go into, ,ha
noGing cabin and stop the "a N 90
lfds ut which the sharper is nj ,r,nr
" MS stakes. In ease of re- nc, y that
iclent land right OF mo ,enr tr,,io,
liberty without due pro .n,s % ,a,,,,,
comes farce The cell room or
zen the iron nmnacl 40 ot ma a,n
III y authority may 90 usea ,nnnr thn
y " nv iu'"' " =" N''S nald $500 or 81 900
. n,N Su,' = roc ms aud Ills passage.
~ : Wv ut''n s As the ,aptr MS shin
1'l ant ocmtic d ,mocr cy The
Wv ''u'' ~ the first cabin ~ nd nj the
,n,I,m hb'e mus share with the
- 80" AT fnr be low those equities
~ ~ " fe granted 10 each In hi place.
Jon DUCK The captain" said an
t'S'a' ~ q, ~ tue ltiices Of grca, steam.
w nne ~ g is al there is Of author.
7 He Is he supreme entity of his
hlp lie tS dressed for 1t; but more
han that. be is trained TO H. He Is
Empowered TO take life IL he must, and
N land this Is the most serious OF all
hings In the statute books"
commodore OF the fleet" is one of
The offices toward which the old sea
captain looks, not enviously. not with
.lisdaln. Ii is II naval number In the
passenger service which marks the
age of retirement There Is honor In
the title II does not descend to his
children. lie gives half his life to the