The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-03-07
PROBE OF STEAMSHIPS
ACCIDENTS OPPOSED
STATE PILOTS AND FOREIGN
LINES COMBINE AGAINST BILL
PROVIDING PUBLICITY.
Object to Being Held Responsible to
Constituted Authority and Say
Pressure VIII Defeat Measure.

Pressure Will Defeat Measure.
Sudden and unexpected opposition
which developed in Harrisburg last
week to a bill providing for stricter
supervision over vessels and their
pilots on the Delaware river and
bay, to minimize accidents and as
sure greater degree of safety to all
craft on that water highway from
the sea to Pennsylvania port, has
raised an all-important issue which
the members of the legislature will
be compelled to decide.
BY their vote upon the measure
when it comes before them, Repre-
sentatives and State Senators will
either uphold Pennsylvania sover-
eign right of authority over territory
within its jurisdiction, or they will
surrender that right to foreign inter
ests that are now eXerting every in
f1uence to prevent legislation which
would make them accountable to a
constituted authority of this state.
If they vote for the bill, they will
sustain the dignity and proclaim tie
authority which is Pennsylvania in
allenable right. If they vote against
it, they will establish the principle
that the law and the protection of
property and life is subservient to
private interests and corporate man
ipulations.
The proposed legislation merely
provides that the State, through its
Commissioners of Navigation, shall
have the authority to supervise, and
to investigate the acts of, the pilots
whom the State licenses through the
said Commissioners of Navigation.
Existing laws, contemplating such
authority, fail utterly in effecting it,
through "joker" which requires
that complaint be made to the
Commissioners by an aggrieved or
injured party before any accident
occurring to a vessel in charge of
such licensed pilot can be investi-
gated by the Commissioners.
Such a condition is characterized
as menace to navigation upon the
Delaware river and. bay, a blot upon
the credit of Pennsylvania port,
and deterrent upon the develop
ment of its freight as we'll as pas
senger service. 1t was to remedy
this that the new bill was drawn.
The real necessity for such a law
was shown last December, when, on
Christmas Eve, the outgoing steam
er Merton collided with the in
coming freighter "Oceano." Both
vessels were in charge of licensed
pilots. The night was clear, and ap-
parently there was no excuse for
such an accident. The Merton" had
several hundred passengers aboard,
and had the damage she sustained
been of more serious nature, many
or all of them might have perished.
The peculiar conditions called for
an investigation, and there was
widespread public demand that the
real facts be revealed. The Commits
sioners desired to make an investi-
sNtion, but were informed by the At
torney General of the State that un-
der the existing ineffective law they
were powerlesS to act without
formal complaint. No complaint
came, and the accident went down
among scores of other such myster-
les of the Delaware river and bay.
The foreign steamship lines, appar-
emily from the same motives which
prompted the White Star Line to dis
courage an investigation of the '"Ti-
tanic" disaster, invited no scrutiny
of the carelessness or inefficiency
which caused the Merton" and
"Oceano" to collide.
In the interest of the public they
were appointed to serve, and in full
tillment of their duty, Director Geo.
w. Norris and his fellow Commits
sioners have determined to fight the
bill through the House and Senate,
and find out just which legislators
are susceptible to the mysterious in
f1uences operating against this bill
for the protection of life and prop
erty and the enforcement of law.