The Ordway new era. (Ordway, Colo.) 1902-1927, 1914-07-31

-DIFTEEN or twenty minutes prior
to the sailing hour Of huge
transatlantic liner an unassum-
ing man carrying q travelling
bag joins the stream Of passen-
gers going up the gangplank. There
II nothing to distinguish him from the
hundreds of other male travellers, and
you suspect he is an American bust
ness man going abroad for recreation.
And yet for the space of two hours
'(sometimes 20) this individual guides
the destiny of the ship and its human
cargo through the tortuous waters OF
the bay until It reaches the open sea-
He 10 . pilot for the port Of New York
and there are 11s Of him in active
service at the present time. writes
Thornton Fisher in the New York
Tribune.
was privileged recently to spend
q work day with the pilots. 1t began
At pier 81. North river. where the
steamship New York was waiting for
the signal that sends her on the voy-
age across the sea. The final blare Of
the bugle warning visitors ashore was
sounded promptly at the hour OF 10
and gangplanks were released and.
with an almost imperceptible move
ment, accompanied by . prolonged
blast of the siren, the big liner left the
dock and pointed her PROV to the east
ward.
All Very Simple. 81
On the bridge before the wheelhouss
stoop Captain Roberts. navigator.
land Pilot sayles. who had apparently
been one of the throng Of passenger
10 few brief moments before. One Of
tho decisions Of humankind 10 the men
tai association Of authority at sea
with glitteringly uniformed men who
with ceaseless vigil pace the ships
deck However, this keen-eyed, rudy
commissioned man standing At the
captains side. attired in civilian ap-
,parel. does not bear visible mark in
dicative OF his calling. unless 1t be
the alert manner with which he scans
the water or searches intently for land.
marks on the shore.
Out past Governors island. the
statue OF Liberty. slowly by Staten
island and you are in the open. en-
one side of the Jersey Highlands lofty
shores rise, only to recede and disap
pear from view. In the distance LONG
Island IL lost where the ocean meets
the sky. The ship plows cautiously
through the waters. obeying the slight.
est commanded the pilot on the bridge
since It would be a comparatively easy
matter to run her nose into the mud
The navigator, however. knows his
course as an onicer knows his beat
II may be explained that the pilot
does not operate the steering appa
ratus Of the vessel under his charge
He communicates by word or ges
ture of the hand to the man at the
helm all directions for the course
which are repeated by the helmsman
in acknowledgment Of the order
STEADY! Steady!" says the pilot
STEADY. sir" responds the man at the
wheel. Port" directs the pilot, and
again comes the echo. Port"
In the meantime. while the navigate,
IL engaged on the bridge. the passen
gers are busy writing farewell letter.
or kilograms to be dispatched with
the pilot. Sandy Hook has now beer
left behind and the open sea IL ahead
The pilots work is finished. at least
temporarily. and the captain grips
him by the hand. wishes him good
luck and orders the speed Of the shiI
reduced as the navigator prepares te
depart.
A yawl manned by two sturdy lad,
draws alongside the huge vessel. Gar
you swim?" inquiries the kindly pilot
Being assured by me in the afirma
tive, he swings over the side ant
descends Jacobs ladder" a. the rop>
ladder has come to be known among
the seamen. l
Fact and Imagination.
The uninitiated instinctively shud
der q they gaze down the perpendicu
lar depth at the tiny yawl bobbing VI
and down with every wave that strike,
the ship. From the lower deck to tn,
waterline is perhaps twenty-five feet
varying with the proportions Of the
vessel, but venture the assertion
from personal experience that the dis
lance negotiated between the decl
and the yawl was no less than twenty
ifve hundred feet.
The crew. having lowered the pilot
travelling bag and mail sack. gent!