New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-10
ers to the Tribune's EditC
Engineer and Shipmaster
Views of Their Relative RESPONSE
bilities on Modern Steamships

bilities on Modern Steamships
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
! Sir: The letter signed "Old Ship
master" brings up an interesting sub
ject. The so-callcd "traditions of the
sea" die hard, and tradition that is
dying particularly hard is that which
gives an almost divine right to the
master"
Modern invention tends in all cases
to tighten the work of the deck officer,
while, on the other hand, the propelling
machinery Of modern steamers becomes
more and more complicated. With a
good wireless operator to get hourly
reports on the ships position by radio
child almost could navigate ship
to-day.
The marine engineer is almost un-
known to the general public. He very
seldom advertises himself or his work
but when man writes a letter such as
marine engineer wonder where the old
skipper has been all these years that
he has failed to keep up with TIE times.
| agree that an engineer "stops and
goes ahead only upon order from the
bridge. A failure to obey every signal
correctly might easily cause loss of the
ship, which, to my way of thinking, is
considerable of responsibility in
itself, and in many cases has proved
too much of a responsibility for the
officer on the bridge. Gold braid does
not make an officer, and it is ignorance
of that fact that causes so much of the
friction aboard ship.
"Old Shpmaster" tells us that "ma-
rine engines, as rule, are an excellent
thing" They surely are, because when
they fail there is not much left for the
skipper to do but send out an S o S.
The rules of navigation have not
changed, in broad sense, since the
days of Columbus. The same does not
hold good in the engine room. Tur-
bines, Diesel engines and the electric
drive are only few Of the develop
ments that have made the engineer
man of growing Importance and greater
responsibility. The man in overalls
handled his engines through the late
war in a way that had no little bearing
on it's outcome.
"Old Shipmaster" states that the ma
rine engineer has no more status than
the oarsmen who manned the galleys of
Tyre. I think he means we ought to
have that status, in his opinion. Times
have changed, however, and it is the
failure of number of people to keep
up with these changes that causes the
bitter feeling evidenced in "Old Ship
masters" letter.
The name "shipmaster" would imply
that something has been "mastered."
How can man be master" over that
of which he has not even an elemen-
tary knowledge-namely, the engine
room department of ship? The chief
engineer is and always will be the
logical master Of his own department.
and if in the future he becomes su-
preme in authority it will be due to
his fitness for that place and to the
failure OF some present masters to, ap-
preciate that ruling by divine right"
lad a bad setback not long ago, and
that democracy and fair dealing are
all important aboard ship.
The marine engineer is a gentleman
and an officer. The failure of any of
the Titanic's engineers to appear in the
ships boats is one of many proofs of
that BERT COLLINS.
Brooklyn, July 6, 1921.