Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1921-04-08
COVE COMMENTS

the same time accidents are often
preyentablc where good judgment
and GOODNESS is used. And 50 as
case in point it seems to me that
50 far as the evidence has been
made public that the sinking Of
the Steamship Governor was one
Of those preventable accidents.
The night was fine and there was
no fog, one ship was outward
bound and the other inward
bound and just leaving a port of
call so that they would necessarily
pass one another pretty close.
4 ccordlng to statements made the
pilot Of the Governor mistook
the lights of the West Harland
for some shore lights, though how
he could mistake the lights Of
moving ship for stationary shore
Lights is more than | can under
stand. Had it been stranger
approaching land and unfamiliar
with the surroundings the excuse
might have some weight, but il
this case it was a pilot in charge
as familiar with the surroundings
rs anyone with their home sur
Ir2undings.
It may seem to some that I am
cnturing on uncertain grounds
hen | make bold to comment
en- such subject as maritime ac-
2;dents, so l will just say that
nay gradfather, my father and
nay brothers are and have been
81 pilots and the reason that |
Gm not pilot was because my
good old mother had a notion that
there ought to be one dude in the
family with frock coat and plug
hat, etc, so stuck me in the dry
goods. But a man is a man for
Il that, and among other things
| have done some steamboating
and so coming back to the sub
ject | will give an instance of
how just such an accident might
happen. My father was, on one
occasion pilot on one of the Lon
don and Southwestern mail boats.
His duty was to take the ship
from Jersey out into the channel
clear of the French coast after
which he was free until the ship
returned to that point. 1t was
a dark clear night and Dad chose
to remain on the bridge instead
of return to his state room. As
they approached the Needles, Isle
Of Wight they saw a ships light
on their port bow Ga ship bound
up channel.) After some time
Dad remarked that they were
keeping their relative distance at
angles and would meet or pass
close at given point. Well they
got closer and closer till Dad said
to the chief officer in charge that
it would be well to bear to port
a little and pass under the stern
OF the other ship. The mate said
we have the right of way. Dad
said yes, but he is a big fellow
and shows no sign of obeying the
rule of the road. The mate was
stubborn and finally they got so
close that Dad said you better
make up your mind as to what
you are going to do. 1t was then
too late to pass under the big
ships stern so the mate had to
put his helm hard over and they
found themselves grazing the side
of the other ship and headed up
channel so that they had to make
a wide circle to regain their
course, after which Dad remark
ed: "There, that will teach you
u lesson not to be so pigheaded."
Not very complimentary but much
10 the point, which any owner
Of small automobile will appre-
ciate when he has to give way to
some road hog with a big machine
We will know more about this
accident after the federal inquiry
has been concluded.
| hope none of our friends made
a trip to our Community hall
last Saturday for nothing, as the
dance had to be called off on
short notice owing to the death
Of an old and respected neighbor
Mrs. Thorsen on Friday morning.
The present administration
shows signs Of sanity as compar-
ed with the outgoing, and seem
disposed to do the right thing.
A case in point is that Eugene
V. Debs, political prisoner, visit
ed Washington, D. c. at the in
vitation of Mr.. Daughcrty the new
attorney general, for a private
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