Year: 1859

A recent occurrence at Charleston has been COM
mented upon In the public papers of some ofour
cities and as it has relation to the shipping inter
est of the country and world it is perhaps proper
that it should be made more widely known.


vessel bound from Apalachicola to a Northern
port, with cargo of cotton, was struck by light
ming and some of the cargo in the hold set on fire.
The MASTER having taken all the precautions in his
power to prevent the fire from spreading, conclud-
ed to put into the nearest port which proved to
be Charleston, for the purpose of exingushing
the lire and making the necessary repairs. From
the usage of all ports as we'll as from that spirit of
universal comfy which is supposed to prevail
among all cities seated on the shores of the great
oceans, and which only exist by reason of a COM
mercial intercourse with each other, he certainly
had right to expect that, in making Charleston
his destination, he was seeking friendly port


On arrival, however, and coming alongside the
wharf, he found that the Chief Engineer of the
Fire Department would permit no assistance to be
rendered unless he the master, first bound himself
by written contract to pay to the Fire Depart
ment salvage OF twenty per cent. of the value of
his vessel and cargo. Seeing there was no other al
tentative, except to haul his vessel into the stream
snd there let her burn, scutte her, he was forced
to submit to the extortionate terms. The on deck
cargo OF cotton, upon which salvage was also
claimed, was then permitted to be landed on the
wharf Some holes were cut in the deck of the
vessel TO admit the hose, and in few hours she
was filled with water.


BY the organization of the Department, it ap-
pears that the city of Charleston provides each





and pays to each sixteen dollars per hour while
engaged in putting out fires The members are
also exempt from military duty. They are among
the most respectable citizens ofChareston, and are
mostly merchants and others engaged in COM
merce.


1t is to be presumed that the object of every Fire
Department is TO extinguish all fires which may
occur exist within the limits of the town or CITY
of which it is institution. Every municipal
government, of its first duties, would pro
vide such an arm of protection.


Charleston is port open to commerce, and in
making it a port of destination the vessel in oues
ton became thereby entitled to all the benefits and
protection which the port could afford. She paid
pllotage, towage, port charges, wharfage, and
brought employment to merchants, mechanics and
laborers, dlsbursing many thousands of dollars
among the citizens of Charleston-thus contribu-
ting 10 the material prosperity of the city.


The conduct of their Fire Department, as rep
resented in the acts of its Chief Engineer in this
case, presents an unsatisfactory contrast when
pared with the departments of almost every other
city IN the Union. Numerous Instances have oc-
cured in most of them, both North and South, in
which the tremen with that esprit du corps which
so generally characteristics them everywhere, have
rendered similar services, and many occasions
have voluntarily proceeded to distant places, be-
yond the limits of their duties, ano there rendered
the most arduous and dangerous services in sup
pressing fires and preserving property from desruc
ton, without thought of asking or receiving
compensation. But this case at Charleston stands
out as the single known exception, in which, act





the hremen has in the presence of fire, cooly and
deliberately exacted the most extOrtonate terms of
payment for their services and the alternative to
which, if the master did not accede to them, was
command to haul his vessel into the stream and
there let her burn. Such terms, under almost any
circumstances exacted as a condition precedent to
the rendering of assistance, would have disgraced
professional wreckers, in cases where the SER
vice to be performed would be attended with the
risk of their own property and lives. Had com
pensation been asked after the service was per-
formed, it would doubtless have been cheerfully
paid in this case.


1t is proper that shipmasters should know these
facts to the end that it should be their mis-
fortune to find their vessels on fire at sea- they
may, if possible, steer for a friendly port than
Charleston has proved to be.


In justice, however, to some few of the fire COM
panies belonging to the Charleston department. it
must not be omitted to be stated that they have,
on reflection, declined to retain the share of the
plunder which had been allotted to them and have
returned it, thus exhibiting due regard fur an
honorable reputation for themselves and their city,
and showing that if, in the performance of their
duty they have been born insensible to fear, yet,
nevertheless. they are not insensble to shame
NJ Y. Herald.


visitor to ST. Petersburg was gratifed to see