Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1891 — NEW YORK PILOTS. [ARTICLE]

NEW YORK PILOTS.

THE MEN WHO BRING SHIPS SAFELY INTO HARBOR. The Wages They Earn and the Duties They Perform—A Position of Great Hardship and Responsibility. Under the laws of tho United States all tho Stntos bordering on the seaboard have pilots who are in charge of a board of commissioners. These officers are appointed by tho respective States, and mako certain rules for the regulation of pilots. At New York, famous for its beautiful harbor and the many vessels that sail into its port, there arc about 200 pilots, including those appointed by the State of New Jersey. The pilot-hoatsthomselves are each owned by a company of six pilots. Each man Ims an equal interest , in the earnings of the boat, though one pilot owns a share iu more than.one boat. The pilots are not paid salaries, but their earnings come from fees for the services they perform. Suppose that the average earnings of a boat are SI,OOO a month. The expenses for wages, food, repairs, ote., will be übout $-100. Then from 15 to 25 per cent, of tho gross earnings are laid aside as revenue foramina! dividends coining to the shareholders. The remaindor will be divided equally monthly among all tho pilots working in the boat, some of whom will not be owners, The fees are paid by the owners of vessels who wish to be safely piloted into the port of New York, and the amount depends on tho draught of tho vessel, all the wav from about S2O for small vessels up to $l7O for large steamers and ships; and the rates are higher in the winter, when the weather is cold ami navigation is difficult, than they are in the pleas, antor soasons of the year.

The pilot-boats themselves are not particularly handsome craft, but they are remarkable for their strength. I'liey set quite low in the water, have two masts, are rigged like n schooner, and in a stiff broexo they can skim over tho water with great swiftness. Inside there is a well-furnished cabin which is quite comfortable, and the men. when they are idle, have a pleasant time hero—reading, telling stories or playing cards. There are bunks, or sleeping berths, on each sido of the apartment, and one or two sfatorooms, that are kept from view by sliding doors, Everything is bright, clean and neat,us it always is on board a well-regulated boat of any kind. Five or six pilots suil on each trip, and each takes his turn in “boarding a vessel.” The crow, consisting of five seamen, a cook, and what is called the “boat-koopor," are quartered “forward.” The boat-kooper is the man who sails the pilot-boat after all tho pilots have left it, and each in turn Ims boarded a vessel which he is going to bring into port. The boat-kooper takes charge of the pilot-boat and brings it back to tho city. When tho pilot in search of incoming vessels starts out the sail down the bay is very pleasant. Tbo pilots are often requested to take passengers with them on their trips. They sometimes comply with this request when it comes from a personal friend, hut as a rulotlioy do not earo to be bothered with landsmen. I suy bothered, for when the boat gets out to sea and the woather becomes squally, the wind blows a great gale, and the little craft Is tossed about, among the waves like a cork when all tills happens, as it. frequently does—tho landsman visitor is in a great state of fear, lie wants to be put on shore, but that is impossible, for the journey has but just begun, end he is very sick and miserable, and altogether, under such circumstances,agreut annoyance and bother to tho pilots, who are as much at homo in such experiences ns you are when you walk down the main street, of your city and quietly look in the shop windows. An ordinary ocean voyage bears no comparison to a trip on a pilot boat. Though the boats are strong and woll able to withstand the roughest kind of weather, to the man unused to them it seems us if they were going to sink to tho bottom of tho ocean, even in an ordinary storin. This will give you some idea of what tho pilots experience, Some ten years ago there was a terrific storm in the winter, and ice and ■ sleet froze twelve inches thick on tho sides of a pilot-boat that was out to sea at the time. On the sixth day of the storm this is. the entry that tho pilot made in his log-book; ‘‘Blowing hard from northeast lit 4 u. m. Hauled tho jib down. Lost a man off tfco bowsprit. Hove the yawl out rind lost two menaiul the yawl; then hove the other yawl out and lost her. Lay around tucking until daylight, uud kept u lookout on tiic masthead until 8 a.m.” The sumo boat, two years before this was hove to on her beam ends. The squall was so sevore that she lost botjj of her masts and a man who was iu the rigging. On still another occasion she was nearly filled with wuter by u wave. A short distance from Sandy Hook one of the pilot boats is always stationed to serve as a sort of headquarters for the pilots when they leave the vessel after they have piloted them out of the harbor. This boat is anchored there for four days, whoa another one takes her place. No matter how bud the weather is the station boat is cither anchored at this spot or is suiting about in the vicinity. No class of men, probably, endure so much hardship in tho time of their work as the Now York pilots. They are all of them strong, hardy and brave. The greut exposure which they are obliged to undergo in the winter season makes them in old age subject to severe attacks of rheumatism. The boats go out to sea from 50 to 4CK) miles distant from Sandy Hook, the furthest point of land on the coast. Tho pilot whose turn it iR to board a vessel is continually' on deck looking out. There may be three or more bouts in the same vicinity bent on the same errand, for each pilot boat works on “ its own hook,” and it often happens there is a great struggle between them to secure a vessel. The moment the cruft is sighted they race for her, and tho one who gets there first is engaged. When a steamer is seen at night the pilot calls attention to the fact that he is in the vicinity by lighting u torch. Taking a big ball of cotton he dips it into turpentine, lights it, and waves it iu the air so os to show the number on his sail; for each pilot boat is known by a number which is painted in large characters near tho top of the mainsail, so that it can bo seeu from a considerable distance. The pilots always prefer the largo European steamers, becuuse, as the rate of pilotage is according to the draught of the vessel, they get more money from the steamer, and generally secure the job of taking her out to sea, when, in a few days, she makes her return trip. When the veifeel is seen, and the captain indicates that he wants the pilot to come on board, a small boat, manned with two sailors, takes the pilot to the

vessel. You can imagine that this is no easy tusk in stormy weather whon tb« sea is rolling high. It seems as if th« little boat would be engulfed between the waves. There have been several eases where the men have been lost in their efforts to reach the ship. Once or twice the little boat has capsized, and the lives of the men were only saved with great effort by help from the larger vessel which they had almost reached. Even when the woather is admirably good it roil uires considerable prudonoo to get close to a steamer without having an upset. But, in the great majority of cases, they nre successful, and the pilot is safely hauled upon board. The men who hold theso responsible positions have to be very bright, much brighter than the ordinary captain of a ship. It takes years to understand the peculiarities of the tide and current. They must serve athroo-ycarnpprenticc-ship at the vocation. Sometimes tho apprentice only gets his food for his services, though more generally he receives from sls to $lB a month wages. After lie becomes proficient he is allowed to row the pilot from tho pilot-bout to the incoming steumer, or fr< m the outgoing vessel back to the pilot-bout. In tho course of time ho may become u boatkeeper, in which oase he is not allowed to leave his craft, day or night, us long ns lie holds that position. Finally, when lie applies for a license his application is hung upon a blackboard at the office of the I’ilot. Commissioners. If no one objects to him lie is finally examined by the Commissioners and two of the oldest pilots, who ask him ull sorts of hard questions about his duties. Even when lie has pussod this examination, for a year ho is only allowed to take charge of a smaller vessel, and after he has become a real pilot he is obliged to renew his license every year, and if he is proved incompetent at any time he is suspended from duty. In some instances, if the Pilot Commissioners come to the conclusion that tho man is inefficient, they take his license away.—[St. Louis Republic.