DAVY JONES’S LOCKER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11231, 31 March 1897, Page 6

DAVY JONES’S LOCKER.

{English Paper.) As in many pantomimes Davy Jones figures somewhat prominently—in appalling black whiskers and sea-boots three sizes too large for Jiim —some facts about the manner in which this gentleman’s department is kept supplied may not be out of place at this time of the year. Says Euskin; “ It is not in flesh and blood to be vigilant when vigilance is so slightly necessary ; the best seaman born will lose his qualities when lie can steam against wind and tide, and has to handle ships so large that the care of them is necessarily divided among many persons.” Of course all vessels are not lost through carelessness, as, apart from, “ ships wrecked,” as the sea-going terra is, “ by the act of God,” ships, steam and sailing, are lost through fire, sunken rocks, collision, fog, drink, bad. steering gear, and other exceptional causes. Considering that there are eleven thousand odd steamers afloat, all of ono hundred tons and upwards, giving a gross tonnage of sixteen millions, and that nine and a half millions sail under the British flag, it is surprising how few shipwrecks there are. The comparative loss of life in London streets is very much greater than THE DEATH-ROUL OP THE SEA. Observe the difference between the ancient and modern vessel that crosses the Atlantic. When Sir Francis Drake made his voyage round the Straits of Magellan his fleet consisted, as every schoolboy knows, of five ships, the largest of which , G'e Pelican, was one hundred and twenty tons, while the smallest was but fifteen tons—a more barge. Any of our Atlantic liners would carry about seventeen times the tonnage of Drake’s entire fleet to New York within six days. It is to he presumed that the weather has not altered much—unlike women—with the course of centuries, and yet the comparative loss of life was not so very much greater then than it is now. Then Mr Jones was a private individual in a small way of business; now he lias for many years been a limited company, with extensive premises. How is he kept going ? Thus: — The average reader of the newspapers, when he hears that some liner or sailingvessel has been wrecked, with the loss of three-parts of her crew, concludes, as a rule, that it was the fearful weather which caused the disaster, especially if it be stated by the officers of the ship (if any survive) that such was the case. But the average reader does not know that “ dirty weather ” is used as an excuse by certain captains when the sea was in reality perfectly smooth. This reason for a wreck, of course, can only bo given when the officers of a ship back up their captain, who, having judiciously doctored the log, can often thus avoid a Board of Trade inquiry. FAULTY STEERING-GEAR IS A GOOD FRIEND to Mr Davy Jones. Take a ship of the collier.

type, for example, trading regularly between a Welsh port and the Thames. _ From the time she was launched her steering-gear, a new kind of patent, was very defective, and was always getting “jammed.” If this occurred at sea, and there was plenty of room, it didn’t matter much, because the engineers could soon fix it up again, but when she narrowly escaped running down one of the Thames steamers the “old man ” wrote to the owners, and told them all about it. Two trips afterwards tho new gear was ready, but, some chartering reason coming in the way, the “ ship’s husband ” (that is, tho superintendent of the shipping firm) persuaded the'captain to make just one more voyage. So'she proceeded to London, and was racing back full tilt round the Foreland, with three other colliers that had come out with the same tide, when, almost abeam of Dover, while another vessel was approaching her, her helm was put hard over to avoid one of tho Channel steamers. Tho helm stuck, and like a straw in a whirlpool, she swung round and caught the other vessel right amidships, cut clean into the engine-room, killing the second engineer and two firemen, and sent the other ship to the bottom of tho sea, Mr Davy Jones being enriched to the extent of five f oc’sle hands in addition to tho men killed in the engine-room. It was never known that this ship’s steering gear was faulty, "ordinary causes” being assigned at a subsequent inquiry as tho reason of the collision.

A DANGER OE QUITE ANOTHER BUND,

and particularly the terror of every Atlantic liner during the winter months, is the iceberg. Long before the ice-moun-tain approaches within dangerous proximity of a liner, a dense fog sets in, doubly adding to the danger, since the look-out is unable to see more than two yards ahead. Thanks to the electric search-light the danger is now minimised, as the rays penetrate tho fog for a considerable distance, and are reflected on the ice; but when a ship is unprovided with this useful invention she stands a poor chance when she once gets amongst tho ice. “ Iceberg dead ahead, sir!” is the cry from tho look-out; the engines are reversed, tho helm is put hard over, but all too late ! With a terrific crash she strikes the mountain of ice below the waterline, and the ship fills rapidly. Possibly an attempt is made to cover the breach by lowering a weighted sail oyer the bows, but the attempt proves fruitless. “ Muster all hands and man the boats !” bellows the captain, and the result is that those who are not drowned are often starved to death in the open boats. The iceberg danger, in winter time, is one of the reasons why seamen don’t like tho Atlantic trade, especially “ North-about.”

THE COASTING-STEAMER is responsible for many wrecks round our shores. Those in charge of her, knowing every inch and fathom of the coast, too often grow careless and omit the usual precautions. The man at the wheel is frequently left in sole charge of the ship while the officer who should be on watch is enjoying a pipe in the galley or chartroom. Of a sudden, seeing another vessel hearing down upon him, the man at the wheel, is flurried by the amount of responsibility resting on his shoulders. Then, in spite of the other boat’s endeavours to keep clear, he runs her down. Thus again Davy Jones’s locker is supplied with fresh victims. Intemperance plays a considerable part in the mismanagement of ships. Here is a peculiar instance. A steamship was loading iron ore at a foreign port, where it often occurs that till full moon ships cannot get over the bar. The ship had been waiting for five days, and the skipper, who had been imbibing, grew impatient. So he ordered the pilot aboard and proceeded down the river. The steamer was drawing sixteen feet of water, and there was only sixteen feet and a half on the bar. Dropping the pilot at a little village close to the bar, 'the skipper telegraphed “Full speed aheadand with an unusual amount of SCRUNCHING AND GRINDING his vessel steamed into the Bay of Biscay. Ten minutes later there were six feet of water in No. 1 hold and four and a half feet in No. 2, gaining fast. The captain, it is needless to say, should never have attempted to cross the bar when be did, nor, worse still, should he have dropped his pilot. The mate knocked him down with a belaying pin and took charge of the ship, which was filling remarkably fast. Putting her about he steered for the nearest point of land, his idea being that, since the ship would sink in a few minutes, he should run her on to the rocks, and so save the owners many thousands of pounds. However, he couldn’t reach the shallow water in time, and, in spite of his brave efforts, the ship sank in five fathoms of water. The skipper deliberately committed suicide by jumping into the sea and not attempting to save himself, and twothirds of the crow were drowned. The plucky mate, we are glad to say, escaped, and is now in the Mediterranean trade as captain of a new steamship. In this case, it will he observed, through the carelessness of a skipper under the influence of alcohol, fifteen good lives were thrown away, and there was rejoicing in Davy Jones’s locker that night. As an instance of A CURIOUS ESCAPE FROM DAVY JONES’S LOCKER we may quote the case of the bo’sun of the barque Benbecula, bound from Pensacola to Glasgow with Indian corn. This boat, after having a disastrous passage (the crew having stood by the pumps for eleven days), began to sink. The creiv took the boats, leaving the bo’sun on board, not with any selfish or evil intention, but simply becouse he ’would make a final visit to the fo’e’slo to secure some money stowed away there. After possessing himself of his little hoard the old shell-back was not entirely left without presence of mind. The ship, he, knew, might sink at any m unite, so he proceeded swiftly to the paint-locker, collected several old oilcans, made them water-tight by bunging the ends up, and fastened these round his waist in such a manner that they proved an effective substitute for a lifebelt. The other men were drowned, but he was picked up by a passing liner. Thus was Davy Jones cheated of one single soul.