THE POLICING OF DISASTER.
[To TUB EDITOR or THE "SFECITIT011."] Sra,—I have twice made the voyage to Buenos Aires and back, the first time travelling in vessels belonging to one of the smaller lines of steamers and the second time in vessels belonging to another firm, so that I have had experience of four different vessels and of two different lines. These vessels are arranged to carry some twenty first-class passengers and the same (or a greater) number of steerage or second-class. There was always some" boat practice," but we passengers came to the conclusion that we should never have got safely launched in anything approaching rough weather. The "crews " included stewards and other men who were not true sailors ; and the practice seemed to us to be somewhat of a farce. My own impression was that the owners "trusted to luck." In my last voyage home there was no doctor on hoard. This statement might appear to be irrelevant here, but I think that it illustrates this spirit of trusting to luck.—I am,
Previous page
