To the Editor of the Norra-Caisa Dairy News."
S1n,—I have just received information, from one of {the in-coming steamers, of randiag without Pilot of the Norwegian steamer " Nord" on the Upper Middle-ground Shoal, off the Shanghai Flour Mill. This is another of the many instances of the dangers to navigation on the Huangpu through certain Japanese and few Norwegian " who will persist in trying to navigate this river without a Pilot, to the common danger. The stranding of this ship both demonstrates and proves the two assertions I made in last letter to your paper that these men are of little or no local knowledge and that when meeting them Nord going ashore in the position in which she now lies, proves that her master "has little or n0 local knowledge" and as he is far over on the port or left side of the Channel, he has entirely ignored the rale of the road, which directs: (in article 25) that "Tu narrow Channels every steam vessel shall it safe and practicable keep to her own starboard side of the Channel." So long as an accident of this kind occurs in daylight, things are not 6o bad; as no sane man with any local knowledge would, when meeting a vessel in the position of the Nord," attempt to pass on his port But when one meets navigators of this description on a dark night and in charge of a heary-draught shi when one cannot accurately tell one' distance off the river bank, then one placed in the pleasant position of ing obliged cither to adhere strictly to the rule of the road and put your ship high and dry, or depart from the rale; and if you have a collision through starboafdiag, you are found in fault and your ship is let in for damages, etc., ete—and all because you tried to keep your ship afloat.
As the "N.-C. Daily News" lishes "A Symposium of Sport, would be interesting to the Ma commanity if you would publish a Symposium of Marine adventures within the pilotage waters of the port. As a beginning I will famish you with record of occurrences within the past ten days. On the 9th or 10th instant, the Fajisan Maru in going up the harbour, cannoned off the Pootang point and nearly ran down H. M. 8. Flora. She missed her by about ten feet and the crew stood by for events, On the 12th, the Takashima Maru, having anchored for about ten hours close to the Bell Booy, for a pilot—not for himself but some other " Johany succeeded in reaching Woosung, but when endeavouring to cross the outer bar owing to his utter ignorance of the first principles of handling steamer under existing conditions, she all bat ran down the N. Y.K. 8. Tosa Maru, clearing her by about five feet owing to the Pilot of the Tosa putting his helm hard-e-port and taking his ship out of the Channel to the Southward of the Lismore light boat. In the mean time the Takashima Maru went on ber road rejoicing, bat when coming up the harbour and having come round the Garden bend at fall speed, he successfully potted the Navigation Yunnao, which was anchored Wahtang Wharf, doing considerable damage.
The Tascarora, when proceeding to sea and off the Prince's Pier, nearly ran down the str. nton," commanded by © Norwegian who, if I am correctly informed, without either cause or warning, starboarded his helm right under the bows of the Tuscarora, thereby demonstrating that although the master aforesaid may have a perfect Knowledge of the rale of the road, in this instance he neglected to put it in practice, TF things goon as they are T hope to have a few more instances of, Tam, ete, W. V. Canmrouazt.
September 19.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.