Without quoting many instances where a color blind man was responsible for accidents at sea, I must quote a case where an officer on the watch issued an order to “port” his vessel, which, if his order had been carried out, would have caused a collision, and a probable serious loss of life.

The letter was written by Capt.  Coburn, and is to be found in the Mercantile Marine Reporter, vol. xiv.

“The steamer Neera was on a voyage from Liverpool to Alexandria.  One night, shortly after passing Gibraltar, at about 10.30 p.m., I went on the bridge, which was then in charge of the third officer, a man of about forty-five years of age, and who up to that time I had supposed to be a trustworthy officer, and competent in every way.  I walked up and down the bridge until about 11 p.m., when the third officer and I almost simultaneously saw a light at about two points on the starboard bow.  I at once saw it was a green light, and knew that no action was called for.  To my surprise, the third officer called out to the man at the wheel, ‘port,’ which he was about to do, when I countermanded the order, and told him to steady his helm, which he did, and we passed the other steamer safely about half a mile apart.  I at once asked the third officer why he had ported his helm to a green light on the starboard bow, but he insisted it was a red light which he had first seen.  I tried him repeatedly after this, and although he sometimes gave a correct description of the color of the light, he was as often incorrect, and it was evidently all guesswork.  On my return, I applied to have him removed from the ship, as he was, in my opinion, quite unfit to have charge of the deck at night, and this application was granted.  After this occurrence I always, when taking a strange officer to sea, remained on the bridge with him at night until I had tested his ability to distinguish colors.  I cannot imagine anything more dangerous or more likely to lead to fatal accidents than a color blind man on a steamer’s bridge.”

A similar experience is thus related by Capt.  Heasley, of Liverpool:  “After passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, the second officer, who had charge of the deck, gave the order to ‘port,’ much to my astonishment, for the lights to be seen about a point on the starboard bow were a masthead and green light, but he maintained that it was a masthead and red, and not until both ships were nearly abreast would he acknowledge his mistake.  I may add that during the rest of the voyage I never saw him making the same mistake.  As a practical seaman I consider a great many accidents at sea arise from color blindness.”

Dr. Farquharson has brought this subject before the House of Commons in England and measures are being taken which will insure to the traveling public immunity from accidents at sea.  I need not mention that the majority of railways of our country have a system of examinations which prevents a color blind entering their service.