" Sea Stories" Big Bert

[Darryl]

Looks like an early Inland boat across the slip from the Donner, but that wide pilothouse is throwing me off a bit. Great story!

[Old Man]

Good picture of the Milwaukee inner harbor basin. Up until the early sixties it would be full of Tin-Stackers waiting for the Winter to pass. And the old William H. Donner is in the lower left-hand side of the picture.That was before she was sold to K&K in Marinette and lost her cabins. The picture must have been taken in the early seventies.

[Guest]

Great human interest story; thanks Captain!

[captrmetz]

I once had a wheelsman called Bert. Bert was a very large man and he was very quiet but a good wheelsman. Bert was friends with a smaller shipmate and they always hung out together like times when going up the street while we were in port. Shipmates had a certain comradeship when they all went together, especially with the girls that worked in the galley; they really watched over the girls when they were in bars.
One day Bert was especially quiet while on watch and I noticed he was fidgeting with a piece of paper over and over. Finally, I asked Bert if he had something on his mind and to my surprise, he answered, ‘Yes sir, I cannot read or write.’ I realized something was bothering him but nothing like that. Bert then said, ‘Cap, would you mind if I asked you to read this letter; it's from my wife?’ I did not know what to say. I never had a request like that before. I said, ‘Sure’ and he handed me the letter. He was happy to hear from his loved one. I said, ‘Anytime you get mail I will read it to you if you want.’ Then I asked him why he didn’t ask his friend to read the letter. Bert said, ‘No one knows I can't read or write.’ I told him his secret was safe with me.



As time went on, I noticed Bert & his friend had arguments all the time and they started to fight one another but the friend never had a chance in a fight against Bert. Finally, I talked to each of them and said if they continue on fighting aboard ship, I would have to fire them both. We were heading for Milwaukee to unload grain and it took two days to unload. Being in Milwaukee was a nice break for me because all my relation would come aboard for lunch and I would send the mate to show them around the ship. One night I got a visit from an officer of the Milwaukee Police Department. The officer said that he had two of my men in jail for fighting in some bar. I told him I would be right down. I took a cab to the police station and had a talk with the sergeant behind the desk. I told him I was the captain of two men he had in jail. The sergeant told me that these two guys had gotten into an argument in a bar and started fighting and the smaller guy was taking a beating against a much bigger man and the small guy pulled a knife on the big guy. I was surprised to hear this and asked him if the men were under arrest? ‘Well no, neither one will sign an arrested warrant against the other. I just want you to take them both back aboard ship with your word they will never come ashore in this town again.’ I thought for a minute then said, ‘I will take the big guy back aboard the ship and back to Canada but I will not take the one who pulled the knife. I do not what a killing aboard my ship at sea.’ We called the USCG and they escorted Bert & I back to the ship and sent the other guy back to Canada never to set foot in the US again.

We departed Milwaukee and I had a talk with Bert to ask him how the fight got started. Bert said, ‘Well Cap, my friend made fun of me for not knowing how to read or write.’ Bert then explained his friend was drinking and the more he drank the meaner he got. He said that after his friend pulled the knife on him, he hit his friend. I said, ‘Well I am glad he did not stab you, but I have to let you go because you are not allowed to go back to the US and this ship has a contract to deliver many cargoes to this port.’ Bert said that he understood and he will get off at a Canadian port. He thanked me for reading and writing letters to his wife. I felt sorry for Big Bert but that's the way it had to be.