San Francisco 1800s

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James E. Blethen

June 24, 1909, San Francisco Call, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

EX-MAYOR  BLETHEN  DIES IN OAKLAND

Career of Distinguished Pioneer Brought to Close at Home of Daughter

OAKLAND. June 23.— James 10.  Blethen, twice mayor of Oakland, died at 6 o'clock ihis morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Sarah K. Dolbier, 464 East Sixteenth street, after an illness of five weeks. He was 81 years old.

The flags on the municipal buildings were lowered to half mast today in respect to Blethen's memory. He served as chief executive of the city in 1881 and 1882, being elected both years on the republican ticket, and for nearly half a century he was prominently identified with the public life of the state.

Blethen was a native of Maine, where he was born June 24, 1843. He was educated in Dover and learned the carpenter's trade there. In the gold excitement of 1849 he shipped for California around the Horn, arriving in San Francisco on the Golconda in November of that year. He worked his passage as a ship's carpenter.

Soon after reaching San Francisco he formed a partnership with the late C. L. Taylor in the manufacture of sashes and doors and mill work, and in 1868 he bought the Pioneer mill at the foot of Broadway in Oakland, forming a new partnership with the late V. P. Terry. For several years he was also engaged in ranching.

Blethen was married twice and had nine children, all of whom are living.

Blethen was also at one time affiliated with the Society of California Pioneers.

The funeral will be held. Friday aflernoon at 2:30 o'clock from the. Masonic temple, under the auspices of the Masons. The burial services in Mountain View cemtery will be conducted by the Odd Fellows.

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The Authority to Sail: The History of U.S. Maritime Licenses and Seamen's Papers
Robert Stanley Bates, George Marsh (Editor), John F. Whiteley (Forward) (Batek Marine Publishing, 2011; Nominated in 2012 for a Pulitzer Prize)
This book depicts important aspects of our maritime history as a result of original research done by the author, Commodore Bates, the holder of an unlimited master's license who has enjoyed a distinguished fifty-year career in both the Coast Guard and the American Merchant Marine.

The U.S. Coast Guard issues all Captain Licenses for U.S. Ports.
Note: Other countries have different regulations, i.e. the RYA (Royal Yachting Association), conducts certification for Britain and Ireland. As of 2011, they did not recognize the USCG certification; certification through their courses was required.

Master Unlimited is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of a vessel any gross tons. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws. All persons on board, including officers and crew, other shipboard staff members, passengers, guests and pilots, are under the captain's authority and are his or her ultimate responsibility. The STCW defines the Master as Person having command of the ship.

The Sea Chart
The Illustrated History of Nautical Maps and Navigational Charts

John Blake
The sea chart was one of the key tools by which ships of trade, transport and conquest navigated their course across the oceans. Herein is a history and development of the chart and the related nautical map, in both scientific and aesthetic terms, as a means of safe and accurate seaborne navigation. 150 color illustrations including the earliest charts of the Mediterranean made by 13th-century Italian merchant adventurers, as well as 18th-century charts that became strategic naval and commercial requirements and led to Cook's voyages in the Pacific, the search for the Northwest Passage, and races to the Arctic and Antarctic.

Get Your Captain's License. Fifth Edition
Charlie Wing
Considered the quickest, easiest, and least expensive way to prepare for the U.S. Coast Guard captain's ratings exams required for anyone who takes paying passengers on a boat, and useful for serious boaters who want to save money on insurance. 350 pages of seamanship and navigation tutorials. More than 1,500 questions and answers from the Coast Guard exams. Includes an interactive CD-ROM with all 14,000 questions and answers in the USCG database, so you can take an unlimited number of practice exams