Proof that people actually read this column arrives in messages – nice or nasty – delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. In response to a recent column about a faulty fuel pump putting the kibosh to a shark-fishing trip, Tom Bernson of Dixmont offered his experience and expertise on eliminating the problem and at the same time increasing safety.

For the record, Mr. Bernson is a transplanted Texan who owned and maintained a fleet of trucks for more than 20 years. In his words: “Small trucks and cars are equipped with the same type fuel pump that failed on the boat engine. These pumps have a neoprene diaphragm, which after a time becomes brittle. When a hole develops in the diaphragm the pump stops functioning and shuts the engine down – usually.”

Bernson explained that a small hole in a vented pump’s diaphragm could allow pressurized fuel to pass through and spill into the bilge. A closed pump will relieve pressure back through the oil passage and into the crankcase.

When the oil has thinned, bearings and other moving parts begin to seize, possibly creating sparks, internal explosion and fire. In that regard, the Dixmont resident wrote: “I’m truly shocked that the U.S. Coast Guard or some other regulatory agency has not yet banned the use of these pumps on inboard and inboard-outboard craft due to the fire hazard.”

There you have the curse. Now the cure.

“Electric fuel pumps have been on the market for years,” Bernson wrote. “They are considerably less expensive than replacement mechanical pumps, easy to install in a convenient location and completely safe! Since an electric pump creates its own suction, it isn’t necessary to mount it at fuel tank level. With hoses routed to and from it, the pump will work from any handy position in the engine compartment. Plus, their reliability is second to none. Should a failure occur, it takes only a screwdriver and less than five minutes to replace it.”

In conclusion, Bernson suggests that electric pumps be energized through the “on-start” side of the ignition switch. He explained that even if the switch is left on, the pump, without the engine running, will operate for only a few seconds until it pushes against the carburetor’s float valve and shuts off.

My thanks to Mr. Bernson for his informative letter that, I’m sure, will be of interest to others who read this column. Where else can you scare up that kind of information before your second cup of coffee?

The comments in a letter from Wayne Perkins of Belfast, however, were more critical than constructive. He compares the new poaching law that allows possible loss of license and confiscation of property used in fish and game violations to drug laws that allowed police to seize property only on suspicion and without proof.

In Mr. Perkins’ words: “We are headed for trouble on this when one individual, law enforcement or otherwise, is judge, jury, court, collector and jailer. By going beyond due process, the constitution, to a police state and a hell of a mess. Because of poor management of the Fish and Game Department in the past, we may now have a dictator in Mr. R. Owen. Even if a warden is honest then perhaps a supervisor will pressure him to make a quota of dollars and property?

“This looks like a way to crowd the ordinary sport, the worker and low incomes out to make the way for the better people. Perhaps outdoor columnists may be among those?”

Outdoor columnists? Better people? I don’t know where Mr. Perkins has been but, for the record, I paddle my own canoe, always have and always will. Also, I don’t make the laws, I only report them and comply with them.

Granted, the expanded law that allows for possible confiscation of vehicles and other property involved in fish and game violations will require judgment and discretion on the part of game wardens.

As for proof, when a man touches off a .30-06 from a vehicle’s window at 3 a.m., it’s a sure bet he isn’t sighting in the rifle. Therein lies the reason that stiffer poaching laws are being enacted across this country and Canada. Simply put, a slap-on-the-wrist fine doesn’t impress hard-core poachers in the least. But loss of license – perhaps for life – and property does.

In concluding his letter, Perkins asked if the BDN had moved to a one-way street. He claims that letters opposing editorial policy find their way only to the “round file.” This one didn’t. Regardless of the shot he took at me, the man is entitled to express his opinion.

Proof that people actually read this column arrives in messages – nice or nasty – delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. In response to a recent column about a faulty fuel pump putting the kibosh to a shark-fishing trip, Tom Bernson of Dixmont offered his experience and expertise on eliminating the problem and at the same time increasing safety.

For the record, Mr. Bernson is a transplanted Texan who owned and maintained a fleet of trucks for more than 20 years. In his words: “Small trucks and cars are equipped with the same type fuel pump that failed on the boat engine. These pumps have a neoprene diaphragm, which after a time becomes brittle. When a hole develops in the diaphragm the pump stops functioning and shuts the engine down – usually.”

Bernson explained that a small hole in a vented pump’s diaphragm could allow pressurized fuel to pass through and spill into the bilge. A closed pump will relieve pressure back through the oil passage and into the crankcase.

When the oil has thinned, bearings and other moving parts begin to seize, possibly creating sparks, internal explosion and fire. In that regard, the Dixmont resident wrote: “I’m truly shocked that the U.S. Coast Guard or some other regulatory agency has not yet banned the use of these pumps on inboard and inboard-outboard craft due to the fire hazard.”

There you have the curse. Now the cure.

“Electric fuel pumps have been on the market for years,” Bernson wrote. “They are considerably less expensive than replacement mechanical pumps, easy to install in a convenient location and completely safe! Since an electric pump creates its own suction, it isn’t necessary to mount it at fuel tank level. With hoses routed to and from it, the pump will work from any handy position in the engine compartment. Plus, their reliability is second to none. Should a failure occur, it takes only a screwdriver and less than five minutes to replace it.”

In conclusion, Bernson suggests that electric pumps be energized through the “on-start” side of the ignition switch. He explained that even if the switch is left on, the pump, without the engine running, will operate for only a few seconds until it pushes against the carburetor’s float valve and shuts off.

My thanks to Mr. Bernson for his informative letter that, I’m sure, will be of interest to others who read this column. Where else can you scare up that kind of information before your second cup of coffee?

The comments in a letter from Wayne Perkins of Belfast, however, were more critical than constructive. He compares the new poaching law that allows possible loss of license and confiscation of property used in fish and game violations to drug laws that allowed police to seize property only on suspicion and without proof.

In Mr. Perkins’ words: “We are headed for trouble on this when one individual, law enforcement or otherwise, is judge, jury, court, collector and jailer. By going beyond due process, the constitution, to a police state and a hell of a mess. Because of poor management of the Fish and Game Department in the past, we may now have a dictator in Mr. R. Owen. Even if a warden is honest then perhaps a supervisor will pressure him to make a quota of dollars and property?

“This looks like a way to crowd the ordinary sport, the worker and low incomes out to make the way for the better people. Perhaps outdoor columnists may be among those?”

Outdoor columnists? Better people? I don’t know where Mr. Perkins has been but, for the record, I paddle my own canoe, always have and always will. Also, I don’t make the laws, I only report them and comply with them.

Granted, the expanded law that allows for possible confiscation of vehicles and other property involved in fish and game violations will require judgment and discretion on the part of game wardens.

As for proof, when a man touches off a .30-06 from a vehicle’s window at 3 a.m., it’s a sure bet he isn’t sighting in the rifle. Therein lies the reason that stiffer poaching laws are being enacted across this country and Canada. Simply put, a slap-on-the-wrist fine doesn’t impress hard-core poachers in the least. But loss of license – perhaps for life – and property does.

In concluding his letter, Perkins asked if the BDN had moved to a one-way street. He claims that letters opposing editorial policy find their way only to the “round file.” This one didn’t. Regardless of the shot he took at me, the man is entitled to express his opinion.