Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-06-10
From the Journal of Commerce.


providing for life-saving stations every FIVE
miles on the coasts of New York and New
Jersey. Yesterday we received the following
letter upon the important subject, from his
Excellency Rodman NJ. Price, governor of the
State OF New Jersey:
STATE OF New JERSEY, EXECUTIVE
DEPARTMENT., TRENTON, June 3, 1854.
L. MERRIAM, Eso.-Dear Sir: / have the
honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favor
OF yesterday, covering copy of the letter of
the Hon. Secretary OF the Treasury, addressed
to YOURSELF admitting the necessity of additional
stations and means for the preservation Of life
and property from shipwreck on our coast, and
advising you that the department had commu-
nicated its views to the chairman of the Com
mittee of Commerce of the Senate.
1t is with pleasure that / congratulate you
upon the success thus far attending your efforts
in this humane cause. have no doubt Con-
gress will create an establishment that will
meet the necessities of the case, and fully
concur with the Hon. Secretary Of the Treasury,
that the establishment should be put under
| officers accountable to his department. In
short, it should be an establishment, like the
English coast guard, whose duty it is made by
law to give all necessary relief to the ship
wrecked, and to take charge of all wrecks and
l
of the general government.
The costs and charges now of hurying the
dead, fall upon the people Of the county, in
which they may come on shore. From the
late disasters, one small county of this State,
will be taxed more than two thousand dollars
for taking charge of the dead thrown on their
shore, beside the numerous charities bestowed
by the people residing in the vicinity of the late
wrecks. This is a. very heavy tax upon few
people, which ought to fall alike upon the
whole people of the United States Besides
we have many instances of individuals who,
| by their humanity, kindness, and charity
shown to distressed shipwrecked persons con
tributing far beyond their means and ability,
for which they are never remunerated or
thanked; and, in some cases. their motives
have been wantonly and cruely attacked. 1t
is very desirable that the inhabitants of our
coast should be relieved from the heavy charges
falling upon them, and the exercise of so much
sympathy and humanity as they are called
| upon to extend from the frequent wrecks along
the coast of this State; and / am clearly Of
opinion that the establishment of coast guard
by the general government, and the multipli-
cation of life boats and life-saving apparatus
along the coast, are the true means of saving
life and property, and giving relief to the local
| inhabitants of the coast; and with the known
disposition of the President, the Secretary of
the Treasury, and chairman of the Committee
on Commerce of the Senate, / hope soon to
congratulate the people Of this State upon the
passage of a law making ample provision, in
cases of shipwreck.
Again, sir, accept my thanks for your zeal
Gus efforts for this humane object
With great respect, remain, your obedient
servant. RoDMAN w. PRICE.
Capt. Nabb, who is now at the wreck of the
ship Montezuma, which went ashore at New
Inlet, Long Island, writes to me under date of
June Sd as follows: There being no means
by which could board the wreck this morn
ing, affords leisure to write few lines. / have
made inquiry of those who are well acquainted
with the coast, and they inform me that there
are two life boats stationed near her, one to
the eastward Of this inlet about FIVE miles dis
tant from the station and at first sight do not
hesitate to say that their station has not been
fixed upon to the best advantage for life sdr
ing; which you may readily perceive by pre-
ferring to chart of the south coast of Long
Island. Westward from tits inlet, eight miles
distant, is Hog Island Inlet, with inland nav
cation for boats Immediately within the beach,
so that five miles from this inlet, and three
miles from Hog Island Inlet, is the station on
THE SEA BEACH; and the gentleman in charge
living FIVE miles distant from the station, and
the distance from the station house to the
water course within, is say six hundred or
more yards distant; so that in the event of
shipwreck eastward of the station house las is
the case with the Montezuma,) they are com
PEELED TO drag the boat over this strip of land
| by hand, which is slow and tedious operation,
and requires the collection of a considerable
number of men and then, by means of the
inland watercourse, gain the inlet--or the
smaller one lately opened, two miles eastward,
to gain the wreck-and thereby accomplish
the object for which they are intended. So
| that if five men lone seaman with four surf men,
who are oarsmen) were stationed with one of
| Francs's surf boats at the spot where now
write, they would in every case of shipwreck
bear off the palm from both the two boats
| which are stationed as above stated.
The next station eastward has a team of
horses, but when called upon by the captain of
| the Montezuma, then ashore with four hun
| dred passengers on board and in imminent
| danger,) the gentleman in charge was not at
| home, and his wife refused to give up the key
| Of the station-house. They had then to wait,
| and in the meantime the gentleman in charge
of the boat to the westward came in person,
but his life. boat did not reach the wreck till the
next day-during which time the passengers
we're driven from below to the upper deck, and
during all the next night there was heavy
rain, and great fear Of the ship going to pieces.
Horses cannot reach the western staton--it is
therefore useless. A boat and crew at this
place could take care of the coast at a distance
Of ten miles each way if bound to be on the
spot, and the boat SO placed as not to be left by
the tide high and dry on the beach; for, over the
| - -, A-4l
surf-boat."
Capt Nabb will write more fully when he has
made more minute Investigations.
The president of the New York Life-Saying
Benevolent Association, Walter r. Jones, esq.,,
has sent to England for particular information
in relation to the English Coast Guard estab-
lishment and will probably have that informa-
ton during the present month.
e. merriam.
New YORK, June l845.
SomefhfnD AbOut (,uano.