The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-12

Captain Faunce, seeing tue utterly dlsorganized con-
diilou OF the crews at present viii recommend
complete reorganization OF the department.. To
maze this branch OF the service reliable, and not
tive organization OF skilled surfmen well discl-
pinned aud In regular employ. There should be fall
crew at each station, even though The distance were
But the distances between some OF the stations
vary between three aud eight mi es. Along a coast
Use Ia the seyerest months OF the year 1t Is
evident that stations 80 iar apart as even nve miles
can be oil no service to each other. On a winters
night signals az least now In use can prove erec.
i've at such distances. But worst 0f Gil is the act
that only at every alternate station is there crew.
The result OF tins unpardonable parsimony Is that
the apparatus hes perfectly useless the most seri-
GUS cases OF distress. was to this negligence Tat
the loss OF the nine lives In The Kate smith disaster
last January must be ascribed. The keeper OF the
Long Beach station saw the vessel in distress OIL the
ance. The night was stormy ana the next station
was eight miles distanG so oi course there
Long Beach staiion. it beng OF the
"on' ones, and the result that for the saving Of
lives were lost and every vessel and life passing
Long Beach exposed TO destruction. What hap
stations at any time. and experience has proved
and common sense dictates that no organization
ths coast IS the for the at
oDe station To do patrol unty TO a distance about
proper, and should be conmnued; but such duty
done Tor the purpose oil covering the duty Of the
lance IL Zoo great Tor n,cS transit o. the spparaus
and the beach Is 20 VIVID and desOiate or so MED
WIZ ana cellar saad n mus s OF marsay
TO do almost physically impossible WORK. can be
Of ltS nelr SINKING s mn rs ,re No, n vsrv
instance selected with the sole intent OF gottng the
besI men; ,er i seems mat potcs enter ,he ma
mast 10 manned. If possible, 10y stanch republicans.
6eea aa 70 sssea nave % t ed ea
ton admitting that the crew must be OF republic |
can politics. wnne probably TINS mas lasted only since
long enough 10 be OF deriment to The service; for
the keeper Of hie-savne station; no matter how
and not employ deputy al hazard. do not know
what IL csptain faunces opinion on the SUD ect, but
i have heard him express his dissatisfaction With
most Of the surmcn ne has eeen, and he " strict
disciphnArian 1 presume he will break up this
political manGuvrna. The service has suffered
much from the scattering OF the crews and the
changing Of the keepers, and perhaps this political
AS an evidence OF TINS may men,ion that III those
stations we have visited have endeavored to ge.
years. but either the Keeper was new or he could not
rem ember, or the book was 10 Y One would think
might IN some way oe officially Kept. But this is
only one Of many instances which 60 to show that
iSed CONDITION. o. TO say where the blame beieaSs
would he difficult do not think either the keepers
or me crews are to be blamed Ior they seem to think
ing that their labor was until recently almost gratu,-
tons, perhaps nothing better should be. Their IDEAS
OF now = lie station should be Kept Will become
much changed after Captain Faunce has issued his
Instructions to them.
days since while station IS steamboat landing, near
Cape May, was beinx Inspected, aud one which
proves now ineffective has been the management OF
the service heretofore Tor 1t Is only an example OF
the general condition OF the department Alter all
the paraphernaita or the house had been examined
measured &C., Captain Faunce determined to test
the iron rockets winch are used or are supposed
placed on the stand on the beach 1t found tnat
To re was MT quick match at the station, and
port IRE were unavaiiing. Finally Mr. Conner dis-
covered some matches he had brought with him.
aud Lieutenant stodder. standing beside Captain
Faunce fred the rocket No sooner had the
powder caught the fire than the rocket burst, the
burning up everything WIN which il came IN con.
tact. Unfortunately one OF the Jumps Of lire struck
Lieutenant cto der N the face, and in moment his
clothes aDout the body and neck were on ire, and
nls ACE and neck Dlackened and singed. 1t seemed
veying him back to the hotel medical aid was pro-
cured, and though the Lieutenant has suffered great
pain from the wounds. yet. under all the clrcum-
improved. MS ewes beiag sound, and more serious
injury sustained than the scOrch,ng OF the skin
Captain Faunce, VINO was but a few feet from the
Lieutenant unframed. The rocket thas ex-
ploded was the only one at the station, and must
have been there q number of years. without rock
cts or the but little help can be le-
celved from The crew, and though there was NOR
station, from sheer neglect, might as wei not be IN
exlsteu.e.
The day after the accident to Mr. Stodder Captain
Faunce with soaie difficulty procured crew Tor q
neighborlng ana went through the aoorious
afforded an opportunity TO see how the work OF
saving ships In distress on the coast Is done. The
ropes, consisting OF The shot line the nauilng me
and the nawser, all uncoIled and taken out on
tue beach; the life car, boat and carriage either by
horses or The crew, taken tue beach opposite
the distressed snip. As ships come ashore mostly |
OF ngnt time blue lights are USED by the crew to |
signal to the snip that nep is near and by the light
given by tnesl the men are enabled to get to wJrk.
All the apparatus being on the beach, the next |
effort is to get In comm with the ship and
It Is TO this end tnat either the rocket or the |
mortar Is used. The mortar OF course throws the
M therefore,
ont: but when possible In order 70 save time, the
Tine line aoes Ss ,de me Is ESQ
the rocket from 49, 70 15O yards. In sending from
either care must be taken to alow Tor the direction
Is required. When the mortar Is used the SAND Is
dug away TIL the mortar lies level thus giving the
piece twenty degrees elevation. Attached to the
ten 2ipOunder shot II spiral wire and 10 this the
shot ine The shot goes over the vessel and, OF
course, the line falls across her. Those on board
the vessel seize the line and haul II from the shore
by this lime the hauling line Two and half incn,
hauling line. and the hauling OF the ropes to t1e
goes III the hawser Is reached, this Is
other 1t reeved through the ring OF the life car
which is boat. about nine feet long, made OF gal
which is an aperture 2l.incb square. The he Car
is then hauied over TO the snip. the hawser being
made iaut by the sand anchor which lie embedded
in the sand. 1t ls aole TO hold comfortably seven
persons. and wnen II Is iuil the I'D OF the aper-
the shore. The car continues on It's life.savina
mission as long as son Is on board
the snip. III the weather Ia very cold
or more OF the board the
vessel to assist in managing the The car is not
used except when the wind is strong aud the surf
raging, Tor Il would then he Impossible use the
boat with SAFETY When all board tue vessel
been rescued tdey are taken to the station where,
supposed, they to lie comfortably cared for.
The keepers, no doubt, do what tney for them.
hut that very little. l cannot imagine how there
could ne provided at any station nave visited
enough warmth to preserve them from sickness, and
II there were many OF them II IS certain that they
would undergo severe hardships. This Is repre-
sented strongly Tor the reason that It is easy
remedy the grievance and because the neglect has
lasted so long.
To put the apparatus in working order to test It,
even Immediately beside the station took over
three hours. ana that, too with everything pre-
viousiy Furnished up TO receive the commission.
Shlps do ALWAYS fall into dstrcss ODuOsIe