The New York herald., 1876-02-28
LIFE SAVING SERVICE.

INSTITUTION.
The life saving service OF the United statos as now
constituted Is uuquestionaby the most successful In
its operations of any service that have record OF
It was reorganizsd by Congress in 1871, and placed
under control of the United States Revenue Marine,
and its efficiency immensely increased. BY the
new system additional stations have been established,
improved life saving apparatus obtained and COM
plee organization OF effected controlled by the
strictest rules and regulations and thoroughly disci-
pinned Thus the highest possible efficiency is OBJ
tanned IN the service and II is already recognized by
foreign societies OF its kind as a model institution
The earliest life saving stations of the United statcs
established the Long Island and New Jersey
coasts in the year 1850 number OF stations were
various points near the beach, ana furnished
with surf boats, mortars, shot lines, and the patent
life car invented by Captain ottlnger OF the Revenue
Marine The working Of the apparatus was conducted
by fishermen other persons living near the sta
ton, and many valuable hours often lost, af
ter the discovery OF stranded ship, before
sufficient men could be gathered from tho
sparsely settled neghborhood contiguous to the
wreck to the liicboat and haul the life
In such the loss OF life was often great In
1854 there established the coast of Long
Island twentysix stations aud tho New Jersey
coast fourteen, under the control OF superintendent
for each coast, and keeper appointed for each
station Here progress in the way OF Improvement
seemed to halt. No additional provisions were made
for securing experienced crews and the keeper had
rely upon such surfmen he could collect
about his station. OF course, under these crcum-
stances no opportunity was afforded to drill
the crews in launching, manning and operating the
heavy surf boats in the practice connected with
the use OF the mortar and lines and life Con-
sequently high degree OF efficiency was ever at
taincd and very brilliant results recorded In
fact until the reorganization of the service there wal
little pretence of keeping records OF the stations
and little is known of their detailed history With ths
departure tho service rapidly attained the greatest
efficiency Now at each station there OF
SIX and keeper, captain, who receive regular
nav who expected TO perform duty exclusively
in connection with the service These must pass an
examination to show that they physically qualified
perform the arduous and severe duty they called
upon undertake, and must be able TO read write and
keep accounts They must be SOBER reliable and steady
men, whom is ntrusted the care OF stations, sup
plies guns apparatus OF all kinds. aud whose faithful
and Intelligent discharge OF the highly important duty
of patrollng the coast can be fully relied upon The
keeper paid 5000 year and the surmen $40 month
while duty. The stations are manned from the ls
of November until April and are regularly inspected
by officers OF the Revenue Marine specially
detailed for that duty complete code OF
rules and regulations has been drafted for
tho special control of the service, with view
to its needs and highest efficiency which is rclgously
enforced Any omission or violation on the part OF
discipline is maintained 10 the highest atainable stand
ard and the organization may be regarded as almost
perfect
The stations roomy, comfortable buildings,
erected we'll selected points along the beach, and
In OF wreck a strong force speedily be
sembled. BY the new system the coast Is patroed
night and day by men who are supplied with signal
lanterns and Coston signals for night work
and with flags for day. Alarms thus
be quickly gwen IN case wreck is discovered,
and by simple system OF signals communication with
the vessel in distress be established BY an extern
sion of the system OF 'Old Probability the stations
are now generally connected with one another and
with Washington and the large cities by the signal tel
egraph Aid therefore, be called from the under
writer's, If necessary, in short time
In the station housed the surf boat noun ted
wagon; the life car, MORTAR shot lines hawsers rocket
apparatus, medicine chest, bedding provisions. stores
As before remarked, the keeper and mer
live together IN the station and are ready foI
duty at all times In case they are called upon to sui
sist any they allowed forty cents per diem
There arc six districts on the Atlantic coast co
tanning ITO stations, extending IRON the northo
boundary of Maine to Cape Hatteras Other distr
embrace the lake coasts. the coast Of Florida and /,
Pacific coast. on the latter coast stations will
erected and equipped the coming season. On the c.
OF Florida five houses OF refuge being built to "a
occupied by keeper and family and to be amply pre-
vsioned and furnished with boats Complete recordr
OF wrecks. &C. to be kept each station
from which valuable statistics will be collatcd !;
relation TO loss of life and properly. rglf
system of accountability in the expenditure and pres.
ervatlon OF public property Is enforced, and stri,,
economy demanded all in the service The
cost OF maintaining tho service IN the year 1865, excu
sive OF expenditure for new building, apparatus &c,
was only Sl62, 204 81 From 1871 to 1875 the record
shows that us wrecks occurred the shores OF Long
Island and New Jersey, with loss only OF four lives
The following are interesting statistics from the
cords:-
Total number OF disasters from 1871 to 1875 1ss
Total number of lives mpcred.. .......... ASA
Total TOT number number Of lives lives saved 2SSt
Total number OF shpwrecked persons shell
tered in stations ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 36s
Total number OF days shelter aIorded..... 1907
Total value OF property imperled S. 2D3 658
Total value Of property saved s4 514 756
Total value OF property lost ......... 81 742 e02
This Is a record of which the life saving service may
we'll be proud and is probably unsurpassed by any
vice in the world.
1t probable that the Treasury Department will en-
large the sphere Of usefulness of the service by adg
the life saving duty the additional one OF coast guard
or revenue agents. whose duty II will be prevent
smuggling and robbing OF wrecks. Such an extension
of their functions would make the service continuous
in its operations With the stations to be COM
pcted this year the coast from Maine the Gulf will
be completely projected, and mariners will longer
dread the perls lurking along the treacherous shores
Captain j. II. Merryman, OF the Revenue Marine, ID
inspector OF the service and valued promoter thereof,
and hereafter n sub-nspector TO be chosen from the
heutcnanis OF that corps VIII DO appointed for each
district, and the organization will be kept M 10 iu
highest standard With new guns for shot lines new
liicboats and new and improved appointments for sal
wage, II is certain nothing Will be wanting TO maintain
the highest efficiency the service The small amount
OF money voted by Congress for the insttu
tion rs well expended and should be continued, aa
very important experiments arc beng carried on by
Board OF Ordnance OF the Army, at Sandy Hook to OBJ
tain the best possible Gun or mortar for firing shot,
with line attached shore TO vessels wrecked be-
yond the line OF breakers IL Is sometimes found that
the range OF shot sufficient to reach the vessel
and consequently the last means for extending aid TO
perishng crew Is unavailable. Self-rightng sefbai
ing and non-snkable eboas are absolutely necessary
at certain exposed points the coast and the best
model has not yet been decided upon. 1t will require
OF experiments TO settle this vastly important
question.
But with such means are at hand at every life
saving station on our rugged and dangerous coast
with ordinary skill every life should be rescued under
ordinary circumstances The immense saving Of
wrecked property by the hardly enters into he
computation, when the statement made that the
cost OF maintaining the establishment is but fraction
Of the value OF positive good done by the institution
when the system Is completed and in operation on all
our coasts wonderful value to merchant marine
will be so apparent that will dream of ever
doing away with II again. Indeed, all will be anxiouf
TO It carried TO It's highest perfection one Of the