The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-09-07
SAVING LIFE BY \ ROCKET.

SAVING LIFE BY n ROCKET.
A DEAL of work has to be done in
behalf of humanity by both public and
private benevolence. Did you ever
think what a world it would be if Man
left Man to himself?
But the fact is that after all the self
ishneSS. and after all the crime, Man
is good fellow, Man is a splendid fel
low. He is always banding himself
with other fine fellows, to do one no
bic thing or another.
Are we not all proud of the fire
companies? And those of us who
know, are we not proud of our water
companies? Water companicS-the
sea-coast folks know what mean.
do believe that every man, woman and
child on the rocky. cliffy coasts Of En-
gland have had their dispositions en-
nObled by the establishment in their
midst of the Life Boat and the Rocket
Stations.
Just think what those Northumbcr-
land girls did-two little girls and one
big One-last January, when the SWcd-
ish steamer Gustave was wrecked.
What did they do? Listen,
am told that along that dreadful
coast, from the North FOrcland to the
Firth of Forth, there is not one mar
Dor of refuge--a most terrible place
for a ship to he driven ashore,
1t was in the morning, long before
day-break, in the midst of an icy
storm. The ship was stove up, the
boats were crushed in the breakers,
there was not ray of hope, only from
the little fishing village on the cliffs.
Little! | should think it was; only tit-
teen adult male Inhabitants But
they had life-boat, and the entire
village turned out in the dark and the
storm, men, women, little boys and
girls. 1t took thirteen of the men to
man the boat; and the two old
men that were left. and all the women
and children had to wade out into the
water to push the boat atlOat.
The life-bOat men worked an hour,
but they couldn't get near the ship,
and had to come back, and wait and
watch their chance to try again. 1t
was so hopeless they wanted to send to
the rocket station for the rocket appa-
ratus But that was five miles up the
coast, and none of the men could be
spared from the boat.
Then up spoke little girl, her petit
coats wet to the waist, for she had been
in the water pushing the boat:
"Tll gor'
"And too" cried little Margaret
Brown.
"Then I'll go with them," said the
big girl, Isabella Armstrong.
She was twenty, but the others were
real truly little girls.
Off they rushed along the beach in
their wet skirts, through the dark and
the storm, wading through ever sc
many bays, tumbling and slipping, but
finally reaching the Life-SaVing Sta
ton, where they aroused the rocket
cart men, and then made their way
| back again. 1t isn't at all strange to
read that they were laid up in bed next
day with cramps is it?
| Before the rockets arrived the life
boat had succeeded, and got the crew
off, every one.
Do you wonder how they expected
to save the men with rockets? Have
you supposed the only use of rockets
was TO make a grand Fourth Of July
or possibly to serve as signals in times
of war?
| Well, let us see. ] cannot copy fol
you the long scientific article l read i'll
foreign magazine the other day, but
in few words l can tell you what
learned about this matter.
The men of the Life-Saving Stations
employ rockets to convey ropes OF
board those wrecked ships which th'
life-boat cannot reach. Often tn,
shore is rocky, the sea beating VI
against high steep cliffs from whicl
boats cannot be launched. Often, too
the breakers roll 50 high, or the waite
is so "shoal,' the boat cannot be float
ed. Then the help must be sen
through the air OF not at all; ant
if the ship is within 800 yards o
shore, and if the wind does not blov
too furiously, and if there should b
, rockets enough for repeated trials
they can nearly always establish com
, munication.
Don't you see that if line is at
r tached to the rocket, and the rookie
can be thrown directly over the shlI
, the line must fall on board, and tina
, one end win be III the hands of til
. crew, while the other is held by tn
, people on the shore? Itwould be yer
9 strange if then the men couldn't b
y rescued in some way, wouldn't 1t?
! The entire apparatus is kept store
o in cart at the Life Saving Stations
just as the fire engines stand Ill COZ
: stant readiness at the engine-house
and at moments notice off they
+ rattling along shore to the scene OF til
: wreck, three OF four horses, five OF 81
J, coast guardsmen.
o In this cart are rockets and rookie
: lines, a strong MANILA line, runnin
f through pulley block, another rol
70 SO big as to be called a hawser, son
tally-boards upon which are printe
directions to the ships crew, sign
9 lights, tall, triangular frame Q
|. which to rest or fasten ropes, and
It sling life-buoy.
This life-buoy is sort of basket, tt