The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-09-27

pCLSOu WIZ Is thuS CaIIIcO UcIuS IciG cu-
tirely free. This apparatus was success
fully used at Capt. Winslow's station last
March in rescuing the stewards wife and
baby from the English bark w. F. Mar
shall, which came ashore about a mile and
a half from the life saving house.
Another extremely useful and indeed
essential part OF the outfit is that of Mer-
riman rubber life.suits for two or more of
the statiun-men. These are the suits to
which Paul Boynton has given SO much
notOriety by his experiments in the Brit
ish Channel and elsewhere; which, in
fact, most persons probably suppose to
have been invented by him. The wearer
OF these can mount breakers with little
risk, and is entirely safe from peril if
thrown accidentally into the water. The
crews generally, l believe, work without
them, carrying only their cork life. pre-.
servers, as the inflated rubber garments
are rather cumbrous; but Capt. Winslow,
who has the perilous duty of steering the
surf-bOat with an Oar-himself standing
upright in the stern in the manner of a
whaleboat steersman-could scarcely dis
pense with this safeguard. He also, as
l learn, found the Merriman suit, imperv-
ious as it is to the air, most comfortably
warm apparel on freezing night of Jan
uary last. when he "kept the beach"
till sunrise on occasion of the wreck of an
Italian vessel.
1t may not be uninteresting, after this
sketch of the character and working of a
lite-saving station, to add few facts show
ing the growth of the service, since little
has been written about it outside of>Gov-
eminent reports. The credit of first sug.
costing Government aid in the saving of
life on our shores belongs, according to
Mr.. S. l. Kimball, Superintendent Of the
service in 1876, to Mr.. William A. New
ell, of New jersey; but Mr.. >. S. Cox. of
New York, was, believe. the prime
mover in recognizing and extending the
enterprise in 1871, and under this excel
lently systematized form 1t is now carried
on. Mr.. Newell's suggestion in 1S4S,
which was at once acted upon by Congress,
was merely to provide life boats and few
other articles at the most dangerous points
of the New Jersey coast. leaving them to
be used by volunteer crews of surf-men on
occasions Of need. Under the law passed
for this purpose appropriations amounting
to $S2 500 were made during the years
from 1913 to 1854, and eighty-two life.
boats were distributed all along the Atlantic
coast. But the boats and other appurte-
nances were not properly cared for; and
the volunteer crews, though made up Of
brave men, were not numerous enough, nor
always able to accomplish what was neces-
sary, owing to lack of drill and discipline
Some Improvements were therefore
made in December, 1854, but the service
was still far from perfect when the Treas
ury Department and Congress took hold
of it in 1871, appointed regular crews,
keepers and superintendent of districts,
and began to erect new stations. In that
year $500, 900 were appropriated, and in
1873 500, 900 more. The appropriations
for 1876 Uhe report for 1877 will not be
ready until December) amounted to $2O1,
900, of which $50, 900 remained available
at the end of the year. These sums indi.
cate large expenditures, but the returns
for them have also been very large. There
are now 157 houses belonging to the strv-
ice, divided into three classes, viz: Life
saving stations, simple life.bOat stations
and houses of refuge. The latter, which
are merely provision stations, are all in
Florida, where the danger of death by
shipwreck is small, but where castaway
crews are in great peril by starvation
The Gulf Coast is not thought to demand
life-stations, but the New Jersey shore is
the most disastrous of all, and is furnished
with no less than forty regular life-saving
houses.
An impressive conception of what has
been achieved may be found from the fol-
lowing tersely eloquent facts: From 1850
to 1871, 50 far as can be asce-tained, 4, 1853
lives and $4,000 have been saved
through the agency of the Government.
OF these, 3,1S9 lives and more than S.,
QUO, 600 of property were saved within five
years since the regular organization of the
service. But the case is even stronger
when looked at through the proportion OF
losses instead of that of recOveries. Dur
ing the twenty years from 1850 to 1870 the
records were very imperfect indeed, and
yet it is known, positively, that in that
period sig persons were lost, being at the
rate of twenty-fiv year. But the rate
must have been much higher than that
because many losses we're not set down
Now, since 1871, the means for observa.
ton have been perfect along the whole At
lantic coast, and the records are complete
vet during the whole of those five years
only sixteen lives have been lost by ship
wreck, being at the rate Of afractiOn more
than three year. The property saved
although large in amount, is an incidental
consideration, the Government crews, as
have said above, being required toimperi
themselves only for the sake of other hui
man beings who are in danger. But tn,
presence of the life-saving crews in desc
late, uninhabited districts, must often b,
instrumental in helping ship-Owners o.
wrecking firms to get at the stranded yes
eel promptly; and rapidity of action il
dealing with q vessel and cargo that hav,
gone ashore often makes the difference be
tween total ruin and comparatively small
loss. Another benefit of the life-savinl
system lies in the connection which ha
been made at some points between station
of this department and the United State
Signal Service.
There are doubtless many improvement
that may and will be made in the work
prominent among which ought to be reck
oned the assigning of higher pay to tn
keepers of life-savlng stations. Thes
men must be of the highest responsibility
and should possess . union of qualitie
very hard to find. They must not onl
have thorough knowledge OF the sea, de
rived from many years of marine life
but must also be brave, quick, cool, unu
sually intelligent and well-endowed phys
ically.
Their duties, even when disasters ar
mot In charge, are constant and arduoas
drill and mortar practice must proceed il
the most Indictment weather, watchfulnes
has 10 be maintained, and the keeper ha
to prepare q report to be sent to Washing
ton every week during the five and a hal
months Of duty at the station. Yet he re
ceiyes only $500 b year, which is abou
one-third the usual pay given to light
house keepers, whose functions are passiv
and light in comparison. Increased pa
has been recommended by the Supervise
OF the service, and it is t0be hoped tia
Congresswih award it, for there can b
| little doubt that the efficacy Of this organ
isaeion will largely depend on the reten
uoa q The bsst inca hymsans Of prope
f : as2