The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-07
PRICE, FIVE CENTS.
THE WRECKS OF THE YEAR.
leo ships Driven Ash0re-Of 1853 People
ON Board 3O Only Lost.
I'm. Y. Tribune.l

| WASHINGTON, July 1.-The statistics OF
wrecks which have occurred within the
range OF the life-saying service during
the past fiscal year have Just been made
up at the Treasury Department, from
which 1t appears that the total number
OF vessels driven ashore by stress Of
weather during the year is 1870, and that
they had on board 1858 persons. OF
this number OF lives there were 1914
saved and thirty-nine lost: the number
lost being about three per cent of those
| imperilled.
The estimated value of the vessels
wrecked Is $1 TAG, ,464, and of their car
goes $1 ,348, ,876, making total property
valuation OF $3, ,095, ,33t. The total am cunt
OF property saved, so far as reported, is
$1.554 sos, and OF that totally lost ST.
| O53, 1926, leaving $4s7, 900 not yet ascer-
tanned whether saved or lost. Upon
Life-saving Service apparatus was sue
cessfully used and 838 persons were
rescued through it's instrumentality
together, In addition to which assist
ance was rendered in nearly every in
stance in saving property by the crews
OF the Life saving Stations.
The thirty nine persons who were lost,
perished under the following circum-
stances: Twenty-eight went down with
the ili-fated ship "Circassian," which
went to pieces near Bridgehampton,
December, 1876, and destroyed the party
OF Shinnecock Indians who were en-
deavoring to save her. Seven lives were
lost at the wreck OF the schooner Mar
garet and Lucy, which went ashore near
Toms river, N. j., on the I'd Of March,
1877. Three lives were lost upon the
occasion OF the stranding OF the steamer
L'Amerique near Long Branch, N. j.,
on the 7th OF January, 1877.
The remaining victim was one Of q
crew crew Of uouI four ,,ls1. persons Of the
ashore on Peaked Hill bar, Cape Cod,
on the morning OF the I'd Of January,
1877. Notwithstanding the high state
OF efficiency in which the Life-saving
Service is shown to be by the foregoing
record, great efforts are being constant
ly made to bring it to still greater eff
ciency. Recently Mr.. Kimball, who has
charge Of the service, with Capt. Mer-
riman, the inspector, have been de-
ject of extending the range Of
series OF experiments at Cold Spring,
New York, with new gun and projec-
tile invented by Robt. r. Parrott (the
veteran inventor OF the Parrot gum,
the gratifying. results are that with
gun which with it's carriage weighs less
by twenty pounds than the mortar now
used at the stations, and some modifi-
cation in the line, which Is so coiled up
and braided as to be very elastic, an
additional range of more than 100 yards
has been attained for the shot line.
This Is considered the most important
in the service since its re-
and the Introduction of the
patrol system.
The Department has ordered "a OF
the new guns, which will be supplied
to those stations at points on the coast
where a long range is required.
Additional signals are being prepared
to be incorporated into the National
Code for the use Of vessels and Life
saving Stations, which will greatly facil-
itate communication between the vessel
and the shore. The present high state
Of efficiency in this important service is
due in a great measure to the earnest
efforts Of Mr.. Kimball to make it what
1t is, the first In point Of effective service
and discipline in the world.