Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-04-09
Our National Life Saving Service
SUCCESS OF Mr. KINBALL. CHIEF OF THE REV.
NUE. MARINE. As AN ORGANIZER.


Those who went TO the Centennial last year and
looked for the useful and humanitarian as well as
for the merely glittering and ornamental in that
vast exhibition. probably noticed on the lake,
back Of Mschinery Hall, the United States Gov
ernnent exhibition of Life Saving Stations with
the apparatus connected with that service The
exhibit was In charge Of Lieut.. Walter Walton, .
very sentlemanly and courteous officer, who ex-
planned its operation in the clearest and pleasant
est manner possible. The Station under Lieut.
Walton's charge was an exact model of those now
located on our coast, and showed the practical
working Of The various appliances connected with
The sesvipe d they might be seen in actusl use.
-hfe-boats ife-cars. cork jackets. beach lanterns,
Coston lights medicine chests. and all other nee.
esary lspparenances in perfect and complete
working order. Amongst other curiosities Lieut.
Walton exhibited the frs. ball fred in the United
StsAss 10 ssvs life from shipwreck. TWAS thrown
with line attached to the ship AYRSHIRE, which
was wrecked o. Squam Beach Jan. IL, 1856. On
that occasion tho Ottingsr life car wss used for
the first time. and 81 lives were saved thereby.
Lieut.. Walton explained and illustrated the pr.c-
teal use Of DE lie or surf car In case of vreck
when the sea 10 too rough for the surf boats ball
with line attached to II by = spiral wire, is
isfhes hauled on board Attached to this s small sI
line, 10 hauling line, and to this
last,l hswser which IL made fat
TO tine vessel, Then the life car invented by Car.
tain Ouneef i sent forward. which is done by
another hne from shore TO vessel. Eleven persons
which is then closed, water (but not air) tight
and drawn ashore, repeating its trips from vessel
10 shore until all are saved. This life or surf car
IT, " correction with the mortars and rockets.
very useful and valuable invention, and has Al
ready been the means of saving Thousands of
lives Its usefulness is only limited by the rang.
OF the mortar or rocket BY means Of which the
first liue 10 thrown. The mortas now In use Al onr
stations will not throw q line more than 375 TO 400
yards. The Boxer rocket in use BY the ROYAL Ma
uonal Life Boat Institution of Great Britain will
threw shea. the same distance. The great ma.
jority OF wrecks probably lie within the present
range of mortars usually used. Captain Ottinoe,
has recently shown that he can by mortar of De-
cullAr construction throw Q line much greater
distance, say with the extraordinary range of 63l
that u cannot DO handled with sufficient ease TO
make It available at much distance from the sta.
ton, consequently its usefulness Is somewhat re-
stricted. Again it 10 doubted If q range of over
$50 yards is desirable on account of the difficulty
of managing the life car more than that dst.ncs
from the shore. So that what is wanted i . re.
liable means Of throwing . line, by . mortar not
too heavy TO be readily moved from place to place
TO a wreck cay so yards from the shore With
such aprojectile our life saving instrume tiles
would scam to be nearly perfect.
Our exhibit at the Centennial Exposition of a
complete national life saving station in perfect
WORKING order attracted great attention, not only
from our own people. but it was alse visited by
many foreigners, including officers connected with
life saving stations in other countries. Those Off
GERS examined with great particularly into the
details Of the system, and the opinion amongst
them seemed 70 be that i, was unequaled in The
world. Z TuE
Now TO whom are we indebted for H. succes.ful
reorganization and present efficiency of this ins,i.
tuition. which We may safely say has reduced
the loss Of life and property by shipwreck
on our ovast to ts minimum increasing the
stations in four years from fifty-four
to one hundred and ffty-seven, and saving
10 that time 3.l53 lives out of 1901 Imperfect. q
saving ratio never equalled 10 any other country
1t can hardly be believed, but il Is fact that 10
to the year i84S our government bad made no ef.
fort to prevent the loss of life BY shpwreck on our
coast. In that year . commencement was made
q consequences of the immense loss of life
by shipwreck on the New Jersey coast during the
preceding winter. From that time TO 1871. email
appropriations were obtained fiom Congress from