New-York tribune., 1878-02-04
THE COAST NOT WELL GUARDED.
COMPETENT MIN AT THE STATIONS bOl No'
ENOUGH srAIIoNs-THE DIFFICULTIES OF 1iiL
SERVICE EXPLAINED.


SERVICE EXPLAINED.
lBY TELFGRAPT TO THE TRIBuHE.I
WIs1USGTny Feb s." So long as storms
and sipwrecks occur" Gays Chief kimbal of the Lie
saving Service aud lives are lost on eur co"s )" oS
spr men will ne ccnsucd 9r fairg to do ;hcr duty
no matter how lives they save nor wha' ""''uo
they may labor under. ,,.
The Life Stations Nos aud >. on the North ohro"ha
cas. pdwa AZ between which occurred the wreck o the
steamer Metropolis last Thursday morning are eleven
and n half miles apart. They are manned ny heeper
md crew Of sx carefully selected and experiences SURF
mon Mt each station. Captain Malacci Cor9c keeper I"
station Nc D. which Is six mixes south OF
the scene Of the wreck is considered 10 ne
one of the valiant and efficient officers IN TIE whole
service His efforts on several occasions of shirwrceS
have been conspicuous and successful III saNps 'o
and property, that prominent men i'll thai vicinity nave
united In a recommendation that he DC pr"m''V"'
Keercr Chappell of station No. A. five and haii miles
north Of the scene the disaster is also regarded nv Tue
department as Il thoroughly Trustworthy ana brave
officer.
These stations were inspected few weeks ago by ii
Board OF Examination. consisting of Ll'ulei MS W. -
Dehart and ;. II. CrOscy OF the Uncd Si''S h''VH'o
Marine Service and As>i>tantSufgcon keyes' oi inc
United states Marine Hospital Service This board re-
ported TO the Secretary of the Treasury INA"
Tho boats and all other apparatus ana gear
in the sixth DIstuct are OF the most "u-
proved and latest Kinds, and are In guod order
Nothing which human foresight could proVi'e Io ''ce
these stations In conditionto render prompt service Ill
cases of disaster TO have been omitted "Ad Su
perintenaent Guthrie of the sixth District who Ii VIII
be remembered lost his life at the wreck OF thc ioi
considered them among the beet IN point o eh'V"'9
within his control.
To illustrate the care which shown IN the selection
Of keepers aud crews Tor these stations wei as tie
difficulties under which the department labor' OWING u
tbc rdi,ulosy low condensation is enabled To ohr
,o Good men, IL may he mentioned that boari of tx
animation which Inspected these stations year ago re-
ported that the keeper of Station No OF the SKIN Dis
,rict was incompetent. Superintendent; Guthrie was
thereupou directed 10 nominate proper perso" 10 take
charge Of that station lie replied as follows;
have made personal ,Gorts to mud competent peg
son to take charge of station No j. IN cohos hll Win
Wiling 10 accept 1t at TN present I',., @ - 80 .
auuun), except one who said he w"uo tae' u ''t ''
mer) Under lhese m noI,sd nv rti1ius tr
present incumbent be has had The experience o TWO
seasons aud appears take an interest IN the 0ulics
The STATIONS TOO INFREoUENr.
In regard 10 the location and number OF stations Oh
tins coast Mr Kimbd IN his annual report to 'He see
relary OF the Treasury, for 1876, sald that:
The portion OF the coast embraced between APPS
Henry and Hatteras does not appear to De sahci'h!
provided with stations. The distance bet"een 'hc Sa-
which is too great 10 admit OF Iher com
p,edi' ppnd sSrious Character Of the disasters which
have occurred thereon clearly indicate tn ne o an
ESTABLISHING station between each OF the eX ing ONES
would bc DE yet hoped that the construction
f. be provided Will some The heavier portions o the
apparatus VIII O0yiate its neot sNlty
The experience Of following season was such that
along int Virginia ana" gDre@ aei,ad tjnSs wtt i'm
peratiyey requircd ana his report for 1877
recommendations to that effect The report SAYS
ON other portions of The Atlantic coast which INIT Of
patrol The stations are from thIst to 3'r miles gp.ri
distance fully great enough To ADMIT Oi Ae enforcement
OF the regulation III the fierce storms OF "lntr WIN
safety TO me patrohnen IlG dsjanee mere 20 eital
as materially 10 imraT ihe ciahces oI Itschlh-
in time to effect rcscues the snlpWrcCkS wnich may
midway between stations IL Is therefore recon-
mCnded that authority he gwen !or establishing a"d-
tOual stations Tins coast. 81 Intermediate points bc-
report year that the expense 81 establishing
these stations might be averted ana an eXann0n 81
Winter and Sprns hut the scheme was FOUND InlHa"u-
able and Inadequate"
The boat and the gear with which each lifcav.nc
station provided weigh LOO pounds. TGis weight
ha be dragged by hand III tie toughest weather and
IN the possible condition OF travel through mud
and yielding sand to point directly opposite Tie
stranded vessel majority OF the stations are III lSo
lated localities remote frcm settlements. where
little o. 10 voiuniccr aid ia obtalnable, and
the disadvantages arising from delay and TIE eX-
haustou of tic before the moment Is reached
for then crowmng effort VIII be appreciated. A apra
I"''S -, : .,no ,,,,,[ - - L. me-, ,d
to stations. is. however capable OF bringing tat
on person trip. ana consequently Of NAE
service where the wrecked vessel large
Der OF Passengers
A TERRIFIC COAST-REsCUEs ELSEWHERE.
Some idea the severity OF the storm of last Thursday
and OF the difficulty experienced by tne paroimen IN
making tlcii rounds In sach weather, may be gathered
from the experience of Captain j. G. w. Hayen supcin-
tendcnt OF L!e Saving District No. 4, comprising the
New-Jcrsey This officer accompanied Of The
pJtrOlmen on his rounds Ola Thursday afternoon.
1hc wind blowing in shore was 80 strong that men
were actually carried off the beach TO higher
llnd Captain Haven and Eis companion obliged
cling e. each other for support il places where there
were no fences 10 hold hold by only able
make "a mile and quarter ID one hour and fifteen min
At Cape Henry the wind blew at the rate of sixty
miles an hour.
Captain haven states that patrolman IN his district,
while making MS rounds during OF the severe stO1ns
oj las Winter unable to proceed OF return, snH down
tile beach and perished
Ii appears that during this same storm the crew of
station NJ on the coast Oi Nrwersey, where she sta
Ions at proper ncIgnborhUod TO the points OF dis
ter, iescued crew OF eight men from wreck On the
nigh. Of the wreck Of the Huron the cre%dof stations Nos
80 and 30 OF New Jersey rescued seventeen persons Om
t,o bark "JOann. Lan2," and the of station No.
the schooner Matte" The .'orth Carolina only
need to b. increased the same efficiency.
bill mtIodGccd early III che session by Mr.. Cox 10
provide this. and the Metropolis held
To be argument III favor of the passage Of nc bill
The Genera! superintendent says:
Whatever may he said rs 10 particular instances, the
grost fact lc,nains that Ine INTRODUCTION OF the
patrol sysIem lS7l there have been saved 1850 lives
aud about $1,000 900 worth Cf property, aud until the
present only ciguty ives nave been lost on the
:sIs IL hi. Dcc estimated that before tins
there wore abOnt ZOO lives lost annually the New
Je aud Long island coasts. There l. not any rea
bic data estimate hut that tins lOs Immense
j. andeliablc 1BCro were forty wrecks on the New
Jersey alone last y.r, aYcrag of about one TO
station, and ho loss only ten HveS, and tEat by
reason o Jnc unseawor:hnecs OF tho vessel
iho cos o: aiming tIc hic-S..yEg service last
gear only S201 500 for the cnlrc sea and lake
cOasls embracing II. AL 10000 is, and his
includes The repairs ad purchase CT boats aud appd
ratus' besides Tie pay oi Leary thousand men.
EFFORTS AT RESCUF