Morning journal and courier., 1880-04-21
Wednesday Morning, April 21. 1880.
THE LIFE-sAv1NCs SERVICE.

i The law concerning the United States life
 saving service made about two years ago was
 very thorough in it's provisions, and was de-
 signed to organize. the system of coast pro- lection on, substantially new basis. Tho
 workings of that law and it's good effects in
 providing ampler safeguards of life and prop
 erty are set forth in detail by report for the l last fiscal year now published.
 1 During the twelvemonth covered by this report our life saving establishment embraced
 not less than 173 stations distributed over nearly the whole length of the Atlantic coast line and along the shores of the five great lakes, together with district on the Pacific coast. To appreciate these remarkable fig ures, We must bear in mind the very diff fsrent state of things which sxisted eight years ago, when of all our ocean and lake coasts only the shores of Long Island and New Jersey were most impsrfsctly guarded by a few widely dis perssd stations To-day the coast of New Jersey alone is protected by not less than 40 life saving crews permanently employed from September to the middle or end of April in each year. The coast of Rhode Island and Long Island is almost as well defended, having
 
 shire and Maine now possess an aggregate of 20. Again. g stations are dotted along the dangerous strip of coast from Cape Henry to Cape Hatteras, and there are Il between Cape Henlopen and Cape Charles. Even on the west coaet of Florida there are now stations and 30 are distributed along the chain of the great lakes. These facts show 8 striking ds- velopment of the system.
 It is shown by the report that the total number of disasters to vessels occurring with in the circuit of the life-saving operations was 219 during the past fiscal year. This is a large total. On the 219 vessels involved in last years disasters there were 2, 1O5 persons, of whom all but 56 were saved. The total value of the property endangered is computed at $2, ,8S7, 600, of which amount almost exactly one, half was lost. From the detailed accounts published Of the several casualtiss, it seems that of the 56 persons lost 16 psrishod unnec- essarily by attempting to land without assist anee from the shore. On the other hand, 19 were involved in the immediate destruction of their vessels, which were hurled upon the coast. Some, again, were swept of the deck Of their craft at the moment of straading, and others were carried away by the waves that broke over the stranded ship bsfore the life saving crews could reach them. In rendering assistance the surf boat was employed 154 times, and the self fighting and self -bsilng boats made 2+ trips. The life car was used on only one occasion, and the rubber Hfs-sav ing dress but twice. In all, just six persons were rescued by the two last-named appli- ances. By the surf boat on the other hand | 297 persons were landed, and s7 by the brooches buoy. Nor should we overlook the fact that persons were rescued from the up- dertow without apparatus by surfmsn plung- ing after them, secured by linss around their bodies held by the hands of comrades.
 The effectiveness of the life-saving service is | especially prominent on the lake coasts. As late as 1876 there were not less than eighty | seven lives lost In the waters of the | great lakes during single year. | During the year covered by the report under consideration there were only Rinsteen. Such figures speak for themselves and show the value of the life saving service better than many words. That which has been accom- plished is full of promise for the future. With more money, more stations, better ap- pliauces, and appointments uncontrolled by politics. the life saving service may bs vastly increased in value.