The Republican journal., 1881-11-17
The Life Saving Service.

For each OF the twelve districts into which the
Atlantic, Gulf Pacific and lake coasts divided
there IS a 50 called 'dlstrlct superintendent, re-
sponsbe for the efficient service OF the men under
him and who also acts as 1lsbursing officer He
makes acquisitions on Washington for the various
supplies needed every year at his station the pay
of the men. &c These officers only receive from
$1,000 to 81 ,500 per dnnum, and the bill raises
their pay to =, 600 The keepers who now receive
only si00 year, to have increase Of 5000
The surtmen paid at the rate of $40 per month
during the season of eight months 1t easily
be imagined that to perform the duties of life
ing station keeper for S40O year is sinecure.
The men have to live and sleep at the station
house, patrol the beach at night relieving each
other every four hours, and be always ready to
pull out to Most of the keepers and surtmen
are hardy fishermen, not entirely dependent upon
their government stipend for their hvIng The
present cost of the service is about ?iO0 600 per
year, while the amount of property saved IL the
year ending June 30, 1881, over 81 600 000 or
about six and half times as much as the cost uI
the service, and this without taking into consider
alton the value of the lives saved Three hundred
vessels and ,9S9 passengers came within the
scope OF the operations of the service, and all but
nine of these passengers were saved. -Four hun
dred and forty nine shipwrecked persons were
succOred at the stations and Of the total value of
the vessels and their cargoes, amounting to So,
100000, over s., 600, ,000 as above stated, was
saved certainly al admirable showing
In November, 1871, or not ten years ago, the
present system was organized, and now there are
over 200 life saving stations in the country-l45
on the Atlantic coast on the Pacific 10 the
lakes, and there are besides houses of refuge on
the Florida coast During the barely nine years
from November /, 1871 to June 30, 1890 the
amount Of property saved Sl2,000000
During these years the cost of the service
much smaller than at present, the system having
only been gradually enlarged to its present enor.
nous extent. Probably 300 men were employed
at these 200 stations. Formerly the life saving
season lasted only from December till April, but
three years ago it ex ended to its present lin
its, as many serious shipwrecks occur in Novem-
ber. The outfit Of each station is generally
wooden house. with simple furniture. bedding,
cooking utensils, one or two life boats, boat wag-
ons, wreck gun for shooting off small line to
vessel, cart for the gun, compasses, barometers,
&c, and the average cost of each station is per
haps 50, 900, that the 200 stations represent an
investment by the generous people of about ST.
100000 in behalf Of shipwrecked humanity This.
Of course, is continually increasing, stations
are being established. The JERSEY coast has the
greatest number Of stations-namely forty one
the Long Island coast the next greatest, thirty
eight (of which thirty three are in the State of
New York;, and Virginia and North Carolina have
their twenty five stations 1t is curious fact that
while the horses which are sometimes necessary
for pulling the boats are generally hired the gov
ernment has just one orse in its service where
none can be hired-namtly, at Assaleague, S. g.