The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-02-16
The Guardians Of Our Coast.

With such a record it is no longer q
marvel that the American life-saving i'm
stitutiOn has taken so firm hold of the
public heart. The territory which it
guards-ten thousand or more miles
IS divided into twelve districts The
Atlatltic c6ast presents one long sdcces-
sion of varied dangers, beginning with
Maine, where the capriciOus cttrfeuts
are forever playing sly games about the
narrow capes, reefs, sunken rocks and
peaks of islands half submerged, paving
the coast like the teeth in a shark jaw,
taking in Cape Cod, that great arm Of
sand forty miles outward and upward,
with its half-sunken, ever-shifting sand
bars, the islands and the rough, rocky
points on the Rhode Island coast
dreadful to mariners-a and the long, UNI
peopled six hundred miles of beach from
Montauk Point, Long Island, to Cape
Fear, North Carolina, terminating with
the arid coral formation of the coast of
Florida, five hundred miles in extent.
The great lakes, a group of enormous
inland seas, with twenty-five hundred
miles of American cOast-line, are sub
iect to sudden and violent gales, which
pile up seas so stupendOus that anchored
vessels are swept fore and aft, often
causing their complete destruction;
while others, running for shelter in har-
bors, miss the narrow entrances, and
are blown helplessly upon jutting piers,
or the still more dangerous beach. The
stations consist of three classes, several
ly denominated life-saving stations, life
boat stations and houses of refuge. Each
of the twelve districts is provided with
a local Superintendent, who must
be a resident of the district and famil-
iarly acquainted with its inhabitants.
His compensation is one thousand dol
lars per annum, with the exception of
those on the coast of Long Island and
New Jersey, who, having too many sta
tions to look after to attend to other
business, are paid fifteen hundred dol
lars apiece. These officers are required
to give from twenty to thirty thousand
dollar bonds rs disbursing agents, being
intrusted with the payment of the men
under them in addition to their general
duties. They are responsible for the Sc
lection of the keepers of the stations-a
duty requiring much knowledge and ex-
cellent judgment-who are not, how
ever, confirmed without the acquies-
cence of the inspector, who is supposed
to have no local interests or prejudices.
The crews are chosen by the keepers.
a board of inspectors, consisting of an
officer of the revenue marine, a surgeon
of the Marine Hospital Service, and an
expert surfman whose qualifications are
well known, to determine by judgment
wholly impartial their character, good
health and general fitness. This board
is empowered to dismiss all incompetent
men on the spot, and require the keeper
to employ others without delay The
whole work is under constant inspec-
tiOn. The stations are visited frequent
ly, and the men examined in the exer-
cises of the apparatus drill, and
obliged to give verbal reasons for
every step in their operations They
are trained with their life-boats in the
surf, in the use Of the life-dress, in saw
ing drowning persons by swimming to
their relief, in the methods of restoring
the partially drowned, and in signaling.
Everything in and about the stations
moves with military precision. When
a wreck is attended with loss of life. a
rigid examination follows to see If any
Of the men have been guilty of miscon-
duct or neglect of duty. The keepers
are empowered to protect the interests
Of the Government from smuggling,
md they guard all property that comes
ashore from the wreck until its rightful
owner appears. They are charged with
he care and order of the stations and
he boats and apparatus; and they must
Keep accurate accounts of all receipts
md expenditures. journalize all trans
and maintain all necessary cor
with superior officers
Thus 1t appears they must possess a GER
ain amount of education and high in
egrity, as well as surfmanship, intre- |
1idity, and commanding qualities. They |
ire paid four hundred dollars each per |
lnnum. The crews receive forty dollars |
Der month during the active season, |
which upon the sea-coast is from Sep |
ember l to May /, and upon the lakes /
rom the opening 10 the close of naviga-
ion, or from about May l to December |
5,-MSrthG n Lamb. IN Harper MagG-
iige,