Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-09
LIFE-sAVING SERVICE.
The international Code" of Signal.
ing by Day and by Night.
How the Elife-Boat is HIanned-.-
Sending q Line to the Wreck
bringing the Life-Car
intO Service.
ECourier-J ournal Exposition Notes.


ments, and of these there are none more in
teresting than the exhibit made by the
United States life-saving service. 1t appeals
strongly to every thinking person. 1t shows
the great care and skill which peryades the
system inaugurated and sustained by the
government. Every appliance to save life,
to rescue the imperiled at sea, seems to have
been adopted.
SIGNAL FLAGS.
In the daytime communication is carried
on between vessels and stations by means of
flags. The symbols of the international code
consist Of eighteen flags, grouped as follows:
One burgee, four remnants and thirteen
square flags. Every nation represented Ia
this code provides its vessels with a set or
these flags and their Interpretation, and the
simple hosting of the different combinations
according to the schedule laid out, is unmis-
taxable English to any life-saving station on
the American coast, no matter what the
nationality of the vessel may be. These flags
represent eighteen letters of the English
alphabet, and no two are alike in color.
The different colored flags represent letters,
the letters represent sentences, and converse
ton is carried on between stations and yes
sells by simply hosting the combinations OF
flags according to the signal key.
At night, if any signaling has to be done,
white, green and red rockets are sent up
the different combinations of colors express
ing certain wants and giving affirmative or
negative answers. For instance q ship want
ing pilot would make her wishes known by
sending up three rockets in quick succession
white, red, white; red, white, red-I am in
distress; green, white, green-yes; white,
red, white-no. On the more
DANGEROUS COASTS
there are sometimes two or three stations sit
uated five miles apart. At night a lookout is
left in the station, and the rest of the crew
patrol the beach, meeting the crew of the sec
ond station half way, exchanging checks and
then making their way back to their respec-
tive starting points If a patrolman sees an
accident or vessel in distress, signals are
! fired calling the attention OF the rest of the
| men to that point. The life-boats are then
| put on surf wagons, drawn by horses,
| and carried down to the sea. These
! boats are sef-bailing and self
righting; that is, if one of them up
| sets, it Immediately rights itself, and balls
! out any water shipped as fast as it comes in.
! A boat of this description is manned by
! twelve oarsruen and one steersnan, and viii
! carry in safety thirty additional people. Be
Shind the surf wagons follows the hand-car5
j flrawn by the crew, containing Lisle guns,
whip lines, shot lines taking boxes and other
.S NECESSARY articles For examples sake we
'galsay that ship has been driven ON the
+. rcefS some three-quarters of q mile Or a mile
fr6s.l the shore, and is gradually being bat
tered to pieces If lives are to be saved there
4 ssio time for play. The life-sayers, first OF
3lss want to reach the ship with a rope 81
sSet it may have direct connection with tbs
as}oge, and this is
8 THE WAY THEY DO IT.
re there are no trees in convenient distance,
II fowhich a heavy rope can be attached, a trench
three and one half feet deep is dug in the
4 sand, and in this the sand-anchor, composed
of two heavy wood cross-pieces, is buried.
The rope, after being securely fastened t.
this anchor, is then run over a crotch from
| fifteen to eighteen feet high. Attention is
| now given to the taking box, which consists
| of smaller rope wound around forty eight
pegs. By lifting up the board On which
these pegs are mounted the rope slides off in
! coil ON the sand, and in being fired from
the mortar can not possible get tangled on
twisted in its rapid fight to and over the
vessel. The shot is an iron piece resembling
; very closely in shape and in length a car
coupling-pin. A small opening in its end ad.
mits a screw, and to this screw through g
ring is fastened the small line to be fired
| which, in its turn, is made fast to the larger
, rope before mentioned The mortar is thez
j, loaded with from two and half to foul
ounces of powder, according to the distance
of the vessel from shore, the shot is placed IL
position,
AFIZz AND A BANG,
and away goes the small line along with it
iron predecessor over the ships deck, where
} willing hands seize it and eventually pull il
} the strong, heavy rope from the shore. At
5 tached to this latter are tally-boards, giving
the following instructions in many different
languages: make the tail of the block fas
, to the lower mast well up. If masts arr
l | gone then to the best place you can find
l Cast off rocket line, see that the rope in TIN
block runs free, and show signal to the shore
! A second shot from the mortar carries an
other line, and this enables the breeches buoY
l | block to be drawn from shore to ship, an,
+ vice versa, over the main rope. This rope
: after being made fast to the ships rnasts
e is hauled taut on shore, by three sets q
g blocks to the rear of the tall crotch ov,,
3 which it runs
There is slant from the ship in, and I'll
L crotch, as may now beseen, is used to give tn
rope q sufficient altitude over the angry Sc
waves.
. THE BREECHES BUOY BLOCK,
:, that is hauled backward and forward wit
y passengers, consists of large round cor
ring covered with canvas, to the under sid
!, of which is firmly attached a pair OF knee
breeches A passenger lowers half of his bod
o through the cork opening-the knee-breeche
= prevent his being washed out, the cork buo
q keeps half the body above water, and he
!, pulled safely to shore with no damage beyon
o a thorough drenching.
10 THF LIFE CAR.
n If it be found necessary to carry shorewa1
5e at one time more than a single passenger, tl
d life car is brought into service. Its botto
S. is shaped like that of lap-streak boa
n and that portion of it showing out
n water is oval, with a small aperture {
re top and in the centre. 1t accommodate
1t five or six people, and after they are safe
slowed inside the opening is securely clos
and battened down. The main rope on wink
n. it runs, unlike the one connected with Il
brooches buoy, is taken from its high croft
a | and lowered to the surface Of the water.
w rough weather, while being drawn into sho
a by means OF a windlass, it rolls over al
e. over and is alternately under and above t