The Delaware farmer., 1883-12-07
LIFE SAVING SERVICE.
Details of Operations for the Past Fiscnl
Year.

Details of Operations for the Past Biscni
Year.
The following is an abstract of the re-
port of the General Superintendent Of
the Life Saving Service
The service embraced at the close of
the last fiscal year 1914 stations, 149
being on the Atlantic, 81 on the lakes,
on the Pacific and at the Falls of the
Ohio, Louisville, KY.
The number of disasters to docu-
mented vessels within the field of station
operations during the year was 300.
There were 3, 1872 persons on board these
vessels, of whom 3, Ut were saved and
only Is lost. The number of the ship
wrecked who received succor at the sta
tions was 651, and to these 1879 days
relief were afforded. The estimated
value of the vessels involved in these
disasters was s., 100,925 and that of
their caTgoes 81, ,615, making the
total value OF property imperilled
S7,176,54O. OF this amount S5,6Il 800
was saved and S1,564, 740 lost. The
number Of vessels totally lost was 69. In
addition to the foregoing there have
been 116 disasters to smaller craft, such
as sailbOats, rowboats, ETC., on which
were pa persons, 240 of whom We're
saved and lost. The property involved
in the latter disasters was S66, $50, OF
which $4,000 was saved and So, 2S0
lost.
RESULTS OF ALL DISASTERS.
The results of all the disasters within
the scope of the service aggregate there
fore rs follows -
Total number Of disasters. s..... 41G
Total value Of property involved. S7,242. 720
Total value of property saved. S5,61l,7OO
Total value of property lost 81 81, ,O2O
Total number of persons involved. 4.036
Total number Of persons saved, 4,Ol1
Total number of persons lost IS
Total number of shipwrecked per-
sons succOred at stations. 65I
afforded ........................ 1879
In addition to those saved from YES
sells there were twenty-five persons res
cued who had fallen from wharves, piers,
ETC., and would have persisted without
the help of the life-saving crews.
Investigations held in each case estab-
lished the fact that the nineteen persons
lost were entirely beyond the reach Of
human aid. OF this number nine were
drowned by the sudden capsizing of yes
sells at some distance from land, before
assistance could reach them seven were
lost in endeavoring to get ashore by
their own efforts while the lfe-saving
crews were hurrying to the rescue one
persisted from being thrown overheard
from a stranded vessel, and one died rs
soon as landed, owing to previous eX-
posure on a wreck. The report gives
full and specific accounts of all the cir
cumstances connected with the loss Of
these persons.
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT.
The number of disasters during the
year exceeds by seventy-one the number
of disasters of the year preceding,
which was considerably larger than that
Of any previous year in the history Of
the service. The amount of property
involved was 50, ,476, ,493 greater than in
the preceding year, but the amount lost
SS8, 750 less than that of the preceding
year, while the amount saved was
s., 565, ,243 more. The number of lives
lost was seven more than in the pre-
ceding year, but in proportion to the
number of persons on board the vessels
suffering disaster it is considerably less,
the ratio of reduction being six per cent.
The assistance rendered during the
year in saving vessels and cargoes has
been much larger than in any previous
year, 337 vessels having been worked
off when stranded, repaired when dam
aged, piloted out of dangerous places or
assisted by the station crews.
There were besides 125 instances (39
more than in the preceding Year, where
vessels running into danger Of stranding
were warned off by the night signals Of
patrols, most Of them thus being saved
from partial or total destruction.
ADDITIONAL STATIONS.
Since the last report seven additional
stations have been completed -one at
Beach, Me-; one at Muske-
get Island and one at Coskata, Nan
tucket, Mass. one at Brigantine Beach,
n. j.: one at New Inlet, one at Cape !
Hatteras and one at Ocracoke, coast of !
North Carolina. -Four other stations are !
in process of construction and approach |
ing completion-one at Lewes, Del; |
one at North Beach, Md; one at Wal !
lop's Beach and one at Parramore's |
Beach, Va.
There have been nine sites selected |
for new stations which it is proposed to
erect next year, provided titles, which
have been promised, are obtained and
sufficient appropriation shall be made
by Congress-namely, one at Brenton's
Point, r. I. one at Grand Murais,
Lake Superior one at Frankfort, one
1t Pentwater, one at the mouth of the
White River, one at Holland and one at
South Haven, Mich. one at Michigan
0itv. md. and one at Sturgeon BaV /