Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-09
LIFE SAVING SERVICE.
The International Code'' of signals
ing by Day and by Night.
How the life Boat ls Manned-s~
Sending a Line to the Wreck
bringing the Life-Car
into Service.
TCourier-Journal 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 pervades tbs
system inaugurated and sustained by the
government. Every appliance to save life,
to rescue the imperiled at sea, seems TO nave
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 pennants and thirteen
square flags Every nation represented in
this code provides its vessels with a set Of
these flags and their Interpretation, and the
simple hosting OF the different combinations
according to the schedule laid out, is unInis-
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 conversa~
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, O ship want
ing a 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 a 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 self-bailing and self
rigltiug: 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 oarsmen and one steersnan, and viii
carry in safety thirty additional people Be-
hind the surf wagons follows the hand-cart
drawn by the crew, containing Lisle guns,
whip lines, shot lines, taking boxes and other
necessary articles. For examples sake we
will say that ship has been driven on the
rocks some three-quarters of q mile or q mile
from the shore, and is gradually being bat
tered to pieces. If lives are to be saved there
is no time for play The life-savers, first Of
all, want to reach the ship with a rope SO
shat it may have direct connection with the
shore, and this is
THE WAY THEY DO IT.
| If.there are 10 trees in convenient distance,
| to which heavyrope can be attached, q trench
| three and one half feet deep is dug in the
sand, and in this the sand-anchor. composed
! of two heavy wood cross-pieces, is buried.
| The rope, after being securely fastened to
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
! a coil on the sand, and in being fired from
| the mortar can not possible get tangled or
! twisted in its rapid flight to and over the
| vessel. The shot is an iron piece, resembling
| very closely in shape and in length car
! coupling pin. A small opening in lbs end adj
| mits screw, and to this screw through a
| ring is fastened the small line to be fired,
which, in it's turn, is made fast to the larger
rope before mentioned. The mortar is then
loaded with from two and a half to fou1
ounces Of powder, according to the distance
of the vessel from shore, the shot is placed in
position,
AF1ZZ AND A BANG,
and away goes the small line along with its
iron predecessor over the ships deck, where
willing hands seize it and eventually pull in
the strong, heavy rope from the shore. At
tached to this latter are tally-boards, giving
the following instructions in many different
languages: "Make the tail Of the block fast
to the lower mast well up. Ii masts are
gone then to the best place you can find
Cast Off rocket line see that the rope in tho
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
block to be drawn from shore to ship, anC
vice versa, over the main rope. This rope
after being made fast to the ships masts
is hauled taut on Shore by three sets O
blocks, to the rear Of the tall crotch owe
which it runs.
There is a slant from the ship in, and tn
crotch, as may now be seen, is used to give tn
rope a sufficient altitude over the angry SCI
waves
THE BREECHEs BUOY BLOCK,
that is hauled backward and forward wit
passengers, consists of a large FOUND cor
ring covered with canvas, to the under sid
| of which is firmly attached pair Of knet
brooches. A passenger lowers half of his bod
through the cork opening-the -breecht
! | prevent his being washed out, the cork buo
, keeps half the body above water, and he
, pulled safely to shore with no damage beyon
, thorough drenching.
9 THE LIFE CAR.
4 II it be found necessary to carry shorewar
e at one time more than single passenger, IL
1 life car is brought into service. Its bottol
!. is shaped like that of a lap-streak boa
n and that portion of it showing out
n water is oval, with small aperture c
e top and in the centre. 1t accommodate
It five or six people, and after they are safe
slowed inside, the opening is securely close
and battened down. The main rope on whic
/. it runs, unlike the one connected with Il
breeches-buoy is taken from its high croft
q and lowered to the surface of the water.
v rough weather, while being drawn into sho
q by means of a windlass, it rolls over al
- 1 : 14o,,r al 81,