Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1883-07-14
LIFE-SAYING MEDALS.

How the United states Government re.
wards Those Persons who Save Others
from Drowning.
The Washington correspondent of
The Philadelphia Record says: If you
jump into the Delaware and, at the
imminent risk of your own life, save
the life of another, the secretary of the
treasury will give you medal. If
your risk was "eStra hazardous" or
your services particularly distinguished
you will get gold medal; if your risk
was of lower degree it will be silver.
When the life-saving service was reor-
ganized under its present efficient chief,
Sumner j. Kimball, congress establish
ed these rewards. They were then
called the first-class and the second
class medals, and were given only for
the actual saving of life at the actua
risk of life. People who had saved
life at the risk of life objected, however,
to receiving second-class medal for
what they deemed frst-class service.
One spirited young lady returned the
silver second-class medal sent to her.
She wanted the best or none, and is
now reposes on its velvet bed in Mr..
Kimball's Office safely. 1t was found,
too, that men often saved life at risk
of property or of limb not tantamount
to a risk of life but deserving of some
recognition. 1t was thought, for in
stance, that the master of laden ves-
sci who delayed his voyage to save a
wrecked crew at great personal expense
and inconvenience deserved medal
equally with the man who simply
moistened his clothes in the surf. So
congress, to meet these suggestions,
changed the names Of the medals to
"gold medal and "silver medal and
made the provisions of award so
comprehensive as to take in all life
savers at risk. The terms of award
are, however, not loose. This is evil
dent from the fact that while many
applications are received Through "my
congressman" of course), few medals
are issued in year; sometimes as few
as four or five, and never more than a
score. The applications, which must be
supported by af1idavits, go to a COM
mittee composed of the chief Of the life
saving service, the chief of the naviga-
ton tiliiti5ioo -oI -ciIo OYclssdry Qet III {.
ment, and the chief of the steam
vessels inspection service. These
gentlemen have to be convinced by
evidence that would satisfy court of
law. They cannot be bulldozed by
"your member" Once convinced,
however, they recommend you to the
secretary of the treasury, and he sends
you your medal with u handsome little
letter. The medals are very handsome
in themselves. A new series, some
what differing from the Old, is now
being prepared in the Philadelphia
mint. These 1 have not seen, but the
old ones were good enough. The gold
one had life-boat in the act of rescu-
ing drowning man on the DIVERSE
and an angel or two on the reverse
with the necessary inscriptions. 1t is
not strange, perhaps, that II man OF
woman should deserve a medal of this
sort several times in the course of 6
useful life. AS matter of fact, these
medals have been earned, again and
again, by the same person. They never
get more than one medal of each class
though; but for each subsequent
achievment deserving of medal, they
are given bar Of gold or silver, as the
case may be, to be placed on the ribbon
of the decoration as the clasps are on
European war medals.