Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-14
AMONG THE LIFE.sAvERs.
The Adventures OF Two Scientific Col.
lectors Along the Atlanttc Coast.


Correspondence of IL. EVENING stan.
CAPE FEAR, n. C., Sept 10.
Armed with letter OF introduction from super.
intendent Kimball head OF the United States
Life Saving Service In the Treasury Department
at Washington, to the keepers Of the stations In
the sixth division OF the service, my brother and
l. two scientists OF Washington. started on COL
lection trip down the coast OF Virginia and North
Carolina The sixth division OF the lfe-saving ser.
vice extends from Cape Henry, Va, 10 Cape rear, N
c., and includes twenty-seven stations. We struck
the coast at Virginia Beach Hotel THIS Is iarye,
well-appointed house, with a beautiful front OF
SURF but we saw scarcely any one there except a
host OF tnquisitive negro servants, Inc peacn Is
the most perfect on the Atlantic coast stretching
In one unbroken line for So miles, and with Two
narrow iniets 10 Cape Hatteras LOO miles distant.
We started down the coast for the nrst lfe-sAvtng
station below the hotel called Dam Nec1 "a. Mills,
and kept by Capt Barco, who received US very
kindly as did all the keepers during the entire
trip To Hatteras and back
Capt Barco was fishing, but he knocked OF, }" as
he expressed It, 10 entertain Us and take US TO the
next station below In his cart This coast from
Cape Henry TO Cape Hatteras Is low sandy
beach, and q great many vessels go ashore here
either trying 10 enter the Chesapeake Bay or to
round Cape Hatteras. The lfa-saving crews have
two methods OF saving the lives OF those wrecked.
First II the vessel gets near enough the shore be-
fore II grounds, line Is thrown 10 her, attached
TO u shot from small mortar gun This line Is
hauled aboard, and 10 the other end OF 1t Is at
Jached a block and tackle; this Is made fast and
the men on the shore run hawser out to she ship,
which Is TIED TO the mast above the first rope.
Then a breecheS- buoy Is run out on the
hawser and the persons on the ship may
get into this and be pulled ashore. The other way
Is 10 out TO the ship in the surfboaJ nfeboat
II the water Is deep enough to float 1t. II the
sailors and others ON board wreck only stay on
the vessel the crew can usually get them safely on
land, but II they try TO leave The ship and take to
the surf they are almost sure to De drowned More
persons are landed by the hawser and breecheS-
buoy than In the boats, but all foreigners do not
N fhkl arNFlar ful and 4 Shx.f<
ry1ng the line Is often mistaken for a cannonade.
One keeper told OF an Italian crew that calamity
OF slugs and bolts and nails bred from an old
DlunderouSs% When finally they were brought
safely 10 land tEey said that they thought they
mad struck q hostile shore, and wreckers
were after them. Another captain OF a stranded
steamer refused to let the keeper and crew OF
the lie station aboard 10 help him, saying
stances prove the necessity OF having the United
states nie-savtng crews uniformed so that for
elgners might see that they are Government OIL
Gals. This incident occurred at Cape HatteraS
where the crew had To row twelve miles throusAl
a heavy sea TO the outer Diamond shoals. where
dne steamer had gone ashore We spen! several
keeper, Capt ID. b. Daily, pleasant gentleman
and model captain OF life-saving crew. ener-
getic, quick and decisive In his actions He
earned gold medal from Congress for his bravery
In reScueing shipwrecked crew at great risk to
MS own lie. Cape Hatteras would be q good
place 10 erect a summer hotel The bathing Is
inner there than at any other point on the coast.
The lighthouse there is the tailest in the United
states rising 1873 feet from the ground. The
the nne hunting, deer being plentiful there
the nShing and the mid climate.
Before the establishment OF the Lie saving Service
quite business was carried on upon different
parts OF this shore by wrecking parties, who would
rob and plumber every thing that was cast ashore
oy storms. One place in particular used TO be
noted'for this. II Is called Body Island probably
from the large number or bodies cast ashore 1t
lies between oregon and New Inlets; Is eight miles
this island was the stronghold OF powerful and
rich Iainily, that became so by raising hogs and
cattle and slaves on the island, and by getting
nsh and wrecks from the sea- some early mem
Der OF this family undermined the foundation OF his
wealth by cutting on q barrier or trees that
lronted the sea and kept the sand back from COW
rem waste OF sand, and the old plantation mouse Is
In ruins. Of course the owner OF this island Op-
posed the formation OF the Life Saving Service;
Out 10 show how complete q change time has
wrought IL Is only necessary TO observe that for
mer slave OF this family Is now keeper or the life
saving station upon the island. The inh ibltants
upon this narrow strip OF land have many pecu-
harities- Being isolated from the main land by
AI0emarle and PinlicO Sounds and from the
trading world by an tnhospiLauIe shore personal
pecuiarities soon develop into family traits, and
these Into neighborhood customs, and so oddities
or speech anu action become almost universal all
fuses to pull! they call 1t Qualifying" This word
prooaoly became popular In 1S32, when South
Carolina passed The qualification ordnance" and
as people Isolated from the rest OF tine world
never forget nything, j" "and never learn" they
have the word yet. Another curious custom Is the
uncommon Use OF the word common" Upon Ask
Ing one Keeper how he lelt he replied: Il feel
powerful common to-day" meaning that he felt
Ill Speaking OF a small, poor looking
horse one ulan said: "There Is a mighty common
looking boss" When one keeper was trying TO
white with a dull knife he remarked: "This mere
Is terrible common knife" Another trait Is the
extreme hospitality noticeable every where among
the Inhabitants. one Illustration will be enouxu
10 show wnaL Is universally seen keeper Capt
llilett stopped work On his house and spent s.v-
erai hours looking Tor his horse in the marsh,
and when found nitched hin up 10 his
cart and drove US or miles through
The sand, and would take no paw An
other keeper, capt. Midget, took his gun and
spent nearly whole day shooting birds Tor me 20
skln not Ior any love or science, but solely from a
desire 10 De oollging. We found a large number
or birds about the lnletS and secured MANY fine
specimens shells were quite rare until we
reached Cape Halteras, where many fine speci-
mems were obtained. The form OF life which m.
terested Us most was the beautiful Jelly fish thar
swarmed about the still waters or the nleLs In ali
graceful forms am dazzling colors; but unfortu-
nately, these animals cannot be preserved
several forms OF CRABS were abundant. Among
tAese the most Interesting was the Fiddler Crab
This conlcal little fellow will rear upon lt, toes
and prance on TO the right perhaps as fast as It's
ten legs Will carry IL. II 1t Is stopped II will run
just fast 70 the LETT, and then II stopped IL Will
run backward, but never forward We secured a
lot or these, as well as many other forms OF life
and enjoys ed the trip hugely. RE-