Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-05

Dr. rarkcr'a sew BOat Tested.
LuE-SsvwG STATION No. .,
1TAH VIRGINIA BEACH,


April &c, 1888.
To The Idjfor offhc Dnp0fch:
arrived here Yesterday at 81 7. N.
end found quite q busle at the hotel
carpauter.. pi3stcIers. Ac., moving al
double quick ! find two neat private
cottages mtup between the MOTEL and this
station since Was here four months ago.
Tine cIcw at this and all the stations
Willie 0s0auded tuesday, May list,
o. i've by tAcir wits tiil tine lat OF Sep
tembor / lni thought that these brave
fellows got go or $50 month, bat ]
lua tits only I'D and they have to feed
themselves. Their Mcss bill ls about $40.
leaving them DO chance al getting uch
m ANYTHING is saved 10 Is bound 10 go
lefore September. a man IS matrimonial
prospect, arc blue $50 long ss he remains
,o tin, service. This IS the last year
with some of these men. They are
tired Cf the service and the pay.
Ivthe vav. { did not know TIL to-day
t.attu. grand aud humane system OF
lita-av.ue was only iuauUuraicd m tins
countrvabo1tc eleven years ago. Captain
IS /. kimbaU, the present general super
iuteudeut, organized tins American
f,tem. aud Is sui. IN Office. This service
is much more perfect than / expected,
though have no doubt IT viii be further
.muoytl. They have twcnty-oDe flags
.v which they signal vessels, asking AMI
answering o. grcat many questions, and
IN this service the men are drilled week
l~. There is a large flagstaff IN front OF
fine station from which these sienal-hags
nra exhibited. The signals at night made
ty sbIus IN distress consist ia firing guns,
Burning tay-haTels, &c. to attract the
attention OF tine men at the station The
answer from the station is rel "cau-
ton hight, end the boat Is at once
launched and the men 20 10 the assist
rrce oi the distressed ship WIN an us
patch 10 matters not how dark tue
NIGHT nor how dark tine waters. Men,
.n3 probably women and children, are
. Tie dread peril OF lie. aud though We
NOV them not whether native or Tor
c..n. We hasten to save them. ms is
tr1. heroism. and / feel proud oil my
country and of my generation that soch
love of life Is cherished.
WiIie / am writing the Captain IS
h9N.g q lengthy conversation WIN
e.web..iv away down the coast by the
telephone. which extends 10 the "u' oi
Me1ico.
ind that in thelonehuossot their SIT
nation the men are much pleased with the
diversion of talking 10 other men up amt
down tbe line. The telephone IS not
,,,v good beyond forty miles
(auta,u DriRkwater, IN charge OF TINS
.,.tiip. rs North Carolinin, and has
BIZ. family here. He has lived IN tins
raialborbood some years. An oilcer
nom Washington Is here to-day ana Inc
Car+ajn WAS closely occupied, so that ne
l.3 no time 10 pat my boat INTO the SURF
Inf will do so tomorrow. but iOr ma
t.rlal uigcalculations / would have been
b.fe i'm March, when old Neptune mas
Ills eouinoctial carnival, and "oui0 nave
fs4 a better chance 10 be roughly nan
died. but perchance the eXhiDltioh To-
morrow may be altogether sa'ls'@c'oIf
friday. April 27th, the day open
"a brigbt and beautiful, and the men at
tbe station were ordered 20 make gene
raj cleaning up preparatory to leaving
on Monday. The beds were summed
and stats dipped in boiling water. Every
room was secured and every piece Of
fsrniture even to the iron kettles,
chairs. aud spittoons-cleaned. II w9ulo
hayerejoiced "A No. housewife TO see no"
thoroughly this whole thing Was done
II WAS now 2 O'Clock Captain DrinA-
water had told me tho day before as
before stated, that he would today go
down with ne aud see my 6oSt
launched. II being now 3 O'Clock !
thought il time 10 remind him OF nis
promise. He very coolly replied he "dld
not think" he would go. had before
told lin the men were Wiling to help me-
Imagine my disgust at such treatment
! ana glad to SAY that tho Captains son,
who Is employed at the station, was
among the first TO offer 10 so with me-
We hsstenod at once 10 see If WITH our
small force -four mem we could launch
lie boat We soon found il impossible.
then went about mile down the beach
and got Captain Price, who is fishing
Lers With a pound not. and who has .