The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-11-21
THE LIFE'SAVERS AT WORK
HOW WRECKED MARINERS ARE
BROUGHT TO SHORE.
Practising With the Breeches Buoy
ana Launching the Lifeboat-
Daily Routine of n Crew.


corps along the coast will begin, and the
hard at work practising with lifeline,
brooches buoy and surf-boat for the win
ter gales and bowling seas. A New York
World reporter tramped across the sands
of Long Beach, l., l., the other day and
made a call on Captain Van Wicklin,
who is in command of Station 33, with a
watchful eye to the wind for the slight
est signs of an approaching storm.
Like his brother surfmen along the
coast, Captain Van Wicklin was ready
to repeat the story of how wrecked
mariners are brought safely to shore and
pointed out the value of this and that
ingenious continuance with the enthu-
siasm of boy at circus. To give a
practical demonstration of the efficiency
of his little command the Captain called
his men into the drill-room and informed
them that he would show how lives are
saved by means of the breeches buoy.
Of course, as there was no wrecked ship
to fasten the line to, the demonstration
was made on land. The station flag
pole, which stands about one hundred
yards from the station ON a sand hill,
was to be the ship in distress for the oc-
casion. -ss-,.-s1.
One of the crew was sent to the flag
pole, and from that point shot off small
cannon as signal of distress. A quick
| order from Captain Van Wicklin, and
the next moment the crew were hauling
the carriage containing the appurten-
auces to the brooches buoy over the sand
at a great rate. At the top of the knoll
they stopped, and in accordance with
orders piled the ropes and Lyle gun on
the sand in position ready for use, A
charge of giant powder was hastily
rammed into the gun, and on top of this
was placed heavy bar of steel, at one
end of which was fastened long piece
of neatly coiled rope.
While the Captain was preparing the
charge and aiming the gun for the flag
pole, as the imaginary ship, the other
members of the crew were burying in the
sand two heavy cross beams to which the
pulieys and heavy ropes were attached.
"Stand ready" cried the Captain The
crew Immediately took their positions at
the ropes, and second later off went
the bar of steel through the air like
rocket, taking with 1t the rapidly uncoil-
/ ing line. The Captain S aim was a good
one, for second later the ''shipwrecked
sailor" was hauling in the big rope, which
had now been attached to the first line.
When he took hold of the big rope, he
found black board tied to it with the
following instructions painted in white
letters:
SNAKE this hawser fast about two feet
above the tart block. See that all is
clear, and that the block runs free and
show signal to the shore"
The sailor fastened the rope as he was
told, and showed the signal The crew
then hoisted huge prop like a tent pole
under the rope about ten feet from where
it was fastened in the sand In the
meantime the light line had been run out
again by a series of pulleys, and when it
had completed the circuit the breeches
buoy was attached and quickly sent to-
ward the sailor over the imaginary wave.
The sailor, who had fastened the rope
about eight feet up the pole, climbed into
buoy, and with rush and hurrah the
crew brought him safe to shore.
every man in the crew." said Captain
Van Wicklin, ''has regular position and
a special duty to perform, and that alone
he is required to do, unless an emergency
requires his services elsewhere.
The life-car is another adjunct, and
valuable one, to the saving OF life. 1t is
an inclosed boat, built Of thin sheet iron,
about ten feet long, and pointed at both
ends. At the top of the car is small
trap door, which is just large enough to
admit the passage of a medium sized
man. AT each end are two iron rings
through which the ropes are run and the
rigging from the shore to the ship is the
same as that used with the breechcs
buoy. The car is only used when the
surf is too high for both the brooches
buoy and the life-boat, and when the
ship is liable to so to pieces at any mo-
ment. The Car will accommodate six or
eight persons, while the buoy only carries
one at a time. 1t has been used with
great success in high sea, as the men at
the oars arc protected from the waves.
The single passenger in the buoy often
goes under heavy wave, and in one case
ON the coast near Maine man being res
cucd in this way was drowned before he
could be hauled ashore.
After the ropes and the buoy were run
back to the station the order was given
for practice with the lfe-boat. The
men stood at the ropes and at the proper
order out of the station they rushed
with the boats on its carriage. A stiff
pull of nearly 200 yards brought them
to the waters edge, where the wheels
were unlocked and taken apart, letting
! the boat fall gently on the sand with her
nose pointing toward the sea.
Each man then buckled around his
waist huge cork life prcserver, and lay
ing his oar along the gunwale, took his
stand near his seat. At another order
the boat was pushed through the sand
until her nose just touched the retreating
wave.
"Do you want to get wct?" asked Cap
tain Van Wicklen, of the reporter, WHO
agreed to take ducklng for the sake of
a trip through the surf.
Each of the crew had on suit of
heavy oil clothes and wore a big
''so'wester," which reached two feet
down his back. There they stood, al
most motioness at their positions. the
Captain at the stern, waiting for a favor
able moment.
"Stand by cried Captain Van Wick
len, and in second the boat was being
showed through the shallow water.
When the crew were knee-deep in the
bubbling surf, they were ordered aboard,
and aboard they went in hurry. Each
man sprang to his seat and it was but the
work of an instant to grasp the oar and
run it through the rowlock. The Cap
tain in the meantime had jumped to his
seat at the stern next to the reporter,
and had run out big oar which he used
as a rudder. The boat was carried swiftly
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