The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-05
LIFE SAVING SERVICE.
The Men Who Save Storm Tossed Mari
IeTS and Ships.

History Of the servioe-The Kind of
Men Required in 1.-THE Number of
Stations and Their Equipment-What
the Service Has Accomplished.
| Washington, Oct. 4-Now that the
1 e1uinoctial season with its attendant
storms and consequent interruption TO
navigation is here, the condition and eff
! cheney o. the United states life saving
| service becomes matter Of concern to
| those engaged in maritime pursuits.
! General Superintendent Sumner ]. Kim
bal, who established the service in 1871,
and is still at its head, said in an inter-
| view to-day that the service has never
| been in better condition for thorough and
| efficient work The stations have all been
! examined and throHghly equipped during
1 the summer to such an extent that he felt
! safe in the assurance that there is not now
| defective piece of apparatus in use. The
! personnel of the crews is pronounced ex-
I cellent They have been subjected TO
I thorough drill and practice. The recent
| inspections BY officers Of the revenue cut
| ter service, the reports Of which have Just
been submitJed, speak in the most salts
factory terms Of the work accomplished
anu predict sn excellent record for this
fall and winter
Except BY those directly connected with
it, cry, DO owe their lives TO its timely
operation, there is probably no other de-
| partment of thegoyernment so little known
orappreciated. Generally there exists
sort Of a confused idea as to what it really
means or consists of. In the minds of the
| public, especially those inland, it occupies
the place the tin SOLDIER occupied some
years ago before the effectiveness of the
militia had been demonstrated. Nothing
could be more unjust, and a cursory review
of the 1acts as they exist cannot but be of
| interest.
Strange as it may seem the life saving
service IS taSU becoming one OF the most in
terestiug and Important departments Of the
| federal government. Its achievements in
| the future are as far beyond conjecture as
| It's possibilities are llimitable. 1t is by no
means visionary dream, nor is il even
improbable that in the course of time the
| coral reefs aud other desolate spots in mid
ocean may be brought within the puryiew
| OF It's supervision. As a matter of faCt pre-
| liminary steps have already been taken
| looking 10 an international compact to this
eject
Although only little more than twenty
| years since its inception, it has neverthe-
| less compassed every bit of territory over
! which the starry banner waves supremacy,
! in all about 10000 miles. From the rugged
! banks Of the St. Lawrence 10 the curYing
| shores OF the Gulf along the Atlantic AMI
! Pacific coasts, the shores of the great
| lakes, 2,bOO miles in extent, and even in
| distant Alaska, stations have been estab-
/ liShed to save property and rescue in
| periIlod lives. These stations constitute
mere outposts of what the system will be
| ultimately, but they are all il has been
/ hle n geromTfIICh within 10 Unit
| appropriations that have been made from
time 10 time.
The service being closely related to com
merce and the collection of the revenues, il
| is attached TO the treasury department. 1t
! was trst established upon the New Jersey
and Long Island coasts 2y co6e Of regula-
| tons under the authority of somewhat
scattering and tragmentary legislation
| Pursuant to acts passed since it has been
gradually extended and divided into twelve
Districts limited generally by prominen
| natural boundaries. The total number o
stations is 241, Of which 1874 are on the At
| lantic, - on the Pacific, and so on the
| great lakes. Those remaining are scat
tered along the gulf, the Alaskan coast,
and some of the big rivers.
The stations are located at the most
dangerous points and vary according TO
their environment and the nature of the
service required. In some places they
occur only at long distances while in others
they form chains of contiguous posts within
communicating distance of each other. For
instance, Cape Cod, a narrow strip of land
stretches directly into the ocean some
forty miles, then abruptly turns to the
northWard for an equal distance
menacing the commerce of the principal
port of New England. Its eastern borders
of shelving sandbarsl fringe an unbrokep
line of sandy beaches, the burial ground of
numberless craft. Here ten stations are
located nearly equidlstant and designed TO
cooperate with each other From Cape
Fear as far south as the peninsula of Flor
ida there are no stations except one on
Morris Island al the entrance to Charles.
ton harbor, the westerly trend of the coast
making it distant from the track of YES.
sells and the mild climate making shin.
wrecks less frequent than at other places
The stations upon the ocean beaches are
usually situated among the low sand hills,
where they reprotected from storm tides
and are plain structures designed for the
accommodation of the crew and the stor-
age Of the apparatus. The architecture is
similar ia each, the first floor consisting
Of boat room, mess room, keep
ers room and store room. Wide, double
leaf doors with slOping platform
from the sills to the ground permit the run.
ming out of the heavier appliances. The
second floor consists Of a storage room a
large sleeping room for the men and a
spare room with cots for rescued persons
Each station is surmounted by lookout or
observatory in which a watch is kept dur.
ing the day. There is also Flagstaff sixty
feet high, used ia signalling vessels by the
International code.
The equipment consists OF two surf boats,
Q boat carriage, two sets Of breeches-bouy
apparatus, a cart for the transportation of
the same, life car, twenty cork Jackets
n dozen signals, a dozen signal rockets. a
set OF signal flags, a medicine chest. bar
ometer, thermometer, patrol lanterns, pa
troll checks and clocks, furniture for rude
housekeeping and appliances for the succoI
| OF rescued people.
All The stations on the Long Island coast
twenty-nine on the coast of New Jersey
nine on tho coast between Cape Heuloper