Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-20
NOT ON DUTY.
Unwise Policy That Controls the Life Saw
 ing Service.

ing Service
 = Ispeclal CorreSpondenceLl
 CHICAGO. July I6.-One would imagine that the recent heavy storms and attend ant loss of life on the lake and Atlantic coasts would bring vividly home to tho national legislators the disgraccful facts concerning thc term of employment and the pay reccived by the members of our life saving service.
 Although these men must bc of at least average intelligence, of bravery far cx- cecding the general standard and always and in every way reliable, their stipend is but $50 n month for eight months in the year, or SiOO altogether, and between the last day of April and the first day of Sep tembcr they arc not on duty, the theory being, l suppose, that if any one Is foolish enough to be shipwrccked during that portion of the year not set down as stormy in the Farmers Almanac he commits q breach of good taste. and his rascuc, if he be rescued, Is quite much an accident as his death in case he is nc: savCd- This state of things as to the life savers rr- minds mc fOrCibly of the so called Clcvc- | land system of strcct illumination. by I which the lamps were not lighted on nights that, accurIling tO the calendar, should bc bathcd in moonlight. When it so happened that the wCathcr clerk sent | clouds to hide Luna's face and rain to flood the guttcrs, the strccts wCre dark and dangerous. In one city that adopted the | plan the mayor unc night, when moonlight was scheduled. fell into an Upcn ara. while on his way home through the gloomy streets, and broke his leg. IL was then decided tO change the system and light the lamps every night and all night Two ar thpsc men to whom have told this story have scUfTcd and dcClArrd it pnsPustcrous- | Yet 1t l. true. md not a bit mon prCPos- | tsrOus than the existing facts rC-aryling the life swing scrviCc- IL should bC re- memberrd that We who ohicCt to the DIS cnt plan do not basc our chief fault finding upon the allCECd injustice to the men. though 1t l. gOud cause for complaining. but upon the risk of luss of life, to say nothing of loss of proPcrty, from summer I storms that is involved
 If the men themselves wcrc not mozc humane than cungrCsS. the summer luss of life from shUrc wrCcks would hc much larECr than 1t iS. But. singular as it may appear, the life savCrs arg. allowed to livs during the summer in he vicinity 0f ths stations that arc their huucs in lllc win ter. The captain Of each station Is JsC-rulit ted tO call his cTrw together by flying tEn, prupcr signal. and they have nCVCr hNcE known to rV,fusc tO rcsPond to the sum mons Sometimes. kOwCvCr, the men, CE tho majority of them, chancc to he Clsas whcre when q storm comes. for. like tis rcst of us, they have to work if they wuGll' cat, and then the rHsults arc liable to h disastrous Last August thCrc was wrcck on the south shUTNc of Long IslAn' which must inevitably have UrsultCSl iI tho loss of ssrvCral lives but for the coGr aEc and prsscncc uf mind displayed hy | few psrFsUrS, thTgc of whom arc women outsisic tho rv4Eyylar life saving crcw- On thHt uCcIsi0n Captain IEhUsiC-S uf sls | Long Beach life saving CrCw was thc Unl I mCmbcr of thC sssTyicc within call HC wa assisted by his l,- year old daughter Jru
 mic, Mrs James E R. ynCr and h.-r IS ycar-Old sun. Mrs F. M- M~sgnan an | two ar thUJc men The naIlsCs uf th
 brave women who hllCSl t'sC brS-sCh lCt
 unprOVidCd for hy COngrS~s. tO thr ~Avin of the II lives that wCTC i4npEil,yl by th ' schooner $ wNCk. may haVC r'ssssrling | !, the casual rV1dCr. but they slsutlld hc p
 corded somewhere in cUmmCmuratiun q
 their unusual and pEai>S,wUTIhy ss-TVicss-
 The 10000 milCs of sSaCOasr hClnngin D to the United ~tatrS aTV, gJaTVlCd by 9d [ stations, I6J uf whirh ar, uIppn tho Al [ lantic Culsf, On the gulf of MCxicn. \ a the PlCitic, ~ an Thr ENIt lakes and s n the Ohio at the falls uf Louisville, and ] I appurtCnanC,eS fur the saving uf life. all
 the character ,sf the man CmInl"ytVl ,rs
 sCrviCs' l. inferior tu thnG Of nO Ut!rr ns ;, tiOn. IL would certainly nVTSar to lr- wi, l and humlnC fur the l''V, rumCut In E-o little further in the matter uf CxIS'u'.:s 'I:
 and provide for ssaN tnls life the year Tss.sU
 instead of only when the alInauac ss5
 look out for storms
 JIG SrAEIN,=