The morning times., 1896-12-17
CHEAT THE SEA OF ITS PREY
Major Piper's Lecture on the
Life-Saying Service.
BRAVE MEN AND DBRAVED DEEDS
Former Assistant superintendent of
the Service Describes Its Periis
and Excitements to Large Audi
ence- Enormous Wealth 1t An
nually Saves.

+ Mr.. Horace l., p Piper of tie Treasury De-
| partment delivered lecture at All Souls
| Church, corner of Fourteenth and l. streets,
last night ON Twenty Years in the Life
/ Saving Service"
t Mr.. Piper is a graphic portrayer or In
eidents, and the almost tragic scenes
| through which he passed in his long term of
4 service, together with few of the bravest
| deeds OF the life-savers, made tale that
I Kept his audience spellDOund.
| The general system OF the service was tue
| leading theme of his lecture and gave
y field for the most minute description or
| an interesting work comparatively un-
4 known. Statistics were added In sufficient
f! number to explain but not to drag.
T The lfe-saying system, said Mr.. Piper,
| Is divided Into Twelve dlstrlcts. The At
iantic line the gulf, the great lakes and
4. the Pacific coast are covered In the divi-
sions. The chief officials OF the divisions
are inspectors, with sa.iaries ranging IRON
| 81, zoo to 81, 800 year.
r BAD SPOTS OF THE COAST.
In these divisions there are $50 stations,
| Out of the number there are ten rescue
tiouses, all situated on the coast OF
] Florida. These houses are not manned by
Icrews, as the other stations, but are mere
! Ilaces of shelter for the protection Of ship
| wrecked people who may find their way
| is not a perilous one to mariners, and
Fthere is not the need there for life savers
/ that exists in other sections or the sea-
board.
1.-The most dangerous points on the
Atlantic line are from Cape Cod TO Cape
-Hatteras,'' said Mr.. Piper. There happen
the terrible and overwhelming disasters.
They are the tragedies of an instant. In
| some cases death is inevitable and millions
/ of iifesayers could not rescue all.
These Ife-savers are soldiers of hu-
1 manity, who never lifted hand against
| soul, and there are hundreds OF these
brave fellows who should have their names
], inscribed ON the roll of fame. No warrior
on a crimson field ever bore himself more
: nobiy than have these brave men,"
| LIFE OF THE SURFMAN.
The speaker continued with description
>and outline of the routine life of the surf
| man, as the life-sayer is called, from the
time of his enlistment in the service. In
| the selection of men only those that are
| skillful couraseo Gus, sober, strong and brave
are chosen. With the beginning OF the
season they commence their patrol duty
land in the thickest OF storms make their
way along their lonely beats with ever
fwatchful eyes for. the ships in distress.
The signaling to the shipwrecked was
described and the Communication by tele-
l-phone with the LONE station and through
L tIdO Will tHc tcittIb tHc
I-owners of the unfortunate vessel reside,
| was also explained.
= Fhere are three methods, explained MI.
| Piper, through which the shipwrecked are
T sa we'd. The first is by boat when the craft
| of the surfmen can make its way TO the
| sinking vessel and carry away crew and
j-passengers in considerable numbers at a
| time. A second way is through the breeches
fbuoy that carries the sufferer fIom ship TO
land after the manner OF a trolley. The last
us the metallic car, somewhat after the
lstyle of the buoy, and capable of holding
| more than one passenger. No boat has yet
| been invented, however, said Mr.. Piper,
| that cannot be capsized.
LIMIT OF RESCUE.
"The question Is sometimes asked,n lie
| continued, Ito what limit or distance
from shore the crew would go To save
| vessel or Is occupants The usual dis
| tance In which a vessel meets with disaster
| Is not in excess of ten or twelve miles,
! but the distance is never too great for the
| crew TO make an effort If 1T is practicable.
THE most wonderful example OF
ife-saving crews readiness to give all
sucepr possible happened on Lake Superior
| in 1856. Two vessels had met with dis
| aster off the wharveS of Marquette uLd
! several miles from shore. Everything pos
| sfble was done TO reach them by the sea-
men at the Marquette port, but their ef-
| forts were fruitlesS. The nearest life-sav-
ing crew was 110 miles away. request
| for their assistance was sent by tele-
/ graph and the answer promptly came that
they would come. A special train bore
the crew to Marquette, and after valiant
4 and brave work they succeeded in land
Ting safely every member of the crews of
the two unfortunate vessels, twenty-four
men in ALL
| Since the establishment OF the present
system 1t has cost the government an
aggregate sum Of SIT 100000 to main
| tain it. In the same time property 20 the
value OF S102, 100000 has been rescued,
| while an average of ninety-nine lives cut
OF every hundred in peril have been saved.