The evening times., 1896-02-04
1 NEW LIFE SAVING PLAN
Stations and Houses Of Refuge
TO Be Numbered.
GUIDES TO THE LOCALITIES
Large White Roman Numerals to He
Painted So a~ To He Visible From the
Sea-Easy Method for Seamen and
Navigators to FBetermine Their
whereabouts.

Naval officers attached to the lighthouse
! board, the photographic service, and the
warships III commission. as well as life-sav-
| ing service officials. are much interested in
| Il plan suggested by Col. John Schuyler
Crosby Of Scw York, for conspicunusiy
| marking the dangerous points gu the ocean,
gull and lake coast line.
Col Crosbys plan involves a govern
ment expenditure OF only a few thousand
dollars, which, it is expected, Will be at
tached TO an appropriation bill at this ses-
sion of Congress.
The scheme is to paint in n most promi-
ncnt place on the life.saviDg stations and
houses OF refuge, large, white Roman nu-
nierals so as 10 be visible from The sea as
soon as the stations can be distinctly seen,
thereby enabling the sea-farinG community
To definitely locate their vessels in tempest
uous weather, Particularly in winter, or
after a period Of foggy weather when OBJ
servations of the sun are not easily OBJ
tained.
COL. CROSBY'S PLAN.
Elabora;ing his plan, Col Crosby says:
Prom Montauk Pcnt TO the Florida
Reefs the land is generally low lying. with
few features to distinguish il. and IT is
most valuable in experimenting the light
house system.
1t is mainly in those districts where
the summer cottages have been built in
large numbers. aud among which 1t is
not easy for strangers 10 pick cut life
saving stations. unless numbers should in
diCatc their locality.
As few of the Struggling hamlets and
"A re-. tt..r ri n 50
be made of them by vessels approaching the
coast, unless the lif.-,avinc STATION is in
dicatcd in som" manner as suggest. wher-
ever they might happen 10 have been en-
crOached upon. as already made mani
fest at some points.
Cruising along our coast in yachting at
all seasons or the year II has been felt
that with sUme such guide as pointed ont
uncertainty would have been diSpelled and
considerable anxiety would have been re-
moved, If Tie yachts exact location could
have been made certain. | have felt that
substantial benefit would he cOnferrecd
upon commerce If this means of quickly
recognizing locality had been afforded.
"conrm'ncing ON the coast Of Maine and
continuing westward. including the coast
Of Md>>d ChuSeits, there are thirIy-siN life
saving stations. which. II numbers were
employed, the ca>termOst station could be
marked /, the next Y. the next Y, the
next West Ky, the next Xxx. and SO on
until the last stallion IN Mass chusetts WAS
reached.
SCHEME OF ENUMERATION
beginning anew on the sea coast OF
Rhode Island and the south side OF Long
Island and the New Jersey Coast. a sim
liar system could be begun and terminated
with the last station on That coast.
This scheme of enumeration would be
sufficiently elastic TO permit the estab-
iishment of stations at interme diatc points,
retaining thuSc already numbered. 80 as to
avoid any duplication Of numbers, while
'hc great distance inoiud,'I III the enumera-
lion w"llh make itlislpos>ible to mistake
their identity.
This cuumerariot should he continued
On the coast of Della ware. Maryland. and
Virginia aS lar ~ cape Fear. which would
give another wide raiire and grea distance.
So that it would be- inpdssible for mistakes
10 occur. Z
This would dividcIthe nine Atlantic dis
;ricts int" four. or at most five. and would
avoid giving any m4rc numbers Than could
lee aSily diStIngIiShcGat all lldisidnCes where
he lire-saving statIrrs could be made out