The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-09-22
BRAVE LIFE SAVERS
An unprecedented Years Work by the
Life Saving Service.
FIVE THOUSAND PERSONS RESCUED.
The nravG Mon who Risk Their Tivca
for Others Have Cause TO nc Proud
of Their Record During tho Fiscal
Henr Just Ended unprecedented
Number Of Disasters,

There Is no department of the public
service wherein the great protecting
arm of the government is seen to be
so plainly stretched out in the interest
OF imperiled humanity as in the life
saving service. AS Il necessary adjunct
To the lighthouse service. both are plac-
ed In the came department. under the Iii
rect control of the Secretary of tho
Treasury.
Dotting thc dangerous Atlantic Coast
from Maine to Texas. on the Pacific
from Seattle TO San Diego. and even on
the great inland lakes are the pretty
little life saving stations. the abode of
the brave fellows who risk danger even
death. In the service of their ENDANGERED
Fellow men. III these houses is also the
apparatus invented by the bemencent
geniuscs for the purpose OF rendering
somewhat safer Rhe work of rescue
There is the great surf boat. which is
launched through the breakers TO reach
disa bled ship; the small two-wheeled
cannon used to fire shot line
from Inc shore 10 ship, and the life
car, which may be hauled between the
ship and the shore. when It is impos sible
to launch the surf boat
Inc men on the stations are on duty
only during that portion OF the season
when the coast Is swept by sudden and
vioieii storms that sweep up from the
West Indies, wrcaliing disaster upon
shipping, and were IL not for the fore
siSht of the government and the iideli-
~ OF the brave coast guards. many
more lives would be lost every year than
Is now the case
The service has just issued a rnnn,.t
OF It's operations during the past fiscal
year, and 1t Is highly Interesting VOL
umc.
There are pal stations in all, included
IN twelve districts.
me number of disasters to vessels
hn
inc stations was 4S3. Aboard these YES
sells We're b,402 persons, but twenty of
whom persisted. This Is Ii wonderful
ana mighty hattering commentary upon
the value OF the service The total
value OF the property involved in nhese
DISASTERS was sl0,647, s35 OF this amount
Ss'lta,oS5 was saved tu the owners. the
property loss being only about ten per
cent. The number of vessels totally
lost was az.
purinE the year SOB shipwrecked per
so,s We're cared for at the stations near
where the wrecks occurred. and they
We're sometimes detained at the stations
Tor days al a time
IN addition to those saved from the
impeflled vessels, ia persons were res
cucd by surfmen. without whose assist.
ihce thcy would undoubtedly have been
uioM NED iwehty-four of these per
sons had fallen from piers wharves etc
iourteen We're exhausted swimmers
lhree We're intoxicated, nine were adrift
on Ice Hoes in Lake Michigan. eleven
were caught by rising tides. and ono
was an aeronaut who fell from his hal
loon into Lake Ontario.
In $50 instances stranded veSsoIs ,.,r,
worked off ana safely pi!otcd away ana
NV ships in danger Of going ashore We
warmed of 10y the lights of the beach
patrol. During the year $40 live. were
saved in the surf boat: l3l were taken
OH IN me life-ca. and 100 were i'm such
-, .li, he'.s "a hs.e that il was Necessary
10 lax" them off in the breeches huo[,
Ihese statistics are emphatic in SIM
port OF the wisdom OF maintaining a
service thai is n boon to humanity re-.
SardleSs of nationality. or what no.