The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-17
M00REDb[yQNDB RElsEERass
Government Builds a New
Life Saving Station.
Is READY FOB LAUNCHING
1t Is Like IA Household and the Danger
OF Surf Launching VIII He Avoided.
Distressed Ships Can Now He Easily
Reached-fo he Used Immediately.
Experiment Watched.

The government life saving service is
about to try new idea, from which great
results are expected. 1t is undertaking to
apply the houseboat principle in the saving
OF life at sea.
Perhaps it is not very clear just how q
houseboat is going to be or much service
in an angry ocean storm. But the govern
ment officials have figured out use for
it that is new. This life saving station will
lie off shore, just outside OF the line of
breakers. In this new station the life
saving crew will live, and frCm there they
will board their boats.
The mostdifficult part Of life saving work
is getting Loaf launched in wildly beat
ing-surt- and working II out beyond the
breakers. In fact, a very large proportion
of the upsets, the delays and the difficulties
in reaching a stranded or distressed vessel
are due to it.
LIKE A FLAT-IRON.
The proposal is to build a boat a hundred
feet long, thirty-tiree feet wide and six
feet deep, and strong enough to defy for
years the fiercest storms. The new boat
is to be fashioned very much like an old
style flat-irOD, cut off square at the stern.
1t will he anchored firmly, and, of course,
will always present head TO the wind.
There is to be a curious cut In the stern
of the boat thatis to be called the ''harbor -
This is an opening thirty feet In length and
seventeen feet in width Ii is surrounded
by walk six feet wide, upon which the
boats may be hauled The upper deck ex-
tends the whole length of the boat, cover
ing over the top Of the "harbor' as well
Thus, with her head always to the VIVID,
the ..harbor" will offer easy ingress and
egress to small boats. The hardest, mast
disagreeable anddangerous partof the work
which lifesaving crews have hitherto had
to put up WITH, the launching OF boats
through the surf, will thus be entirely
done away with.
In the ..harbor'' will also be moored .wo
naphtha launches for the use OF the life
savers, and surf boat will hang on daTits
near the end.
Asa whole, despteits odd SHAPE, the craft
looks good deal like the traditional house
boat 1t is to be built in the m ost durable
manner, heavily bulkheaded. and the main
deck, which is to be ten feet above the level
of the sea, will contain abundant room for
the crew of eight men and the captain who
will man the vessel. There is to be ablni-
ant room for comfortable living, AMI the
boat is to be fitted up with Kitchen dining
room and sleeping Compartments
ONE is COMPLETED.
On the deck is to be a large pilot house,
seven feet in height, which will be used as a
lockout. The station is to be fitted with
anchors, but no masts, machinery or steer
ing gear II it ever broke loose it would
go where it liked, but for the most part
its movements will be directed by tow
line.
The new craft has just been completedat
a shipyard near Noank, Conn, and was de-
signed by Assistant Superintendent OF Con-
struction Henry E. Davis. The total cost of
the boat is about $1,000, and it will be
lowed to Boston at once, where it will be
stationed off City Point As the Boston
Bay floating life saving station.
The government officials will watch the
career of the life saving houseboat with
great deal of interest, and if it proves the
success they hope similar stations will be
established along the entire Coast of the
United States. 1t Is probable that in time
the boats will be provided with connections
with the shore, and either the whole crew
of the station will be transferred to the
houseboat or else the latter will be used
as an adjunct to the shore station.