Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-06-24
A STRANDED SHIP.
How Passengers and Crew Are Landed by
the Life Saving Service.

the Life Saving Service.
Suppose that large boat-a transat-
lantic steamer, for example-has been
stranded and the waves are running
mountain high. Obviously, from its
bulk, it cannot be near shore. But it is
near enough to be reached by bullet
from the Lyle gun. The Lyle gun is a
diminutive cannon. 1t was invented by
Captain ID. a. Lyle, United States
army, and has superseded the old life
mortar, which is still in use in Eng
land. 1t is lighter than mortar and
has longer range 1t will fire long
cylinder distance of about 695 yards
| A thin line of waterproof rope is at
taohed to this cylinder. When the gun
is fired, the cylindrical bullet flies over
the ship and dropping on the other
side, leaves the thin rope stretched
across the deck When the shipwrecked
sailors have secured this shot line, the
shore end is connected with whip OF
hauling line. This is an endless rope,
or ellipse, nearly an inch thick and
long enough to reach from the shore to
the vessel. 1t is reeved through pulley
block, having attached to it tail" or
piece of rope several feet long.
The shot line is tied around both
parts of the whip. few feet above the
pulley block, and Mt signal the crew
of the vessel haul the whip ON board by
means of the shot line. On it they find
attached placard giving directions,
both in English and French, as to how
to set up the whip line ON the ship. The
want of this knowledge has been fire.
quent cause of disaster. AS soon rs the
directions have been followed signal
is given to the shore. Here hawser Of
the requisite length, 4 inches in circum-
ference, is tied to one part of the whip
or endless hauling line and is sent out
to the vessel by the life saving crew
pulling upon the other part. The ship
wrecked crew fasten the hawser to the
mast about 1S inches above the hauling
line. Meanwhile ON shore crotch,
made of two pieces Of wood about 10
feet high, crossed at the top in X form,
is erected, the shore end Of the hawser
being drawn over the intersection,
stretched taut by pulleys and securely
anchored.
And now the hawser, forming sus-
pension bridge of thick rope from the
ship to the shore, is ready for either the
life car or the breeches buoy.
The life car is the older institution.
1t will hold seven or eight people. But
the breeches buoy, which will hold only
one, is found safer and even, through
its easier handling, more expeditions
This is circular life preserver with
pair Of roomy canvas knee pantaloons
attached to it. One Of the shipwrecked
puts his legs through the two apertures
and finds himself comfortably seated.
Thus he is drawn ashore, and thus one
by one all the passengers are saved.
This is the only way Of saving life in
hurricane at sea, which would not al
low of the use Of surfboats. The self
righting and self bailing lifeboats, which
can be used in almost any weather on the
lakes, are, from their weight and heavy
draft, impracticable along the line of the
ocean. The lighter surfboat can be drag
ged along the sandy shore by its crew
and readily launched at the proper spot,
but it is more easily swamped in very
heavy sea, and its use therefore is limit
ed to the less severe storms.
When surfboat is launched, the
helmsman, armed with long steering
oar, stands erect in the stern. The
crew, whose backs are to the wreck,
fasten their eyes upon him and ply their
oars in accordance with his directions.
1t is dangerous and difficult task for
this frail cockleshell to mount the sue
cessive crests Of the big breakers that
roll shoreward. No sight can be more
impressive. Even when the wreck is
reached the danger is not yet over. A
collision with the plunging hull or the
floating and falling wreckage would
mean the loss of the heroic little crew.
But by careful management the wide
open jaws Of death are avoided, boat
load of passengers is taken off the sink
ing ship and restored to dry land, and
until the last survivor has been saved
the surfboat continues its journey to and
from the shore New York Herald.