The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05
LIFE-sAvING SERVICE.
The Noble work That Is Done Along
american Coasts.
From St. Nicholas.

From ST. Nicholas.
While We are listening to the wild
storms Of winter bowling around our com
Portable homes, let us take a look at the
home and life OF the brave life-savers,
who are guarding the property along
our coasts. Few people realize what these
men have to endure, or how mary heroic
deeds could be gathered from the records
Of even one of these little stations.
In the year 1891 the disasters on our
ocean and lake coasts numbered 49l, with
| a passenger list of 3,49l; Of these 3,Al were
saved by the gallant keepers and their
brave men, and over $50 persons were car
| ed for at the different stations.
We can judge from this report how
efficient must be the corps of officers in
| this important department of the govern
ment: millions of dollars worth of prop
/ erty in the shape of valuable cargoes. are
yearly saved from the greedy ocean by
the crews of the life-sRving service.
There are now on the coasts 230 sta
| tons properly equipped, and the cost to
the government Is made good by the
value Of the lives and money saved; in
| deed; under the present system. there are
\ fewer lives lost yearly, on. the whole coast
i line than were formerly sacrificed on the
New Jersey coast alone in that time.
! The general superb ntendent of the life
| saving service resides at Washington;
/ there are District superintendent who
/ have charge of al stations in their district,
/
| months. Each district superintendent
| must inspect the public property, and drill
the various crews in all exercises, on the
| occasion of his visit of inspection
/ A journal of the daddy doings at each
station is forwarded weekly to the depart
ment at Washington: where wrecks oc-
/ cur, and lives or vessels are lost, rigid
! investigation Is made by the department,
with a view to detecting any possible neg
! lect or carelessness on the part of the
| life-savers.
on Tuesdays there is boat practice; this
| consists in hauling the boat carriage TO
the beach, unloading, launching her, and
| pulling out through the surf-backing.
! turning, or doing just what the keeper
| commands, he steering the boat. After
practice. the boat is put on the carriage,
/ hauled back to the boat house. cleaned
| and left in perfect order. Wednesday is
| signal drill day. There is an International
| code of signals, composed of flags repre-
senting the different letters Of the alpha
| bet Each surfman has set of minia-
| ture flags, and he signals TO the keeper,
| who answers them with his fiags-so any
man at the station can read a message
| from wrecked ship. All the principal
maritime nations hape adopted this code,
| and as vessels are provided with flags,
and books containing the key to different
! signals, printed in many languages, COM
| munication between vesses and stations
ca be easily carried on, whatever the ship
nationality.
beach apparatus. A pole planted in the
| sand represents the mast of the wrecked
| shin. The beach apparatus, beach cart,
| haWsers, guns, lines. blocks, and buoy are
| all run out in short time and all the
| manoeuvers gone through with, as If in
| actually rescuing a crew; from the time
the word faction" Is spoken by the keeper
| till the supposed rescued man is brought
I to the supposed beach. only six minutes
| have passedi 1t seems almost incredible.
| but their training has made all the men
| models of promptneSs and obedience. After
| this drill the crew returns the beach APP
paratus TO the station, leaving everything,
as usual. in order
| the patrolman burns a red signal light
! with which he is always supplied to
notify those on the wreck that they have
| been seen, and that assistance VIII be
He then hastens to the station adm the
| whole crew turns out. the boat IS run
| out on its carriage all apparatus is col
| lected and they proceed to the part of
| the beach nearest the wreck. If practical
BILE, the life boat is launched, each man
| wearing a life belt. They pull OF TO the
wreck. and under the keepers orders.
/ which are promptly obeyed, the passen-
! gers are taken off to the beach and the
| boat returns until all have been rescued.
! If the boat cannot be used on account
| OF the surf and the weather. they pro-
! coed to rig the breeches-buoy line be-
| tween the wreck and the shore.
/ Coming abreast to the wreck, prepare
tons are made to get a line to the yes
/ sci. Each man has his part or the work
to do; the keeper, assisted by man No. l.
projectile to which is fastened a strong
I braided line. six hundred yards long and
| so coiled in box that it may follow the
/ shot without getting entangled. II their
I arm is well taken the shot viii pass over
| the wreck and the shot-line will fall
across some part OF the vessel.
The crew on the wreck haul in this line.
to which the ife-savers have attached
I a pulley. with a heavier rope through it.
both ends of this rope are kept on shore
/ Fastened to this pulley or tail-block,
! is a tally-board with directions in French
I and English, instructing the wrecked men
| how and where to make It fast
| When it is fast on board the vessel. the
| lfeSavers fasten a hawSer 10 one side OF
1 the whipline and haul on the other, and
the hawSer is pulled out TO TIE wreck
! this haWser also bears a tally Gard, d.
/ recting that it be made fast two feet
/ above the whip-line
Now there is one endless small rope, and
Z a large one three and a half inches in cir
cumference, connecting the wreck with
| the shore.
TO this large rope is fastened the
| breeches-buoy (whOse form Is well known)
by snatch-block; this block can be OPP
! ened and closed securely after ii has
been slipped over the haWser.
Meantime, the surfmen have buried the
| sand-anchor deep in the sand, and tackles
are hooked to this anchor and the hawssr,
/ which has been made taut. Then a crotch
is set under IL upon the beach, which raises
1t over eight feet from the ground. The