Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-02-23
one NAY or LAuNcH ING THE LIFE-BoAr.

ING THE IlfE-BOAls
months in the year. but without result.
Economy has always been the cry
but when a popular senator dies $4,ooo or
5000 are freely voted for a fine congress
sional funeral
In summertime the life-saver supports
himself and family by fishing, by sailing
pleasure-craft, or by working at bath
ing resort as a life-saver When In the
employ Of the government he Is abso-
lutely cut of from his family. He must
be on duty twenty-four hours day, and
seven days in the week. Six or seven
men compose the average station. One OF
the number is the captain. He is held
responsible for the work of the men.
The hardest work they have to do
IL to patrol the beach at nighttime.
Any one who has walked on nat,
sandy beach in winter time, with the
wind blowing gale. and hurting salt
spray with the force OF gunshot hundreds
OF feet knows what the work OF the
coast-guard is. He has no shelter, as
the beach Is as fiat as a billiard-table,
and when a heavy snow-storm Is on the
work is infinitely worse.
A LONG PATROL
Each man must cover a patrol OF six
miles during the night. He walks three
miles in either direction. from the sta
ton and then back. Unlike the police
man, he never lolters. He has to keep
moving all the time. or II would be the
last OF him. 1t Is not necessary to have
any one out to see that he attends to his
patrol, because there is no place where
he can seek shelter. The stations are
placed only in exposed places, where peo-
pie don't live in winter time.
When II is possible the stations are con.
nected with each other by telephone. The
little houses are well built, and have many
small comforts. Nearly all OF them have
small libraries. The principal room is the
mess-room. 1t serves as parlor, dining
room. sitting-room, and library. The
kitchen adjoins it on one side, and the
captains bedroom on the other. The up
per floor. is one large room. fitted with
sleeping booths for the men.
Some OF the most important stations
have a horse. This is a recent acqulsi
ton, but a necessary one. At times 'gher
q vessel had gone ashore a couple OF
miles from the station 1t was found i'm
possible to move the lifeboat on the SAND
cart up TO the point OF danger. The horse
now does the work I'm a few minutes
where 1t formerly took hours.
DIFFICULTY OF LAUNCHING.
No means have yet been discovered BY
which the lifeboat can be launched wher
the surf Ii running very high. Expert
ments have been made with a tower-lkS
structure erected as close to the water a.
possible. and with a set OF tracks running
from the top into the water. The lifeboai
rests on a platform fitted with wheels
The platform toboggans down the tracks
with a momentum sufficient to send Il
into deep water. This combination ha:
worked satisfactorily in some places II
Europe. but on the Atlantic or Pacih,
coasts IL IS at a disadvantage, because Q
vessel does not select its precise locality
when she Is blown ashore. AS the struc
ture must be firmly erected. IL Is not pos
sible to move 1t from one place to an
other.
The breeches buoy has largely done
away with the need of the lifeboat, how.
ever, except ir cases where a vessel goes
ashore too far out to be reached by tn,
lifeline. Much Of the efficient work o.
the department Is due to the adoption Of
the international code OF signals. BY
these the men on shore tell the people or
the stranded vessel exactly what to do ant
how 10 do 1t. This code embraces Qnl,
eighteen different flags. but 1900 distinc
messages can be sent by them.