Omaha daily bee., 1897-09-27
SAVING MEN FROM THE SEA
Government Will Show at the Exposition
How it is Zone.
WILL MAKE AN eXTeNSIV; EXHIBIT
Life saving Service to lie Fully IL
Illustrated I'm the Lagoon In
Front of United states
Buildinp.


Transmisslssippi and International Exposl-
tion will be a practical Illustration of the
life saving service. 1t is the intention OF
the Treasury Department, having in charge
the erection OF the Government building, to
build at the head of the lagoon. or the
Mirror" as 1t is to be called, a small
building for the crew OF the life saving
service, to be detailed from one of the places
along the Atlantic coast where these men
are constantly employed. The building will
necessarily be small, large enough, however,
to contain a lifeboat with six pairs of oars
and the apparatus now in vogue for purposes
of saving life, and relieving vessels in dis
tress.
This exhibit will be an object lesson of
infinite importance to those who are only
acquainted with the acres OF bending corn
and the undulating fields of wheat; where
no vessel of any character is known except
the prairie schooner According to the act
ing supervising architect Mr.. C. e. Kemper,
the lagoon planned by the exposition man
agement will admit of a splendid display
OF the work required from the Life Guard,
and it is to be hoped that the depth of water
at the point where the life saving station
is to be located will be sufficient to permit
the Life Guards to swim instead of forcing
them to wade out to the shore. thereby
discrediting the exhibition. According to the
statistics of the Treasury Department. there
have been fewer disasters and more lives
saved on the coast in the last year than
ever before in the history of the country.
Without question the life saving service of
the United States is superior to that OF any
nation in the world,
NUMEROUS STATIONS.
From the eastern extremity of the coast
of Maine to Race Point on Cape Cod, dis
tanCe of 415 miles, there are already sixteen
stations. ten of thsse being located at the
most dangerous points on the coast OF Maine
and New Hampshire, which. although abound
ing with rugged headlands. islets, rocks,
reefs and intricate channels that would
naturally appear to be replete with dangers,
are provided with numerous harbors ana
places of shelter in which, upon short notice,
vessels can take refuge. The Atlantic coast,
however, is studded with life saving stations.
There is hardly stretch OF territory of elX
to ten miles that does not contain station
equipped with all the appliances of these
modern times for the saving OF LIE; ana al
some places where the reefs are dangerous
and the sandbars treacherous, the stations
are but four miles apart, situated along the
low sand hills fronting the ocean, sufficiently
back OF high water mark to be safe from the
each of storm tides. They are plain struc-
lures designed to serve as barracks for the
crews and to afford convenient storage for
lie DOatS ana the apparatus.
In the majority of stations the first hoor
is divided into four rooms, a boatroom, a
mess room (also serving for sitting room
for the mem a keepers room and store
room. Wide double-reefed doors and slop-
ing platform extending from the sills to
the ground permit the running out of the
heavy equipments from the building. The
second story contains two rooms; one is the
sleeping room for the men, the other has
spare cots for rescued people and is also used
for storage. There surmounts every station
a lookout or observatory in which a day
watch is kept. This observatory is provided
with a telescope which is used to sweep the
horizon for purposes of noticing passing
ehips. and to catch signals of distress when
made. In front of each station is flagstaff
sixty feet high used in signalling passing
vessels by the International code.
EQUIPMENT.
TIE equipment of the ordinary life saving
station is most interesting, usually consist
Ing OF surf-boas supplied with oars, life
boat compass and other attachments, a boat
carriage, two sets of breechcS- buoy appar-
atus Including Lyle gun and accessories), a
car for the transportation of the apparatus
q life car, twenty cork jackets, two heaving
sticks. a dozen Coston signals dozen sig
nal rockets, a set of signal flags of the inter
national code a medicine chest with contents
a barometer, thermometer, patrol lanterns
patrol checks or patrol clocks, the requisite
furniture for rude housekeeping by the crew
and for the succor of rescued people, fuel and
oil, tools for the repair of the boats and ap-
paratus and for minor repairs to the build
ings, and the necessary books and stationery
To facilitate the transportation of boats and
apparatus to scenes of shipwreck a pair OF
horses is also provided at stations where they
cannot be hired, but at most of the houses
the men are expected to furnish the motive
power for the transportation of the boats
two lines of rope usually being attached tC
the boat-carriages, very much similar to the
manner in which fire engines were propelled
in the old volunteer days.
The number of men composing the crew oi
a station is determined by the number oi
cars required to pull the largest boat belong
ing to it, There are some five-oar boats II
the Atlantic stations, but in all of then
there is at least one Of six oars. Six mer
therefore make up a regular crew. To these
stations seventh man Is added on the frs
day of December, so that during the mos
rigorous portion of the season man may bt
left on shore to assist in the launching anC
beaching Of the boat and see that the station
is properly prepared for the comfortable re
ception of his comrades and the rescued peo
pie they bring with them on their return
from a wreck.
SELF-BALING BOAT.
One OF the new inventions used in the lii,
saving service and which is giving most ex
cellent satisfaction, solving a hitherto EN-
barrassing question, is the self-bdling boat
which pulls eight oars and which will D'
, one OF the distinctive features of the govern
ment display at Omaha. The crews at tn,
life saving stations throughout the United
States are under civil service. having to pas
rigid examination as to physical condition
and a knowledge of locations about the sta
tion to which they desire to be attached
The applicant for a place in the life sayint
service must be of good character and habits
not less than II nor more than As years o.
age and must have perfect knowledge o
boatcraft and surfing, In the government
exhibit at the Omaha Exposition there vii
be no more attractive place than the lif'
saving station at the head OF the lagoon. Al
exhibit which the authorities in Washington
propose to make exhaustive to degree tha
the people of the west may have perfec
knowledge OF what goes on along the At
lantic coast when storm tides sweep th'
shores, leaving wrecks and desolation be
| hind.
Innovations at the Library.
WASHINGTON Sept. 26.-(Special.)-Th'
old bookworm, in the habit of browsing