The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-22
REvENUE CUTTER SERVICE.
Chief ShOemaker's Annual Report Of
the Work of His Vessels.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.-Captain c. F..
Shoemaker, chief of the reyenue-cutter
service, in his annual report says that of
the thirty-seven vessels IN the service two
years ago there were nineteen old wooden
hulls, fourteen of iron, three of steel and
one of iron, wooden sheathed. Continu-
irg, he says: 1T is asserted that no class
of seanen has been compelled to go to sea
since the general introduction of steam
motive power for marine purposes in such
a type of water craft as, for the most part,
comprise the list given. AS conditions now
obtain, and must continue until the old
vessels are replaced with better ones. when
one Of them is ordered on a cruise of six
weeks or two months duration it becomes
necessary to load far beyond the dam
ger point. so that when it puts to sea the
decks are fairly awash. This has been the
case for many years, and, with the old
type of vessels comprised in the list given,
is the case to-day. And w.t. handicapped as
1t has always been, in the manner shown,
the service has never in its history failed
to promptly respond and to efficiently meet
every call that has been made upon it, but
with what difficulties it has had TO contend
or what dangers it he's encountered in the
discharge of its enormous work none but
those Immediately associated with it can
possibly know.
No one of competent judgment will be
found who will say that the vessels of the
service have at any time within twenty
years been calculated for or fit to perform
the duty done in them. The measure of
success obtained has been wholly due to
the interchangeable labors of the personnel
which fills the commissioned ranks of the
service and the faithful trained and dis
ciplined crews Within three years Con-
gress authorized the building of seven new
vessels, four of which already have been
completed and are in all particulars swift,
the service" Authority is asked for the
construction of five cruisers to take the
place of some of the old wooden vessels
now almost past repairing.
THE usual active patrol of the sea, gulf
and lake coast has been maintained during
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1897, and in
the performance of duty the vessels have
boarded and examined 1853 vessels of the
merchant marine, and reported to proper au-
thOrity for various violations of law. t36 OF
them, mourning penalties in the sum of $!49,-
007. Eighty-eight vessels in actual distress
with 623 persons on board. were assisted
the value of the vessels and cargoes
service have cruised during the year ,36S
miles in aid of the life-saving establishment
From July l, 1895, to Oct. l, 1897, seventy
lives have been saved.
"The enforcement of the neutrality laws
the report says. made necessary by many
attempts to send illegal expeditions from
our coast to Cuba in the interest of the
insurgents has compelled vigilant cruising
by the cutter service not only in FLORIDA
waters, Dut elsewhere.
A statement is presented showing the
character of the services rendered by the
revenue cutters in this connection since the
beginning of the present insurrection in Gu
ba in 1895 to the present. The combined Pc
riod of service was 129 months, during
which the vessels cruised 70, 76S miles. Seven
vessels were captured. with $50 persons on
board, two filibustering expeditions We're
broken UP and thirteen suspected vessels
We're detained in port or kept under surveil-
lance.
The Arctic relief expedition is referred to-
and Captain Shoemaker says: mo greater
undertaking, one fraught with more hard
ships and peril to the participants, marks
the career of any national service, and come
che high praise of its personnel and to the
honor and glory of the Nation, while the
steady readiness of the revenue cutter serv-
ice to meet every demand made upon it has
already been emphasized in the speedy
preparation and departure of this cxpedi-
tionv