The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1897-04-29

~ SA~ ~ the surf runs high
* !: !: !: !; J: ); {:
NA ~ was submitted re-
AEA Gently to the gen.
D&fL eral superintendent
A&AT of the .ife-saving
NSA service at Wash
ington, D. c., says
the New York Herald. 1t does not call
for an apparatus to shoot oil from
shore upon troubled waters, nor for
any other spectacular novelty Of sim
liar sort. On the contrary, it depends
for its success upon an exceedingly
cheap and simple apparatus and an
expenditure of good muscle on the
part of our brawny surfmen, an arti-
Gle with which nature and their hardy
manner Of life have abundantly pro-
mitted to local life-savers in actual
government service on our coasts, and
has been declared by them to be per-
fectly feasible and more practical than
any yet suggested. This new plan Is
the invention of Capt. julius A. c. Jen-
Sen Of South Brooklyn. who had, in
its development, the assistance of Capt.
James A. Loesch of the same city.
Both men are bronzed seadOgs Of ex-
perience and each commands yacht.
I've been thinking over this thing
for good while" Capt. Jensen tod
me, land it seems to me that the
scheme is just about the right thing.
1t is very cheap and perfectly prac-
ticable. Capt. LOesch here helped me
with it, and We have shown it to q
good many seamen and surfmen, all
of whom think it solves the problem"
Have you got it patented?' l asked.
''No, indeed" said Jensen, ''and We
don't intend to, either. We are not
after any money, or in fact, profit of
any sort. II the plan is good plan
and will result in saving any lives,
the government is welcome to it at the
lowest price it can be put in for"
You see," interrupted Capt. Loesch.
eve are yachtsmen and either one Of
us may get blown ashore some stormy
night, and If we do We believe we'd
stand a better chance if the surfmen
had this apparatus than any other in
use or suggested. That is our interest
in the matter"
The plan calls for buoy swimming
outside the outermost bar and held in
place by a chain fastened to a mush-
room anchor. Opposite to it ashore is
a pole and from pole to buoy is swung
a double endless line, running over
pulleys, one pulley fastened to the pole
ashore and the other to the bottom
of the buoy. This line is of MANILA
rope of great strength. woven about
a heart of cork to keep it afloat. That
is the entire special apparatus, with
the exception of an oil bag, the pur-
pose Of which will be seen presently.
Now, We will suppose a ship goes
ashore opposite the spot. A heavy gale
blows from the sea and the surf is ex-
ceedingly heavy. Those who are ia
miliar with the experiences of ships
ashore know that the surf is the great
enemy of the rescuers. If only boat
could be put through it all would be
we'll, for the sturdy surfmen can han
die the pillows. however heavy. once
they are beyond the fatal line of SURF
But time and again valuable hours are
lost to the life savers and the i'm
periled sailors by the ferocity of the
surf. There are few cases where life
could not be saved were it not for the
impetuous, resistless force of breakers
that set at naught the sturdiest efforts
Of the rowers. Right here comes in
the value of this new apparatus In
the supposed case the surf prevents the
life savers from getting out and the
darkness and storm prevent their
shooting line across the ship. They
then Immediately drag their self-bail-
ing lifeboat to the apparatus and fasten
It to the line. They attach the oil bag
to the line thirty feet ahead. The
rowers jump in and cling to the seats,
holding their oars tightly. Then the
rest of the crew seize the pulley line
and lay to with will, dragging it in,
hand over hand Out goes the boat,
IA6uS luIOu6u Tue uIl-uOt over IL
dragged with force that the breakers
cannot check, toward the anchored
buoy, the oarsmen within merely cling
Ing fast to avoid being washed away.
In this manner the boat quickly
reaches the stiller water beyond the
outer bar, where, thanks to the oil
bag, the sea is calm enough to enable
rowers to scramble to their seats and
grasp their oars. The captain has un-
hitched the pulley line and the boat
has bailed itself. The rest can be left
to the stalwart oarsmen. This is the
simple plan. Capt. Jensen's idea is to
have such a buoy anchored every two
miles all along the coast When a YES
eel comes ashore the life savers have
only to flnd the nearest one to wind.
ward of her and send out their lifeboat.
Memory.