The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-08-26
THE LIFE SAVING SERVICE.

The heroism displayed in the life
| saving service on the rough and storm
beaten coast of the Atlantic is not fully
| appreciated by those who reside in the
interior. Men in battle are animated
by n common cause and common SYM
pathy supports their courage, but upon
each member of life saving crew rests
the danger and responsibility 1t is only
| in storms that the services of these men
are required, and in some way it is gen
orally in the night time when the storm
RACES in it's majesty that the helpless
ship is discovered drifting towards
rocky shore or to have struck upon
rock far out at sea and Is being ham
mered to death by the mountain of
waves that dash against and over the
doomed ship Then it is when the crew
of the ship are helpless and unable to
save themselves that the gallant tars
Of the life saving service are called upon
by duty to risk their lives to save the
passengers and crew of the vessel
rapidly going to pieces under the ire
mendous blows of the incoming waves.
The sea before them is seethinS
caldron of mighty waters. lashing itself
into n fury in which it seems no boat
can live minute. 1t is then when the
most daring attempts to connect life
line with the ship have failed that these
sturdy seamen Of the life saving station
man the boat to make desperate eff
r.. ,;.l hn
vessel The dark night, the waves, run
ming mountain high, the cries of those
on the vessel, occasionally illumined by
the flash of lightning, Is enough to strike
terror to the bravest heart, but these
members of the life saving service know
nothing but duty, fear is Il stranger to
them. and they face death with COM
posture wonderful in any man.
There has never been n rescue of a
crew and passengers of a stranded yes
sci under such circumstances without
the display of almost superhIman effort
and valor-personal valor of each mem
Der of the life saving crew. Their risk
is much created than the often en-
feebled and terrified crew would make to
save themselves They battle with the
winds and the waves, gaining inch by
inch, each inch won by a mighty con-
centrated effort, but as regular as the
movements of machinery or a military
company, until they either reach the
vessel and save the passengers and crew
or go down under the great volume of
waters.
They are not inundated by conditions
that would strike terror to the hearts
of the boldest landsman. and it is that
trained, almost superhuman courage.
skill and effort that makes them SO eff
ficicnt in saving the lives of a wrecked
vessel. Each member of the crew must
be stranger to timidity, his nerves
must be as calm and his muscles as hard
as steel, and his heart must not beat with
any excitement, else the slightest culver
of one of the men would cause the
wreck of their own life saving boat. All
honor to the watchmen in the life
saving stations along the tempestuous
coast of the Atlantic. Thousands of
lives are annually saved by their splen-
did training, brave hearts and indomita-
BILE purpose to do or die. They should
by all means, when they grow old, be
provided for by generous government,
for there is no set of men who display
more devotion to duty under such try
ing circumstances as those engaged in
the life saving service of the limited
States.