The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-02
Erred TO SAVE LEE.
The History of Cannon Ball Now in the
Custody of the Life-savins Service.
(From the Washington Evening Star. J

(F'rom the Washington Evening STAR
twenty four-pound round shot, with
short chain attached, now lying on the
table OF General Superintendent Kimball
of the life saving service, calls up noted
occurrence long since forgotten, except by
d few old people, which was in it's time
celebrated case. The ball is no less
than the first shot ever fired in the United
States for the purpose of saving life and
after performing it's most noble service it
lay for twenty years in the bottom of tho
sea.
On the Goth of December, 1649, the Brit
ism ship Ayrshire sailed from Newry, Ire
land, bound for New York, with 2O2 pas
sengers on board, mostly immigrants,
seeking homes and fortunes in the States
In those days transatlantic steamers were
not numel Gus, the first regular line, the
Cunard, having been established only
nine years before, and thousands of i'm
migrants were transported in the famous
sailing packets of the time. Six weeks
later the Ayrshire was off the port of des-
tination in the midst of northeast temp
est, which rolled and pitched her about
with great fury.
About midnight Of Jan. 10, 1850, she
struck bottom with terrific force, heeled
over toward the beach, and the sea began
to sweep over her sides in great volumes
that drenched and terrified all on board.
Many of the passengers were women and
children, who were either crowded into
Of <bn
the bulwarks and rigging to prevent their
being swept overheard. The night was
dark and bitter cold and for two hours
despair reigned on board, for there was
little hope that the ship would hold to
gether until morning and no hope of es-
cape should she go to pieces before that
time.
However, about two hours after she
struck, the half-frantic company beheld
flash of light inshore, then detected q
sound as of a muffied cannon, and a
moment later heard heavy iron ball
| crash on board. That was the ball re-
ferred to. Attached to it was a life line
that was to be the means of rescuing all
save one of the entire number on the
Ayrshire. A larger line was soon drawn
to the ship by the sailors, and then came
the life car, then a new and suntried de-
vice. 1t was small iron boat, covered
over SO that it was very nearly alike on
both sides, and having in the top an open
ing through which persons to the number
of six or seven could crawl and then shut
themselves up, when they would be
hauled ashore. To some of the more timid
the remedy seemed almost as bad as the
disease, but all finally concluded that in
the little ark was to be found their only
safety and eventually all save one were
taken to the land without the smallest
mishap. The person lost WAS a Mr. Bell
of New York, whose sister and her two
or three daughters had been placed in the
car and were about to be sent ashore when
he insisted upon accompanying them. AS
there was no room for him inside the car
he foolighly undertook to cling to the OUT
side of it, and, as a matter of course, was
washed off and drowned
Soon after the storm was over the hulk
of the wreck began to settle down in the
sand, and was finally wholly covered up
| There it lay for twenty three years, when
heavy gale set up a strong current along
shore that dug away the sand and once
mora exposed the skeleton of the old
wreck to view. a party of wreckers were
soon on board, ands gin searching the cabin
came across the old mortar ball.
There was no doubt of its identity, and
it was returned to the mpanionship of
the little mortar which sent it whining
than twenty years before. Since the re-
covery of the ball it and the mortar have
been on exhibition at all the great inter-
state and international expositions At
present they are awaiting transportation
to the exposition at Omaha.
When{the Ayrshire was wrecked the life
saving service of the United States, now
so important, was little more than
name, and many a chips company was,
thereafter lost on the black and ugly
coasts of Long Island and New Jersey.
1t is known that during ths twenty
years from 1859 to 1870 as many lives were
lost by shipwreck on the two oassts
saving system in the next twenty years
on all the ocean and lake coasts OF the en-
tire country.
The old life car has been superseded by
lighter though larger one. and for ordf-
nary rescues a device known as the
breaches buoy was adopted. By this
agency two persons may be taken ashore
at a tisne, and when the numbersson board
I is small, as is usually the case, at is much
| the handler and preferable appliance.
A modern Ene firing gun, too, has
taken the place of the old mortar. This
gun is the invention of Capt. B. A Lyle
Of the United States Army and a Jealous
member of the life saving board on de-
vices for reseuing the Ehipwreoked. To It's
design and perfection he devoted himself
| as to labor Of love, and with the result
that today the life saving service of the
! United States has the most far reaching
gun and the best equipments pertinent to
| it of any similar establishment. in the
world, the gun, the powder, shetland line
| being made expressly for it,
| The old round shot and mortar had
| their day and are entitled to respectful
| attention and the gratitude of many q res
cued castaway but the Lyle gun, with
its extended range and unfailing relia-
bility, is as much ahead of the old time
appliance as the modern cannon is In adj
vance of the ancient carronade.
WIT AND WISDOM.