The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-08
FIRED TO SAVE HIS LIFE.
History of a Cannon Ball Now in tn e
Custody of the Lifc-Saving Service.

History of a Cannon Ball Now in the
Custody of the Life-Saving Service.
From the Washington Evening Star.
A twenty-four- pound round shot, with a
short chain attached, now lying on the ta-
bic of General Superintendent Kimball of
the life-saving service, calls up a noted
occurrence long since forgotten, except by
few old people, which was in its 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 the
sea.
On Dec. 26, 1S49, the British ship Ayr
shire sailed from Newry, Ireland, bound
for New York. with 202 passengers on
board mostly immigrants, seeking homes
and fortunes in the states. In those days
transatlantic steamers were not numerous
the first regular line, the Cunard, having
been established only nine years before,
and thousands of immigrants were trans
ported in the famous sailing packets of the
time. Six weeks later the Ayrshire was
Off the port of destination in the midst of
northeast tempest, which rolled and
pitched her about with great fury.
About midnight of Jan. 12 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 one
of the small Lighthouses or dashed to the
oulwarks and rigging to prevent their be-
ing swept overheard. The night was dark
and bitter cold and for two hours despair
reigned on board for there was little hope
hn oh lin. l,.1Tl a
morning and no hope of escape should she
go to pieces before that time
However, about two hours after she
struck, the half-frantic company beheld a
flash of light inshore, then detected a
sound as of a muffied cannon, and mo-
ment later heard heavy iron ball crash
on board That was the ball referred to-
Attached to it was lifeline that was to
be the means of rescuing all save one of
the entire number on the Ayrshire.
larger line was soon drawn to the ship
by the sailors, and then came the life car.
then new and untried device. 1t was a
small iron boat covered over so that it
was very nearly alike on both sides and
having In the top an opening 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 timd the remedy seemed
| almost as bad as the disease, but all final
ly concluded that in the little ark was TO
be found their only safety, and eventually
all save one were taken to 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 accom-
panying them. AS there was no room for
him inside the car he foolishly undertook
to cling to the outside 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 IN.
There it lay for twenty-three years. when
a heavy gale set up a strong current along
shore that dug away the sand and once
more exposed the skeleton OF the old
wreck to view. party of wreckers were
soon on board, and in searching the cabin
came across the old mortar ball.
There was no doubt of its identity and
it was returned to the companionship OF
the little mortar which sent il whizzing
seward on its errand of humanity more
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 exposltions. At
present they are awaiting transportation
to the exposition at Omaha.
saving service of the United States. now
so important was little more than name
and many a ships company was thereafter
lost on the black and ugly coasts of Long
Island and New Jersey.
1t is known that during the twenty wears
from 1880 to 1870 as many lives were lost
by shipwreck on the two coasts named as
were lost under the present nfe-saving
system in the next twenty years on ali the
! ocean and lake coasts Of The entire coun-
try.
The old life car has been superseded bv
lighter though larger one, and for ordi-
nary rescues a device known as the
brooches buoy was adopted. By this agency
two persons may be taken ashore at
time and when the number on board is
small as is usually the case it is much
the handler and preferable appliance.
A modern line-firing gun, too, has taken
the place of the old mortar. This gun is
the invention of Capt. y. A. LYLE of the
United States army and jealous mem
Der of the life-saviug board on devices for
rescuing the shiDwrecked. To its design
and perfection he devoted himself as to
q labor of love- and with the result that
to-day the lfe-saving service Of the United
States has the most far-reaching gun and
the best equipments pertinent to 1t OF any
similar establishment in the world. the
gun. the powder, shot and line being made
expressly for Il.
The old round shot and mortar had their
day and are entitled to respectful atten-
ton and the gratitude of many rescued
castaway, but the Lyle gun, with its ex-
tended range and unfailing reliability. Is
as much ahead Of the old-timo appliance
as the modern cannon Is Ia advance Of the
| ancient carronade