Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-31
SAVING LIFE THEIR TRADE
Business Of Brave Men Who Are Now
Entertaining at Exposition,
AMONG UNCLE SANS MODEST SERWToRs
Work of the surfmen and n Short
sketch of the Service in which
They Engage in Battle with
the Sen.

sketch of the Service in Which
They Engage In Battle with
the Sea.
From now until the end Of the exposition
The daily exhibitions of the United States
Life Saving service crew under Captain II.
M. Knowles will be one of the most inter-
esting features in the estimation Of a large
proportion OF the visitors. The work of the
service is SO distant from most of the trans
mississippi states that most OF the people
have only vague ideas OF It's method OF oper-
alton. These will be fully illustrated at the
exposition. but even the people will hardly
appreciate their full value. 1t is one thing
TO work on the placid waters OF the lagoon
and quite another to go through the same
evolutlons in a roaring surf that threatens
destruction to the staunchest craft and when
the gale sweeps down the coast through a
zero atmosphere that freezes the dripping
workers into animated ice statues. Under
these circumstances the United States Life
Saving service has made a record that has no
comparison in the world. 1t has saved
thousands of lives and preserved property
valued at many millions and in achieving
this result its members have displayed a de-
gree OF courage and endurance that Is the
admiration of the maritime world.
This is the only great nation that sup
ports a life saving service as a function of
the government. In most European coun-
tries the same duties are performed through
the medium OF private organizations which
have in no case attained the efficiency that
Is displayed by the trained servants of I'm
Gle Sam. The organization Of the service
in this country was largely due to the SEN
timent inspired by the numerous wrecks
that DrnvioI,S1y occurred on tho dangerous
coasts of Long Island and New Jersey and
which were frequently attended with terri
BILE loss of life.
just Fifty Years Old.
The first effort to provide a remedy was
made in 1S4S when an appropriation of &c.,
900 was made for the erection of eight build
ings on the New Jersey coast which were
equipped with such crude life saving appar-
ntus as was then obtainable. The next year
congress appropriated $40, 900 more and six
additional stations were established in New
Jersey and eight on Long Island. This was
continued until 1864, the apparatus being
manned by purely volunteer service. Then a
bill was passed which provided for salaried
superintendent and keepers TO have general
charge of the work and keep the apparatus
in order and it was not until 1869 that crews
were provided for at alternate stations. This
was finally accomplished largely through the
efforts of Hon. Sunset II. Cox, and after
his death q magnificent solid silver vase was
presented to his widow by the employees Of
the service as u testimonial of their appre-
citation of his efforts in their behalf.
Meanwhile the efficiency Of the service as
n means of saving life and property had
been fully demonstrated and every year it
was enlarged by the addition of new sta
tions and crews and improved apparatus.
For several years in the early '70s only two
or three lives were lost per year on coasts
that had previously counted their victims
by hundreds. BY this time the entire At
lantic coast from Maine to Cape Hatteras
was covered by the service in addition to
several new stations on the Great Lakes.
AT the close of 1873 there were 142 stations
and the code of signals for communication
between the stations and imperilled vessels
was introduced. In this year the service
was transferred from the revenue service
and became a separate branch of the gov
ernmeEt, and in 1879 two boards were es-
tablished to inspect and recommend new
appliances in life saving apparatus. In 1884
the number of stations exceeded 200 and
established. In this year marine property
valued at 50, 600, 900 was saved, or 80 per
cent of the total amount involved, and out
of 4,432 persons whose lives were endan-
gered only twenty We're lost.
It's Present Efficiency.
Since then the department has made ma
terial progress both in its equipment and
in the degree of efficiency attained. At the
beginning of the present year it included
259 stations, of which 1S9 were situated on
the Atlantic coast, f~fty-ive on the Great
Lakes, fourteen on the Pacific coast and
one on the Ohio river near Louisville, Ky
TIE t,,tal number Of disasters reported in
.-t., ,,oo ,,yng GOO tho Ia rpngt n1m-
her in the history of the service. But the
number of vessels totally lost was the
smallest since 1879. There were nearly
1000 lives endangered. of whom all but
fifty-three were saved.
The history of the service during the NIFTY
wears OF its existence presents a striking
record OF courageous effort. of hardships
natiently endured and of thrilling escapes
In view of the great risks that have peer
taken the loss of life on the part OF
surfmen Is surprisingly small. From lS''
40 1896 out of the 2S, 092 men employed only
132 died. OF these forty-two were drowned
In the performance of their duty, three
were killed by railroad accidents while on
natrol duty, three were killed at boat prac-
tice seventy-seven died from diseases in
duced by cold and exposure, and hve from
vnrious accidents. One reason Tor TINS
showing is found In the severe discipline oil
I--
the service. Only men OF the staunchest
physical soundness are admitted They
wear warm clothes, have good food well
cooked and are compelled to be strictly
temperate in their habits. No case OF to-
bacco heart was ever known in the service
and the men are free from the excuses thai
are common among other classes of seagoins
people.
The entire service is divided into twelve
districts, each of which is under the d.
rection of a superintendent. There Is g
captain or keeper in charge OF each station
who has a crew OF from six to eight surf
men. Their life is much like that of q
metropolitan fire company, a daily round OF
routine broken by occasional dashes into
danger to save life and property. The great
feature OF all station duty, however, Is the
constant watch that Is kept on the beach
This never ceases and at night and or
foggy days the entire coast from station &c
station is continually patroled. Eact
watcher carries a beach lantern and a case
of Coston signals. These burn when ignited
with a red light and either warn the vessel
TO sheer off the dangerous coast or, If II
drives helplessly into the surf, assures its