The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-02
HISTORY OF A SHOT.
PIE PART 1T PLAYED IN SAVING THE
LIVES OF 2o1 PERSONS.

LIVES OF POI PERSONS.
II Carried Life Line tn the Foundered
Passengers and Crew Got Ashore-How
1t Is Honored For Its Noble Service.
A "a pound round shot, with a short
chain attached, now lying on the table of
General Superintendent Kimball of the life
saving service, calls up a noted occurrence
long since forgotten, except by a few old
people, which was In its time a celebrated
-sose. The ball is no less than the first
shot ever fired In the United States for the
purpose Of saving life, and after perform
ing Its most noble service IL lay for over
30 years In the bottom of the sea.
On the Goth of December, $780, the
British ship Ayrshire sailed from Newry,
Ireland, bound for New York, with 202
persons on board, mostly immigrants, seek
| ing homes and fortune in the States. In
those days transatlantic steamers were not
numerous, the first regular line, the Gu
narders, having been established only nine
years before, and thousands of immigrants
were transported in the famous sailing
| packets of the time. Six weeks later the
| Ayrshire was off the port of destination in
| the midst of a northeast tempest, which
| rolled and pitched her about with great
| fury.
| About midnight of Jan. 10, 1850, she
| struck bottom with terrific force, heeied
| 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
Il lsI. 4.
the bulwarks and rigging to prevent their
being swept overheard. The night was
dark and bitter cold and for two hours de-
| spair reigned on board, for there was little
hope that the ship would hold together I'M
| til 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
flash of light inshore then detected a
sound as of a muffled cannon, and min
ute later heard heavy iron ball crash on
board. That was the ball referred to. At
tached to IL was life line that was to be
the means of rescuiDg 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 untried device. 1t was a small
iron boat covered over SO that 1t 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 timid the remedy seemed almost as
bad at the disease, but all finally conclud-
cd that in the little ark was to be found
their only safety, and eventually all save
one were taken to the land without the
- Ix.S~x
Mr.. Bell OF New York, whose sister and
her two or three daughters had been placed
in the car and ere about to be sent ashore
when he insisted upon accompanying
them. AS there was no room for him in
side the car he foolishly undertook to
cling to the outside of 1t and as 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 23 years, when heavy
gale set up strong current along shore
that dug away the sand and once more ex-
posed 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 it's identity. and
it was returned to the companionship of
the little mortar which sent it wbizzing
seward on its GRAND of humanity more
than 90 years before. Since the recovery
of the ball 1t and the mortar have been on
exhibition at all the great interstate and
international expositions.
When the Ayrshire was wrecked, the
life saving service of the United States,
now SO important, was little more than a
name, and many ships company was
L . Loot hs, md I1eylu
coasts of Long Island and New Jersey.
1t is known that during the 20 years
from 1850 to 1870 as many lives were lost
by shipwreck on the two coasts named as
were lost under the present life saving
system in the next 90 years on all the
ocean and lake coasts of the entire country.
The old life car has been superseded by
lighter, though larger one, and for oIdi-
nary rescues device known as the breech-
es 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 tho CASE 1t Is much the han
dier and preferable appliance.
| A modern line firing gun, too, has taken
the place of the old mortar. This gun Is
the Invention of Captain b. A. Lyle Of the
United States army and Jealous member
of the life saving board on devices for res
cuing the shipwrecked. To its design and
perfection he devoted himself as to 4 labor
Of love, and with the result that today the
life saving service of the United States has
the most farreaching gun and the best
equipments pertinent to 1t Of any similar
establishment In the world-the gun, the
powder, shot and line being manufactured
expressly for It.
The old round shot and mortar had their
day and are entitled to respectful attention
and the gratitude Of many rescued casta /.
way, but the Lyle gun, With its extended
range and unfailing reliability, Is as much
ahead of the old time appliance as the
modern cannon IL In advance of the an