The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-21
FIXED TO SAVE LIFE.
History ofa Cannon Ball Now in the
usIody ot Life Saving Service.

From the Washington Evening Star.
A twenty-four-poun round shot. with
short chain attached, now lying on
the table of General Superintendent
Kimball of the lfe-saving service,
calls up noted occurrence long since
forgotten, except by a few old people
which was in it's time a 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 the 26th of -December, lS49, the
British ship Ayrshire sailed from New
ry, Ireland. bound for New York. with
2O2 passengers on board, mostly immi-
grants, seeking homes and fortunes in
the states. In those days transatlan-
tic steamers We're not numerous, the
first regular line, the Cunard, having
been established only nine years be-
fore, and thousands of immigrants
We've Transported in the famous sailing
packets Of the time. Six weeks later
the. AYRSHIRE vas off the port of des-
tination in, the midst of "a northeast
tempest, which rolled and pitched her
ep'ot. " luly
About midnight of Jan. 70, 1850. she
struck BOTTOM with terrific force, heeled
over toward the beach, and the sea be-
gan 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 deck
houses or lashed to the -bulwarks and
nj
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 together
until 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 be-
held a flash of light inshore, then de-
tected sound as of a muffied cannon.
and a moment later heard a heavy iron
bali crash on board. That was the ball
referred to. Attached to 1t was a life
line that was 10 be- tfie~nfeans of res
cuing 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 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, 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 up
| on accompanying them. AS there was
no room for him inside the car he fool
| ishly 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 up. There it lay for twenty
| three years, when a heavy gale set uI
a strong current along shore that dug
away the sand and once more exposed
| the skeleton Of the old wrack to view
A party of wreckers We're soon or
board, and in searching the cabin came
across the old. mortar ball
There was no doubt of its identity