Evening journal., 1899-08-18
LIFE-sAv1NG HEROES.
Thrilling Rescues by Volunteers
Men, Women and Children VINO
Have Won Medals.

For many years before the United
States life-saving service was estsb-
Eshed, the Massachusetts, Humane so
ciety maintained, along the coast of-the
state, houses of refuge for shipwrecked
sailors, and stations equipped with life
saving apparatus, in charge Of keep
ers, who, when the emergency arose,
summoned volunteer crews. This vol
unteer life-saving service is still kept
up, and is able not only often TO render
effective assistance to the regular gov
ernment crews, but occasionally, also,
TO save life when the nearest United
States life-saving station is too far
from the scene of disaster for its crew
to arrive in time. The rivalry between
these two corps has been most gener-
Gus. There have been no chickering's, no
attempts of one to outwit the other,
but singleness of impulse TO serve in
the cause Of humanity. Naturally the
gold and silver medals awarded by the
United States government for hero
ism, displayed in saving life have been
more frequently bestowed upon mem
bers of the regular service, as this ex-
tends along our entire seaboard and
lake coast, but the volunteer corps has
had it's share Of honor.
But by far the greater number Of
medals for heroism displayed in saw
ing life from drowning have been
awarded to individuals-people from
the most varied walks of life; men OF
high social position, western Indians,
a southern negro, pleasure-seekers
along the coast, japanese cabin stew
ard, steamboat men, and officers and
men of the United States army, navy,
and revenue cutter service. Every sec
, tion of the country seems to have con-
! tributed its hero or heroes to the roll
of honor. There are also heroines on
+ that roll. A number of women hold sill
yer medals, and two women the gold
medal. Silver medals have also beer
awarded to mere boys and girls for dis
plays of daring far beyond their years
Frederic Kernochan was lad wher
he received a silver medal for saving Z
l woman from drowning in the Navesinl
- river, near Highlands, n. j.; AID Marie
ID. Parsons, a girl of only ten year,
p when she rescued a child at Fireplace
5 L. I. Nor was Edith Morgan, of Ham
: lin. Mich, much beyond girlhood wheI
she tried. with her father and brother
to row to q vessel capsized three mile
! out. Beaten bask by the heavy waves
I she aided in clearing away the logs AM
4 driftwood from the beach so as TO maxi
r a track for the surf boat. AT previou
rescue she had stood for six hours in tn
snow, haahng at the lifeline, in land
ing sailors from q wreck. ...
Would 1 could add to this record thos
unknown heroes-"greater than thos
Y who are known"-whose heroism lack
Y human reward because they not onl
rlslled but lost their lives in the eT
deavor to save others. Would there weT
Z roll of the unhonored and unsung
a a The medal list is long one, but the 70
N N of the perished longer. Occasionally
N memorial like the Brokaw Field, &
le Princeton, which commentaries th
ls heroism of Frederick Brolaw, III
e Princeton student, who gave his Iii
ID to save two servants from drowning, r
,r minds us of one or another of these sa
rifices. But far more frequently
a- grave in an unfrequented churchyar
90 or a proud pang in woman's heart,
~ the only memorial of the "unknov
"a hero. ."-Gustav Kobbe, in Century.