Evening journal., 1899-07-25
LIFE SAVING HEROES.
Thrilling Rescues by VoIunteeTs--
Men, Women and Children VINO
Have Won Medals.


For many years before the United
States life-saving service was estsb-
hshed, the Massachusetts, Humane So
ciety maintained, along the coast ofthe
state, houses of refuge for shipwreclked
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-saying 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 a 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 its share of honor.
But by far the greater number of
medals for heroism displayed in saw
ing life from drowning have been
awarded to ndividuals-people from
the most'varied walks of life; men of
high social position, western Indians,
southern negro, pleasure-seekers
along the coast, a 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 been
awarded to mere boys and girls for dis
plays of daring far beyond their years
Frederic Kernochan was lad when
he received a silver medal for saving a
woman from drowning in the Navesink
river, near Highlands, n. j.; and Marie
d. Parsons, a girl of only ten years
when she rescued a child at Fireplace
L. 1. Nor was Edith Morgan, of Ham
lin, Mich, much beyond girlhood when
she tried, with her father and brother
to row to a vessel capsized three miles
out. Beaten back by the heavy waves
she aided in clearing away the logs and
driftwood from the beach so as to make
a track for the surf boat. At a previous
rescue she had stood for six hours in tho
snow, hauling at the lifeline, in land
ing sailors from a wreck.
Would could add to this record those
unknown heroes-''greater than those
who are lnown''-whose heroism lacks
a human reward because they not only
risked but lost their lives in the en-.
/ deavor to save others. Would there wer,
a roll of the unhonored and unsungl
/ The medal list is q long one, but the rol
of the perished longer. Occasionally ;
memorial like the Brokaw Field, al
Princeton, which commentaries tn,
\ heroism of Frederick Brokaw, ths
4 Princeton student, who gave his lif'
to save two servants from drowning, re
4 minds us of one or another Of these sac
] rifices. But far more frequently {
grave in an unfrequented churchyard
or a proud pang in a woman's heart, IL
the only memorial Of the unknown
hero."-Gustav Kobbe, in Century.