The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-06-14
VOL.UN
SAVERS
OF LIFE.
Crews 10 Be Organized Along
Water Front in This CITY
and Throughout State,

Captain T.. Belmont Ennis. Inspector OF
the National Life Saving corps arrived
IN this city today TO take up the work OF
organizing crews for the United states
Volunteer Life Saving corps in Rhode
Island.
This work which has had marvellous
growth all over the country Is pelhe VI
ganized In the interest OF humanity ne
purpose OF the United States volunteer
Iife Savings corps Is 20 rescue those III
danger OF drowning Crews are 70 pe
tablished at every shore resort in the
state. on all the principal wharves,on the
several bridges and, In fact. az every
place where there is any danger or IRE
being lost.
providence Is 10 have II crews each
crew consisting OF nve men and an oHlcer
and they Will be spread out along tne
water front 10 the hest advantage Al
the head OF the corps In every state is
commodore. a man usually selected pc
cause of his prominence and by reason OF
his knowledge OF things pertaining 10
such work A vice-commodore mas
charge Of the affairs OF the corps I'm the
city. while the men are headed by cap
tain and three lieutenants TO every four
companies.
Each company will have certain To-
cality 20 look after and its duty VIII De
TO see that no person loses his or her
life i'm their territory.
Pharaphernalia consists OF steel buoy
which will hold up four persons, cork
buoy. wooden ball with twisted rope
for rescuers on ice. a shell 10 shoot lines
over vessels that have gone ashore and a
medicine chest with directions as 10 the
hest possible manner in which TO re-
suscitate drowning persons under every
condition.
This pharaphernalia Is furnished TO the
crews the first year by popular subscrip-
| ton and after that IL Is "A simple matter
| TO get appropria tions from the legislature.
| No pay Is given the men the FIRST two
| years and as 20 what recompense they
| will get after that has not yet been de-
| cided.
The uniform OF the men Will consist OF
| duck blouses and blue trousers while
| the officers will have one similar TO that
| worn hy the officers I'm the United states
| life saving service. The uniforms Will be
| very neat and will give the men natty
| appearance.
The crews will be selected from mer
working on docks or right adjacent tc
the water front and as all the apparatus
will be near at hand II Is expected tha'
many heroic rescues VIII be made.
| An the local steamboats, and tugs vii
have one of the crew on board and :
member win also be at all the wharvei
| along the shore.
Every man that rescues a drowninl
| person will be awarded silver medal b,
l congress, while the man who effects IN
| largest number of rescues during the yea
will be presented with a gold medal.
At all the yacht clubs crews will be or
ganized and IL is safe 10 say that tn
number of deaths from drowning will b
materially lessened
Last year II persons met their death I
this state by drowning. but with the III
saving corps fully organized 1t Is hope
to prevent such fatalities.
The volunteer life savers have bee
organized q years and at the present tim
there Is over $1,000 members In the variou
corps scattered all over the country. |
New York, New Jersey, Connecticut an
I'm all the western states bordering on tt
n Great Lakes this noble work Is going o
~ and thousands OF lives are saved yearl.
n The governor OF each state IS at the hea
Z OF the board OF directors, which Is con
4 posed of representative men.