The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-11

OF vessel the man who is sun,..,,,.
master of everything is the keaper -. ne
the station, who always steers - %
commands the boat. anu
He will insist that all women ana
children be passed into his craft f3rst
II man tries to jump in before tha
women are all in. the chances are ,ba+
he will meet a bad reception. Aftaw
the women and children are all IN ~
male passengers are ordered to conS
in. Then comes the crew of the Sbir
and, last of all, the captain.
Not an ounce of baggage NAV Ia
put into government rfeboat. M
matter how precious it may be. unttI
the passengers are all landed. Even
If the merchandise were gold or dia-
monds, the keeper has full AUTHORITY
10 throw 1t overheard if it is passed in
against his wishes.
II the life savers cannot possibly
launch any boat, they rush the wr-ci,
gun to the beach. This is a short CO.
non. Instead of a bullet, it is loaded
with a shot with thin rope fast to
1t. They fire 1t at the ship, aiming
high so that the shot shall fall into
the sea on the other side of the vessel
thus trailing the line across the deck.
The sailors on the vessel know that
this line is to be hauled in. They pull
on 1t until they bring in tackle block
which has an endless rope rove through
it. This endless rope establishes COM
munication between the ship and the
life savers.
Attached to the tackle block is =.
board with instructions to the ship
wrecked men telling them to carry the
block as high up mast as possible
or to the highest piece of timber on
the ship if the masts are gone, and
there to make it fast. Then they must
show signal. A man must step to
some part of the wreck where he can
be seen and there wave a hat or hand
kerchief. Then the life savers are
ready to haul away on the endless
rope and send a great three-inch
hawser off to the ship through the
surf.
When the hawser begins to appear
on board, the shipwrecked sailors will
find another board on it that bears the
following instructions in English and
French:
Make this hawser fast about two
feet above the tail block. See that
everything is clear and that the rope
in the block runs free and show sig
nal to the shore"
When all this is done, there will be
a great thick rope leading from the
wreck to the shore, and below it the
thinner endless rope rove through a
pulley.
Now a queer thing will be seen COM
ing off through the surf toward the
ship, dragged swiftly by the endless
rope, and supported by a great travel
ing pulley that travels on the big
hawser. 1t looks like a great bag.
1t is the breeches buoy 1t is stout
thing, shaped like a pair of swimming
tights, only very large and heavy A
man can lower himself into it, thrust
his legs into the breaches and the life
savers will haul him ashore.
To make all these matters clear to
sailors, Uncle Sam has prepared the
following instructions:
IF your vessel is stranded during
the night and not discovered imme-
diately by the patrol, burn rockets,
flare-ups or other lights, or fire guns
if the weather is foggy.
''If the vessel is discovered, which
you will know by the burning of a
brilliant red light, keep a bright look
out for the arrival of the life savers
abreast of you.
Lights on the beach will indicate
their arrival, and the sound of cannon
firing from shore will mean that line
has been fired across your vessel.
Therefore, on hearing the cannon,
make strict search, fore and aft, for
the shot line; for it is almost certain
to be there. Though the movements
of the life-saving crew may not be
perceptible to you, owing to the dark
ness, your ship will be good mark
for the men experienced in the use of
the wreck gun, and the first shot sell
dom fails"