The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-10-29
KenOsha Life Saver Selected as the
Leader in Fight to Secure Pen
siOns For Life Savers.
IN HIS TWENTY-FOuRTH YEAR
w. III. Law Issues Leaflet In Which Cap-
tain Cameron is Given Place of Honor
Among Life Savers ON the Lakes.

Capt. B. G. Cameron, of this city,
who will tomorrow celebrate his twen-
ty-fourth anniversary as captain of
the Kenosha Life Saving crew, has
been selected as the leader of the life
savers in the fight for the passage in
congress of bill to secure pensions
for the men who have served in the
life saving service for twenty years or
over. The Rev. w. H. Law, Of Hes.
sell. Mich, who is leading the crusade,
has made the selection of Captain
Cameron in a leafet that has just
been issued entitled "A Hero Of the
Great Lakes" The leaf1et is a splen-
did presentation of the great work that
has been done by Captain Cameron
during his long service with the Keno
sha crew. In part Mr.. Law says Of
the Kenosha life saver:
81 wish to introduce you to an inter
esting character, and a noble specimen
Of one of Uncle Sans hired men, a
1ife.saver, in the person of Captain B..
G.. Cameron, keeper of the Kenosha
Life-Saving station, who has record
of nearly 500 men, women and children
rescued from watery graves. It re-
quires over forty years to cover the
period of his daring work on treacher-
Gus waters, for he began in the Chi
cago river as boy of 10, and he is now
nearly o. AS lad padding about
Chicago's waterway, as sailor for
many years on the Great Lakes, and as
captain of the Kenosha station, the
life of this fine representative of Clan
Cameron has been sprinkled with
deeds of derringdo. Never a storm
too wild, never sea too icy, never a
chance so desperate as to daunt this
gallant sea dog.
'sHe took naturally to the water and
was an expert boatman long before
his tenth year. In fact that was his
age when he began his career on the
lakes. He started when 10-year. old
lad as cook on sailing vessel, and
during the next thirty years as a sea-
man he sailed IN all sorts of crafts to
almost every port on the lakes. He
was commissioned keeper of the Keno.
sha Life-Saving station when it was
established in 1879.
ssIn 1899 the great United States
took notice of his services in rescuing
life and property from eight wrecks
and awarded him medal. It was ac-
companied by letter from Secretary
Gage of the treasury department, and
it is precious treasure in the captain S
home.
Captain Generous bravery is only
equaled by his n1odesty. Like many
seamen, he is not garrulous. The
sailor who is never happy unless spin
ming yarn is a familiar character in
books, but by no means so common an
individual in real life. The canny
Scotchman who scans Lake Michigan
with a marine glass so often in search
of an opportunity to put his courage to
the test and to lend succor to fellow
men in distress is as retiring as a
school girl. Hei particularly reticent
bout himself and his achievements.
If pressed By persistent inquirer he
| lu0 OC lnOuCCO " SAOW a SCI oR"OOOh
| in which he lets the records of news
papers tell the deeds of his heroism, or
he may refer the inquisitor to mem
Der of his family, while he himself
turns to the lake for communication
with it's restless waters, or to sweep its
surface for a possible glimpse of some
craft laboring in high seas or under
| torn shrouds.
ut is remarkably interesting col
lection of true sea tales, this scrap
book that has grown gradually during
the years of career thickly sprinkled
with danger aud daring. If his atten-
ton is called to particular wreck, the
captain will recall its details, and he
will wax, eloquent in praise of his
crew of young men, for he is too mod.
est to take all the credit to himself and
insists on giving large share to his
men. The dry outline of lake disas.
| ter will be filled out with interesting
stories of desperate chances taken and
of thrilling triumphs achieved. In res.
cuing the crew Of the Harry Johnson,
for example, mentioned in the Wash
ington letter, the ice accumulated sc
rapidly on the bottom of the lifeboat
covering men and oars, that the cap
tain was compelled to order it back K
shore. Then he transported it ovef
land to point opposite the wreck, ant
he had to launch it from breakwatel
eight feet high, perilous feet of it
self. Captain Cameron is proud of hi
men and he secures efficiency by re
tanning the same crew year afte
i year.