The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-04-03
a TYPICAL STATION.

Copywright. 1903. by Guy T. Viskuiskki)
saving stations on Long Islands wreck
strewn south beach is called Shinnecack.
II IS miles east from New York as the
railroad runs, and that is about as the
srow flies. The unpretentious one-story
frame station house, capped by little
box-like lookout is surrounded by trio
Of dwellings. doll house in proportions
in which live as many families of life
savers. The only other evidences of habi-
tation on the desolate sandy stretch are
two or three implanted storage sheds and
flag signal pole, vastly overtowerinG
the squat buildings within its shadow.
From Shinnecock Bay which separates
the beach from the mainland to the north,
the whole station is clearly visible on
4 fair day across the 4-mile stretch Of
water: but let one take up his stand on
the oceans edge 80 yards to the south Of
the station and look nortward, and he
will see naught of human handiwork ex-
cept the top of the flag pole-that and an
abruptly rising ridge of sand This ridge,
which is pure golden and silvery and
iron red by turns, continues almost cen
can see to east and west and it has the
peculiar property of keeping the noises
of the sea from out the ears Of the
Shinnecock life savers except on the
stormiest of nights when the bale is
blowing great guns from the south
II was on such a winters night that
the two occupants of an ancient catboat,
baffled in their attempts to reach the
mainland across Shinnecock Bay, ran the
boat over the flats until its bottom graf
ed and held fast on the sand. Then
jumping into the kneed-peep water, they
tugged and pulled the boat after them
until it was beached. After that they
made the craft safe from the storm and.
q little while later, set their faces to-
ward the gale-driven rain and breasted
their way to the station house.
They threw open the door just as the
life savers were sitting down to a meal
OF salt pork, boiled cabbage and hot cof-
fee, served on table hit under a piece
of clean oil cloth. With that open
heartedness and naive simplicity along
the sea coast the five "beachers." max
ing no excuse for their frugal fare, in
vited the visitors to eat. As they did
big cooking stove back of them quickly
dried their drenched clothing and skins.
20 that when the last of the mounds of
food had disappeared from the platters
and pipes had been lighted and chairs
tilted comfortably back against walls.
they were in a fitting mood to show in
terest in Captain Alanson Pennys re-
miniscent observation:
THE CAPTAINS STORY OF ANOTHER
CAPTAIN.
Bad night, hut clear weather along
side the night when the schooner Louis
V Place went ashore off the Line Hill
station about four years ago.
He took a deep puff AT his pipe.
Maybe you'd care to hear about it?
All right: yes-yes."
Once more a big volume of smoke hid
the captains face. and, as it cleared
away. he continued:
The sea was awful that night. Cen
orally | don't notice the awfulness or
grandeus of the sea. being So used to it,
but that night the combers were the
but that night the combers were the high
est I've ever seen and they threw spray
over the top of the ridge yonder. which
ebb and about thirty feet above it. And
sleet fell in sheets.
1t was around about midnight when
the Louis V. Place was blown on to the
bar Captain Sam Raker and his crew
were down at the shore in jiffy with
the beach apparatus. for 10 save men
grounded on such sea. They shot out
the line again and again and il wouldn t
hold: and they shot il out time after
time but il wouldn't hold. for the schoon-
err was rolling so frightfully that, none
Of the sailors dared come out of the
rigging to make it fast.
And they couldn't go out to the
schooner in the surf boat. The wind had
damned the sea between shore and YES
sci. 500 yards away, with porridge-that' :
ice packed tight and thick. No boat can
live or set through such ice. so there
they were-Captain Baker and his men
helpless as babies. and sobhing like babies
TOO. with the sailors freezing 20 death in
the rigging before their eyes.
There WAS nothing 10 do except 10
wait for the wind to die down. They
waited two days and nights. beside the
beach fires. which lit up the faces Of the
freezing sailors. and as they waited and
watched this man and that frozen be-
Sond further endurance, let so his mold
and fell into the sea on the second
night. they saw one mon. armed with a
ropes end. beat two Of the men nea,
him to keep them awake and from freez-
ing. The next day the sea died down
the ice broke and the surf boat was final
" worked TO the side OF the schooner
H. 10 = ,, s-,~1.a
the others to keep them alive had fallen
into the sea The two survivors were
brought ashore. and one died shortly AZ
ter The other. I'm told. lived. but HI
was amputated all 10 pieces. nearly
when ii was all over Captain Baker
who was half crazy all the time he wa:
powerless TO rescue the sailors. went 4
pieces and died a few weeks later. II,
dide OF a broken heart-died because h
hsd not been able to save the eight sail
ors who froze before his eyes And these
are the last words he said before hs
died:
God pity the poor boys OUT yonder IL
The rigging. "
NIPsY. THE DOG LIFE SAVER
Captain Penny struck match and
rs he relighted his pipe. he said between
short puns:
Tell them about Nipsy. Carter"
Charles A. Carter is No. az the shin
necock station. where he has patrolle6
The beach for twenty-five years. He
reached down at his side and pstted q
medium sized black dog on the head
This is Nipsy.' he said. He's eros: