Evening star., 1905-11-04
NATIONAL HERO FUND
Maintained by the Treasury
Department.
MEDALS OF HON OR
AWARDED BY SECRETARY SHAW
FOR SAVING HUMAN LIFE.
Some of the Feats of Last Annual
Quota of Medallists-Dift1cult Res
cue at Ship Bottom Bar.

Copyright, 1908. by John Elfreth Watkins)
This advent of the season of ocean storms
reminds US that Secretary Shaw mas IN MS
keeping a national hero fund, EXPENDED an
nuaIly in the minting of medals, both sli-
yer and gold conferred since 1876 upon up
ward of six hundred brave men and women
These medals of honor are annually
awarded by the Secretary for the saving OF
human life and not for the taking or 'hat
precious heritage, as are necessarily III
most instances, those honor medals award
ed to our soldiers and sailors. Inc recoros
OF these life-saving medalists are illumlned
and shadowed by incidents as thrilling as
fiction can afford to the workaday nina
thirsting for exciting adventure From the
official records of the last publlshed hoior
rolls annual installment of gold meda ists
T have distracted the following paragraphs,
each in itself a storiette but one yet pet
tel and stranger than tale, because 'he
true account of real, live men or Hesh anu
bone.
Amid a thick fog in October, when the
wind was blowing q hurricane on virginia
Beach, the schooner barge ocean 6ele was
wrecked about two and half miles ABOVE
the Iife-saVing station at that point SuFl-
man W \. Capps, whose turn 1t was 10
patrol the beach, had proceeded onIy a nan
mile from the station when he discovered
wreCkage washing up on the beach. FRO
desperately in the surf, and Immediately
rushing in dragged him ashore through the
mad breakers. Placing the rescued man
in the lee of a sand dune, Capps ran 10 tiie
sta ton for aid. but had gone only Hlie
when he discovered body, apparently
dead 100 yards out in the SURF But the
surfman bethought himself that one spark
of life might yet remain in that cay. AL
though no other person was near althoug II
his own chances of life would be small in
such churning gulf and at such as
tance out, he hurriedly do1ed MS oulei
clothes and plunged in to the rescue JUS
as the man sank into the break or the m
ner waves-where the sea was at the helght
of its fury-Capps seized him ana turned
for the beach, but a heavy sea TOOK poih
him and his burden under. The man was
utterly helpless and it was now necessary
for the nearly exhausted surfman to raise
him and haul him ashore. succeeding III
this feat, it was next necessary 10 reSusci- r
tate the victim of the sea. AFTER Apply -ins
the service method of termination Tor
twenty minutes the surfman saw his charge
breathe again and sit up. Capps, pare
footed half clad and scarcely able TO keep
his feet, next rushed toward the stdtoh,
helped them carry the rescued men TO the
station, in reward for all of which bravery
Secretary Shaw has cheerfully awarded him
"a gold medal.
The Rescue at Ship Bottom Bar
On a black and tempestuous night late III
January the barkentine Abiel Abbott, bound
from Turks Island for New. York, stranded
upon Ship Bottom bar, one of that treach-
erous chain of barriers off the Jersey coast
which has levied tribute from saillng craft
Sinca the days when galleons first ven
tured up from the Spanish main. The sea
was running high. when llfesaVlng man
on patrol first heard the ships hull pound
Ing. -, -, &c
sembled his comrades about him. but SO
thick was the night and so angry the waves
that the launching of the lifeboat could NOT
be considered The little army OF surfmen'
in their oiskns and sou'easters' couiu oilly
Inflated vessel by means of the Lyle gun,
which shoots to save and not to XIII. one
shot failed and the grim sea soldiers shook
tbeir heads Several others fell short of fhe
mark. Then another line. all carefuns
"faked," was brought out, and the proJesu .,
tile carried it aboard of the doomed craft
together with the tally board bearing IN
French and English instructions as 10 tnah-