Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-22

- phone bells rang out the station
call and i'm an instant the keeper
had the receiver to his ear.
Better come on down at once" came the
message over the wire. ship ashore
Coming the keeper shouted back and
turning about he explained: ship ashore
at Dam Neck Mills-next station below us"
In few moments the station crew had
the life-savIng apparatus on the beach ana
were running southwark to where the dis
tress rockets shot into the blaclness above
at frequent intervals. And there, inside OF
two hours, thirteen men and one woman
were safely taken from the wreck of the
clipper-shp Henry b. Hyde.
To the ordinary observer II seems like
comparatively small part to play. but in
reality the seacoast telephone is one of tho
most important factors in the ufe-sav;ng
service Hardly a wreck of any size nova
days occurs in which it does not play its
active part, and it should be given the
credit which it richly deserves.
The stations of the life-saving serv. ce are
all fully equipped with the most modern ap-
planes In telephony. The stations are
usually from five to seven miles apart and
the line which connects them extends
throughout the whole district. The tele-
phones are in series. being connected in
what Is known party line" each sta
ton having its own individual call. When.
therefore, wreck occurs near any one sta
ton the keeper has but TO notify the sta
ton above and below him to secure all the
assistance he may need. Past experiences
have shown how valuable this is as the
combined efforts of two or three crews have
saved many life that would otherwise
have been snuffed out in an angry and ever
ready surf.
of oh lfetr IT.
service are in charge OF an expert line
man, but the Ife-savers themselves also
carefully guard their lines. Ii is true that
the lines and apparatus in general are an
expensive feature. but whatever the cost
of maintenance, the service, could not now
well do without them. The action of the
elements along the coast IS usually very
destructive TO such apparatus. and they re-
qulre almost constant attention. In all
sorts and conditions OF weather the lineman
must make his inspection and repair trips,
stopping for nothing which would interfere
with the perfect working of the system.
Each morning test is also sent from the
first to the last station OF the section under
the supervision OF the ilneman who passes
the time, Z am, to the keepers, and one can
sit in the center of the section and hear the
faint tingling of the bells increase to their
full strength and decrease again to tho
same faint ring as the test comes and goes
on down the line.
One of the most forcible testimonials for
the effectiveness of the seacoast telephones
occurred on January %, 1893 when the
bark Abel Abbott went ashore on the outer
edge of Ship Bottom bar, New Jersey. IL
was a little past pm. when the Abbott
struck, and the wind. being from the south
east, the ship driven hard aground.
Distress rockets were burned at once, ana
Immediately answered by the red Coston
light of the patrolman ashore. Keeper
Truck Of the Ship Bottom Bar station at
nnN 10 llad Ia tic he. titra.. toll
phoning to the Harvey Cedars station on
the north. and the Long Beach station. on
the south, for assistance. and these crews
Immediately rugged their apparatus and
started for the wreck.
The usual methods of the service were
used without effect. the lines falling to be
caught by the seamen on board when they
were fired out to the ship. In the mean
time the rising. and the constantly
increasing waves were rolling deeply over
the vessel. Two more shots were fired but
without effect. and the ife-savers were
compelled to desist.
Presently the two adjacent crews sum-
moned by telephone reached the scene but
concluded II impossible 10 launch a boat
at least before daylight. Between and 4
O'Clock the masts went by the board. throw
ing the whole crew, nine men, into the wa
ter. Five men managed to climb back
aboard before the caught them. and
desperately chung TO the top of the cabin.
praying aloud for help. 1t then that
the cries reached the Iife-savers. and. I'M
able TO longer resist. they jumped for their
boat 1t was a desperate struggle, bur
with the combined efforts of the three
crews the boat WAS launched and nnaiiy
rescued the remaining sailors IL was,
therefore only with the assistance or the
neighboring crews that Keeper Truck ever
reached the wreck in time and saved five
men who would perhaps have been lost.