The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-29
. IIFE-SA WING BY TELEPHONES.
Costly But Powerful Aid to the Coast Pafroln1a11

play its active part, and It should be
/ given the credit which it richly deserves
N Tho stations OF the lfe-snving service
arc all fully equipped with the most mod
lern appliances in telephony. The sta
lions are usually from five to seven miles
apart, and the line which connects them
extends throughout tho whole district
The telephones are In series. being con-
,nected In what is known as a party
line" each station having Its own ndivid-s
ual call. # When. therefore, a wreck occurs
near any one station the keeper has but
to notify the stations above and below
him to secure all the assistance he may
need Passed experiences have shown
how valuable this is. as the combined eff
forts Of two or three crews have saved
many Il life that would otherwise have
been snuffed QUO In an angry and ever
ready surf.
The telephones Of each district Of the
service are III charge OF an expert Line
man, but tho life-savers themselves also
carefully guard their lines, 1t Is true
that the lines and apparatus In general
are mn expensive feature, but whatever
tho cost OF maintenance, the service could
not now we'll do without them. The ace
tlon Of the elements along the coast Is
usually very destructive to such appa-g
ratus, and they require almost constant
attention. In all sorts and conditions or
weather tho lineman must make his In
spectlon and repair trips stopping for
nothing which would interfere with the \
perfect working of tho system Each
morning test Is also sent from the first
ITO the last station of the section under
the supervision OF tho llneman. who
passes tho time, z A, NI.,5to the Keepers, q
and one can sit in the center of the sec
ton and hear the faint tingllng OF the
bells Increase to their full strength and
decrease again to the same faint ring
rs the test comes and goes on down the3!
line.
One OF tho most forcible testimonials
for the effectiveness OF the sea coast
telephones occurred on January 20. 1908,
when tho bark Abel Abbott went ashore \
on the outer edge Of ship Bottom Bar,
New Jersey. 1t was a little past s p NJ, Y
when the Abbott struck, and the wind
being from the southeast, the ship was
driven hard aground. Distress rockets
were burned at once. and Immediately
answered by the red Coston light or the
patroman ashore. Keeper Truck. Of the
Shin Bottom Bar station, at once called
his Grew, at the sams time telephoninG
to tho Harvey Cedars station, on tho
north, and the Long Reach station. on
the south, for assistance. and these crews
Immediately rugged their apparatus and
started for the wreck
The usual methods of the service Wers /
used. but without efIect, the lines falling
to he caught by tho sea!nen on board
when they we're fred out 10 the ship.
In The meantime the sea was risng, and u
the constantly Increasing waves We're
rolling deeply over the vessel. Two more "
shots were fred. but without effect. and X
the llfe-sayers wore comns.led 70 dssisss
Preseutiytthe TWO adjacent crews sum- 3
moned by telephone reached the scene, Is
but concluded IL impossible 10 launch 4
boat. at least before daylight Between +
md 4 O'clock tho masts went Dy The
board, throwing tho whole ersw--nlns
men--into the mater