The Washington herald., 1907-09-24
THE LIFE-SAVING SERVICE.
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

They that go down 10 the sea in
ships" to-day have the same winds and
rocks to face as did the Roman leaders
on their gilded triremes. or Morse adven-
turers In their Undiscovered boats, but
they have more people and more appli-
ances 10 help them In Drawing these dan
gers. There are lighthouses set along our
cost lines on the principal headlands or on
dangerous shoals. to warn the mariner
and direct his course by lights, that burn
steadily OF fash at regular intervals.
There are floating buoys, painted in divers
fashions. to mark treacherous channels
by day, and whistling or bell buoys 10
signal by day and night while fOghorns
and sirens, that can sometimes be heard
twenty miles, shrek persistently every
minute during thick weather These are
the warning influences. But better than
these is the great LIfe-Saving Service,
composed OF vigilant. daring men. who
patrol almost the entire coast of the
United states day and night, year I'm and
out to aid vessels IN distress.
In fair weather and in foul these men,
with lion hearts and muscles of steel. pa
troll the rocky lodges or shifting sand
dunes Of the countrys coast line, with
eyes ever alert for signals OF distress.
There are occasional needs of their serv-
ices on fair days, but It Is when the fail
and winter storms harass the coast and
the sea turns into a great savage crea-
ture, eager for prey. that the real work
begins. The patrol in some icy gale may
be suddenly aware Of helpless schooner
being driven out OF her course in the
teeth Of sixty-mile wind, straight on
the rocks. where she will surely be beaten
10 pieces. He quickly fires q Coston sig
nal, 20 warn her off the rocks OF 20 prom
ise her aid, as quickly notifies his station.
and then the work OF heroes begins. Clad
in oiiskins, that are little proof against
q January gale, the keeper OF the station
and his men run the lifeboat down TO the
beach. take out the Lyle gun or mortar,
ready 20 fire line across the helpless
vessel. and bring OF her passengers and
crew either ia a breeches buoy or life
car Should the line fail, the rescue must
be made by the lifeboat. driven by sturdy
arms through heavy seas.
The tales Of herOism that may be told of
such rescues are among the finest IN the
world. Each year there is printed a
modest little black book, the report Of
the United States Life-Saving Service.
which Is a branch Of the Treasury De
partment. II is a business-like volume
in which is teTsely set forth the work Of
the various districts and their stations
Yet in the two dozen volumes that hold
the reports Of the service there are more
deeds of heroism related than in any
other Ike number of books in existence.
The men who enlist do so with the knowl-
edge that & Is not to go against man or
the war implements that man has made,
as does the recruit for the army, but TO
contend with the primitive elements Of
nature that for UnnumUered centuries
have defeated man and have made sport
Of his inventions II is for war against
the sea. the wind. and the fog. for a
crusade against chance, and for the rescue
of total strangers, mayhap OF an alien
race.
II was a great tragedy that precipitated
the governments organization Of the He
saving service. Massachusetts had al
ChIna-In this work, beginning In the year
17SG, when IN the famous Bunch Of Grapes
tavern the blind physician, Noyes. called
a meeting and organized the Humane So
ciety of the Commonwealth OF AIassachU-
sets. They built huts along the coast
that year for the shelter OF shipwrecked
folks who might come ashore, and in 1857
built lifeboats that were first in service
at COhasset. In 1897 the bark Mexico,
loaded with immigrants, went ashore on
Long Island IN a winter gale, and though
q fishing boat brought of eight, the others
could not be reached, and Il5 persons
frOZe 10 death on deck in full sight Of
the fires that helpless WOUld-be rescuers
had lighted on shore. The recital OF this
great tragedy by a New Jersey Repre-
sentative IN 1913 secured an appropriation
for lfeboats on the Jersey coast and
awakened public interest that afterward
cTystallized In the Life-Saving Service.
The United States has been divided
into thirteen districts for convenience.
The first five, with $50 stations. are
along the New England States, and as
far south as Maryland. The Sixth, Sew
enth, and Eighth, with sixty-twO sta
tons, are scattered along the southeast
ern coast The Ninth district, with eight
stations. is on the Gulf Coast. The
Tenth includes the eleven stations on
Lakes Erie and Ontario and the one river
station at Louisville. Districts Il
and u have forty-nine stations on
the other three Great Lakes. and the
Thirteenth lies along the Pacific coast,
with seventeen stations. There are 27S
stations in ali Last year the men Of
these stations reported S4S disasters, in
which forty-nine Of the vessels were
total wrecks They saved $3.50 persons.
and, through no ufalt of their own. wit
messed the loss of twenty-nine. They
saved property 70 the value Of $1,000, 90,
and saw only 100000 destroyed In the
whole period Of its existence, the Life
Saving Service has rescued 1900 per-
sons, has saved nearly S200,Ol0,O1O worth
Of property, and reported $500 disasters.
The greatest fortitude has been exhibit
ed by these life-savers. There Is the
story of the rescue OF the crew OF a
British schooner by the men OF Coskata
Station, Nantucket Island. 1t was TWEEN
ty-six hours ff0m' the time they began
the work until they brought in the crew
of the wrecked vessel. and they had
worked the entire time without rest and
in a driving storm. with the thermometer
% degrees below zero. Medals were
awarded these men, but they came toe
late for one, who contracted consumption
and died soon after the bit Of silver
being given the mother Of the hero.
There Is the story Of Jerome q. Kiah, Of
Point aux Barques Station, Mich. who
was the sole survivor Of a sturdy crew
that put out in a lifebOat 10 try and
reach a wreck. and Of the volunteer crew