The Republican journal., 1909-10-28

The United States Life Saving Service.
JOHN S. FERNALD.

1nOSe who belleVe the world Is growing
better, that the bond of human brother
hood is growing stronger, and that the
influences of the teachings of Jesus are
being felt more and more as the decades
roll around, have only to look at condi-
tons today and compare them with those
OF the past to be materially strengthened
in that belief. This is particularly notice
able in the attitude of the governments
and of the people at large, in all civilized
nations, towards the sick and wounded in
war, shipwrecked seamen, and all who
may be in poverty or suffering in anv of
the walks Of life. The Red Cross move
ment in behalf of the sick and wounded
soldier and the Life Saving service in be-
half of the shipwrecked sailor are notice
able examples of this improved condition
of affairs. Compare the condition of
wounded soldier on the field of battle in
the early days of the nineteenth century
with one of the present day; or, note the
treatment accorded to a shipwrecked
sailor, his craft and her cargo, hundred
years ago as compared with today
In the early days the kind-hearted,
well-meaning Christian people, living
along the coast where wrecks were wont
to occur, were overpowered by a class of
men known as "wreckers." Nominally
these men were honest, law abiding citi
zens - farmers, fishermen, mechanics.
merchants, etc., but when the occasion
arose for plundering stranded vessel,
under cover Of the darkness, they allowed
their greed to overcome their scruples
and, in addition to stripping the vessel of
her fittings, and taking the cargo, often
neglected the helpless and suffering sea-
men, and sometimes even descended to
murder by finishing on the unfortunates
the work of death so nearly completed by
cold and wave. Some Of the more con-
sclenceless of these wreckers have been
known to lure vessels, by false lights and
other means, upon dangerous rocks in Or
der to give them a chance to plumber.
And while the better disposed people
were powerless against these semi-pirates
the government stood aloof and inter
ferred only in the most fragrant cases.
Today all this is changed. Every civil
lied nation having seacoast and danger
GUS places now supports along with it's
lighthouse service life-saving service,
for rescuing seamen in danger and for
recovering for the rightful owners as
much as possible of the endangered YES
sells and cargoes.
The United States life-saving service
has two hundred and eighty stations, of
which nlnety-three are on the Atlantic
coast, eight on the Gulf of Mexico, sixty
one on the Great Lakes and eighteen on
the Pacific coast. Each of these stations
has superintendent and a crew of surf
men, all trained in the most effective
methods of the work, and fully provided
orot, Il
plies, food, clothing and other necessaries.
The older surf boats are of wood, but
those added recently are of metal, and
are so built and equipped with air-cham-
bers that they will right themselves when
capsized, and will not sink even when
filled with water and loaded to their ut
most capacity. All the larger ones are
propelled by gasolene engines, which re-
heves the crews of the arduous labor of
rowing, besides saving much time in
making the trips. The men are also in
much better condition for their difficult
and dangerous work, at wreck and shore,
than if fatigued by a long hard pull at
the oars through angry seas. Metallic
life RATS, cork jackets and life preserv-
'ers are also kept at the station, and are
carried on vessels, particularly on passen-
ger steamers. The law provides that
every vessel carrying passengers shall
always have, easy of access, certain nee
essary equipment in this line, and fixes
the minimum in proportion to the number
OF passengers the vessel is licensed to
carry. The life raft consists of two CT
gar-shaped metal chambers, with strong
framework between them, making an
oblong raft. The two surfaces are alike
so that it makes no difference which
comes uppermost when the raft is thrown
into the sea. Both surfaces are provided
with row-locks, oars, life lines, etc.
Next in Importance to the boats and
RATS come the ''breeches buoys," but
they can only be used when the wreck is
within comparatively short distance of
the shore. In using this appliance a small
line is thrown to the vessel if near enough,
or if not shot with line attached is
fired from small cannon across the YES
sci. 1t was the hand throwing of this
kind Of line that suggested the famous
hymn, 'Throw out the life line The
men on the vessel, by use of this line,
haul out cable, which they make fast
to mast or other high place. The other
end is securely anchored by the life saw
ers on shore. A trolley runs on the cable
and beneath it hangs the breaches buoy,
a large ring into which the imperilled
person is fastened and hauled by strong
and willing hands along the trolley cable
to the shore.
During the last fiscal year the endang-
cred vessels on the coasts of the United
States numbered 1,O94, were valued, with
their cargoes, at $13, $50, 225, and had on
board 5, 712 persons. Of these totals, the
number of lives lost was but twenty-five,
of vessels totally lost fifty-six, and of
property lost 81, 1868, 100. The value of
properly saved was S11, 666, 435.
Since the service was established, in
1871, the number of vessels in disaster
within the scope of the life-saving serv-
ice was 18,411, of value, with their
cargoes, of $265, DAG, 500. The value of
property saved was $211, 124. O32. OF the
127, 1876 persons involved in these disasters
but l, 1874 lives were lost.
The pay Of the superintendent of the
stations is 81, 900 per year. and of No.
surfmen $40 per month, with thirty cents
per day additional for rations.
The U. S. Treasury Department awards
gold and silver medals for bravery in eff
fecting or attempting rescues from
drowning, and the official reports of many
cases show valor, courage and devotion
to duty that will rival, in real life, the
widest dreams of the romancist. The
Inglenook.