Evening star., 1911-08-27
REVENUE CUTTER SERVICE.

Captain Commandant E. P. Bertholf.
who has been on cruise Of inspection
aboard the cutter Onondaga among the
vessels and ships Of the service from
Norfolk to the coast of Maine, finished
his tour in the latter part of last week
and returned to his Office in the Treasury
Department. This is the first trip that
has been made by the captain COM
mandant since his appointment about
three months ago. His observations will
result in number of changes in methods
that will improve the service.
Third Lieut. E. A. Coffin has been de-
tached from the cutter Gresham. at Bos
ton. and assigned to duty on the cutter
Androscoggin. at Portland, Me-, TO fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Lieut..
Whittier. who was murdered by thugs in
Boston last week.
First Lieut.. Leon c. Covill is tempo
rarily in command of the cutter Seminole
on the Wilmington. n. c., station, and in
the past week his vessel saved a coast
ing schooner from going ashore on the
North Carolina coast. The work was
done in heavy gale and under diff
culties. Lieut.. Covill, before his promo
ton to a first lieutenancy, about a year
ago, was stationed at the division of the
service in this city and has many friends
here.
Senior Capt. c. H. Mcclellan. retired.
was visitor to and registered at the de-
partment in the past week.
The cutters Mohawk from the New
York station and the Window from Gal
weston are at the repair station of the
service at Arundel Cove, Md, near Balti-
more, for general repair work. The win
dom is to receive new decks and ma
chinery and boiler attention, and the
yet been determined. Both vessels VIII
be out of service until late in the fall.
The Officers Association has determined
to leave nothing undone in the effort to
detect and have punished the thugs that
attacked Lieut.. Whittier in Boston last
week and so badly injured him that he
died. A reward of $500 for the arrest
of the murderers has been offered and
the Boston authorities will be Spurred to
greater efforts to run down the men.
Lieut. Whittier was promising young
officer and his death is deeply felt by his
brother officers.
The little cutter Patrol, commanded
by Lieut. L. T. Chalker, was one of the
first vessels to reach st. Croix john
Ston, the aviator, who lost his life by
a fall into the lake with his aeroplane
at Chicago last week. Lieut. Chalker,
in his report to the department, states
that the Patrol was lying just inside
the breakwater when the aeroplane
a half mile away. The Patrol was
hurried to the place where the ma
chine lay and on arriving there found
a small boat, with one man in 1t, who
was unable to render aid. The crew
of the Patrol at once began the task of
raising the sunken airship, and with
the aid of the Chicago police boat and
a boats crew from the cutter Tusca-
rora, this was accomplished and john
ston, who was still on the pilots seat.
10 ,h 1f,a Il
efforts made to resuscitate him. The
police boat was small and Johnston
was transferred to the Patrol and two
physicians, who had arrived, aided
the crews of the Patrol and the police
boat In the resuscitation work. John
ston was hurried to the Columbia
Yacht Club house, where hot towels
and other appliances were obtained
for use in the effort to revive the avia-
tor, but without success. The physi-
clans stated that In their opinion
Johnston was dead before he struck
the water. His head was badly cut and
bruised.
The cutter Acushnet. First Lieut. H. ID.
Hinckley commanding. has had many
calls upon her for aid from vessels in
distress, in the past week. The schooner
Clifford l. White of Jonesport, Me-. was
found off Pollock Rip, Mass, disabled
and leaking badly. She was towed into
VINEYARD Haven and anchored. Next
morning the master of the vessel stated
he had the leak under control and did not
further require the services of the cut
ter.
The French schooner Aldine was found
with foresail blown away, boom and gaff
broken and mainsail split. She was taken
into Woods Hole. Mass. The Aldine was
laden with coal and was bound from New
York to st. Johns, N. b.
Responding to a call for assistance the
Acushnet went to the aid of the bark
Bertha. stranded on Sow and Pigs ledge.
The vessel was hard and fast on the
rocks and in such condition that 1T was
The crew, which had previously left the
ship in It's boats were safe.
The British schooner Minnie was dis
covered by life savers about two miles
from Great Point light station, aban-
doned, and the Acushnet took the vessel
in tow and beached her at Vineyard
Haven to keep her from sinking. She was
full of water and was in danger Of sink
ing in the channel and obstructing navi-
cation.
The cutter Arcata discovered the power
boat Chum drifting across bay at Port
Townsend, Wash. No one was aboard
the vessel and the cutter took it In tow
into the harbor and made 1t fast.
The cutter Seminole. Lieut. l.. C. Covill
commanding, went to the aid Of the
schooner Lottie B. Russell, which was dis
abled and in grave danger OF going ashore
on Cape Fear Shoals. The foremast,
were gone and she was unmanageable.
In the effort to keep the vessel off the
shoals two large hawsers were parted,
but she was finally gotten safely across
the bar and anchored off Southport.
This service was rendered in a heavy
gale. /
wireless message, dated August %, |
from cutter Bear. cruising in Bering sea-
stated that the schooner Redfelds went ;