Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1912-09-04

NA hGGaUN ITO HAAhAA hAsseAa
v and great dangers Of the
service az we're their
korefatherA II IL stu possible to md
father and son serving In the same
crew, and thore are Long Island fam
flies that can boast Of having every
male member a coast guard; but
these instances are By no means as
frequent as they used to be. The
surfmen are beginning TO doubt the
value Of service that pays, at most,
a salary Of Si.104 a year. with no pros
pect OF pension or naturalization II
a man dies In the performance OF his
duty. Why should a man adopt such
a life when he can do better and live
safely as fisherman or FISHERMAN, or
combination carpenter and yacht
skipper In the summer months? Why,
indeed?
Along the 10000 miles Of coast line
there is no stretch that is 30 uniform
ly dangerous as the tenuous sand spit
that runs along the south side Of Long
Island, projecting 100 miles into the
Atlantic. The Great South beach, 1t
Is called, or Fire Island beach; but to
men Of the sea II is known as the
Graveyard Of the Atlantic" because
Of the ships that have broken their
backs on the shifting bars that dot its
length
Since the white man first sailed
these seas, the Great South beach has
taken It's toll Bluff-bowed Dutchmen
out Of Rotterdam; Spanish galleons
from Cuba; high-poOped English
merchantmen that traded to the loyal
colony Of New York; kings ships and
fishing boats Of the old days: stout
clippers and ocean liners-all these
and many more have driven in with
the flying scud. setting their stems
deep in the clinging sand that has so
seldom let loose its prey.
You find evidences Of them in the
shattered thimbers that line the beach
from Fire island to the Hamptons
and beyond-stout spars, sections Of
planking. water-soaked timbers Of
many shapes and ages; and off-shore,
sometimes one catches a glimpse of a
shattered huh, draped with the green
seaweed or a sunken mass of engines
and boilers and twisted pipes
The government long ago recognized
the peculiar dangers OF the Long Is
land shore, with fits menace to the
liners that ply between New York and
European ports, and measures to safe
guard II we're taken. At intervals of
i've miles along the most dangerous
section. tiny stations are planted.
There are 13 of them, each manned
by eight men from the first OF August
to tho first Of June. Between these
dates all the crews, except captains
or keepers, go of duty-without pay
These are are stations at New York'E
door. They are also the stations
which do the greatest amount Of work
and bear the heaviest responsibility
"a statement that casts no reflection
on the remainder of the 300 stations
Some Of the men in these stations
have performed noteworthy deeds OIL
ValoT, but the most they have ever re
ceiVed in recognition has been few
medals, and In one instance the
thanks of the New York legislature
Despite the undoubted hardship o.
their work, and the fact that they ar,
called upon to risk their lives more
often than soldiers or sailors, or ever
flremen probably, the government hal
not seen 1T to raise their pay or in
crease the comforts Of their surround
ings. One wonders how long such al
attitude will be preserved It seem
unfair and unwise, inasmuch as 1t ha
already begun to react by curtailinl
the supply of recruits.
It should be borne in mind that Il
all the history of the life-saving sery
ice there has never been an instanc
of cowardice-not once. There ha
never been time when a captain
had any difficulty in getting his me-
to follow him into the surf. There ha
never been time when II was nece'
sary for the captain to repeat an Of
der. Now and then, men have bee
known to drink and neglect patrC
duty, but even these have neve
showed themselves to be towards
And perhaps, after all, that is tn
thing the service is most proud Of.
yes, they do say it's hard life
said old Capt George Goddard of Lon
Hill, when some one once asked hill
why he still stuck to his job at SCI
enty- yes, it may be a hard nfe," b
unused. But l like It. Thirty-od
years I've been on the beach, for
was a middle-aged man when joine
the service. But I'm good for spe
yet, and then I've laid aside a littl
SOS | can live comfortable. The
don't give US a pension, you know"
This last was not a complaint, but
fact 1t was spoken, too, by a ma
who had reached three-score veal
and ten and who was stu able
stand up in the stern Of big SUI
boat and handle q kicking steerin
oar, with the seas piling in high
every minute and the North Germs
Lloyd liner Princess Irene fast on Il
outer bar. His tones expressed
certain amount Of surprise. but
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