The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-08-23

VIZ accept the small salary
" and great dangers Of the
service ma were their
Iorofaihers. II ID still possible 10 Ind
father and son serving IN the same
crew. and there arc Long Island lam
lies that can boast Of having every
male member a CoaEt guard. hut
these Instances are by no means %
frequent az they used 10 he The
Burfmcn are beginning to doubt the
value Of a service that pays, at most,
u salary Of l,1O4 a year. with no pros
pcct OF pension or naturalization II
a mar dies In the performance OF bis
duty. Why should a mar adopt such
q life when he a do better and i've
safely az fisherman or oystcrrnan, or
combination carpenter and yacht
skipper In the summer months' Why,
indeed?
Along the 10000 miles Of coast Iinc
there Is no stretch that Ia so uniform.
ly dangerous an the enuou sand spit
that runs along the south side OF Long
Island, projecting 1870 miles into the
Atlantic. The Great South beach, II
In called, or Fire Island beach; but 10
men ~ the sea II IL known as the
Graveyard Of the Atlantic" because
Of the ships that have broken their
backs on tho shifting bars that dot its
length.
Since the white man first sailed
these Deaa. tho Great South beach has
taken its toll. Bluff-bOwed Dutchmen
u Of Rotterdam; Spanish Ralleons
from Cuba; gh-pooped EnRlish
merchantmen that traded to tho loyal
colony Of Now York, kings ships and
fishing boats Of tho old days; stout
clippers and ocean liners-ail these
and many more have driven in with
The flying scud, setting their stems
deep in the clinging sand that has so
seldom lot loose It's prey.
You md evidences Of them In the
shattered thImbers that line tho beach
from Fire island to tho Hamptons
and beyond-stout spars. sections Of
p%lanking, wster0oaked timbers Of
many shapes and ages; and ~onshore,
sometimes n catches a glimpse OF a
shattered hull. draped with the green
seaweed or a sunken mass Of engines
and boilers and twisted pipes.
Tho government long ago recognized
the peculiar dangers OF the Long H.
land shore, with its menace to the
liners that ply between New York and
European ports, and measures 10 safe.
guard Il were taken. At intervals Of
i've miles along tho most dangerous
section, tiny stations are planted,
There are - OF them. each manned
by sight men from tho FIRST Of August
10 the nrat 0f June. Between these
dates all the crews, except captains
or keepers, go of duty--without pay.
These are are stations at New York's
door. They arc also the stations
which do the greatest amount X work
and bear the heaviest responsibility
"a statement that casts no reflection
on the remainder OF the 900 stations.
Some Of the men In these stations
have performed noteworthy deeds OF
Valor, but the most they have ever re-
ceived in recognition has been q few
medals, and In one instance the
thanks Of the New York Legislature,
Despite the undoubted hardship OF
their work. and the fact that they are
called upon to risk their lives more
often than soldiers or sailors, or even
flremen probably. the government has
not seen 1T to raise their pay or In
crease the comforts Of their surround
ings. One wonders how long such an
attitude will be preserved, II seems
unfair and unwise. inasmuch as II has
already begun to react by curtailing
the supply Of recruits,
II should be borne In mind that In :
all tho history Of the ~life-saving serv.
ice there has neyer been an instance
Of co~wardice~~not once. There has
never been n time when a captain
had any difficulty in getting his men
10 follow him into the surf. There has
never been a time when II was neoes-
" for the captain to repeat en- or
der. Now and then. men have been
known 10 drink and neglect patrol
duty. but even these have never
showed themselves TO be towards.
And perhaps, after all, that Is the
thing the service Is most proud Of.
Yes, they do say it's n hard life"
said old Capt George Goddard OF Lone
Hill, when sous one once asked him
why he still stuck TO his job at sew.
eHty. Yes, It may be a hard life" he
mused but | Ike II. Thirty-odd |
years I've been on the beach, for
was a middle-aged man when | Joined
the service. But I'm good for a spell
yet, and then I've laid aside a little.
sos ! can live comfortable. They
don't give uE a pension, you know"
This last waa not a complaint, but a
fact. II vas spoken, too, by a man
who had reached ~three-score years
and ten and who was still able 70
stand up In the stern OF a big surf
boat and handle a kicking steering.
oar, with the seas piling In higher
every minute and the North German
Lloyd liner Princess Irene fast on the
outer bar. His tones expressed a
certain amount Of surprise, but no