The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-01
TOUGHEST PLACE
IN WHOLE WORLD
And When 1t Blows Off Hat
tcras 1t Certainly Blows
Hard.

Captain r. II. Ethridge, nineteen
years in charge of the life saving sta
ton at Hatteras. and at present cap
! tain of thu New Inlet station, thirty
! miles to the north, yesterday turned 4
upon the reporter who wanted to know
about the rugged life of the men
Uncle Sam pays to fish shipwrecked
mariners out of the surf
We'll, i ought TO be able to tell YOU
few things about it. son, seeing that
I've been in the service for twenty.
nine years." he said, not unkindly,
but | think I had better not say, any
thing. You'll put it in the paper, anu
then the North Carolina papers will
print 1t. and I'll be getting a lot OF
Than the thousands of other men whc
are doing the same work every day
in the year.
The talk vcered to the life sav,r's
visit to Richmond. He is here to bt
treated for malady contracted while
In the service. The reporter wondered
naturally If, after twenty-nine years Of
service, the captain was not on tho
retired list. The question stung tho
seaman into speech.
Pensions for Men Who KIN.
No, we are never retired" he said
we keep on working until Ne can't
work any more, and then they turn us
out TO shift for ourselves like you do
worn out horses. It's a funny thing;
don't know IL you have ever stopped
TO think of ii, but, the government pro-
vidcs pensions for the army and navy
but not for the service min. 1t
pensions the men who kill, but not the
men who save life"
Captain Ethridge spoke as man
making casual statement OF fact. and
not at all in the spirit OF one airing
grievance. To his interviewer the in
justice of 1t all WAS glazing enough
For their own protection, be IL said,
the If. savers have organized a Surf
mems Mutual Benefit Association. which
now has membership OF more than
1,i0o, with surplus in the treasury
OF between 10000 and $4,000. Each
member pays an annual fee or 60 and 81
additional when one of ;h.,r number
dies. The association pays $1,000 TO thu
beneficiary of "a deceased member.
There is no sick benefit or disability
fund
ellis have been introduced in Con-
Eress from time 10 time. said Captain
Ethridge, providing retirement, upon
threc-quarter pay after the age of six
ty-four or upon disability. Sueh bill
Is now pending in the House and will
probably b, reached this session.
Blown Some at Inttcrns.
1T gets pretty rough sometimes of
Hatteras doesn't il. captain" remarked
the reporter By way OF starting things
The life saver looked sharply at the
quast!oncr as If TO make sure that h,
had heard Alright.
Does 1t get rough?" he echoed, with
strong emphasis on the first word.
Does 1t get rough? Why, when II be
gins to blow RICH, there Is nothing
like it on earth. It's the toughest
place in the world. that's all. Capa
Horn and the Lizard aren't In H."
The captain declined absolutely to
talk about the life savnig incidents in
which he had taken part. They were
many. times almost without number.
but everybody had his work TO do.
II haven't got the figures with me-"
said Captain Ethridge. but in the last
thirty years ! believe more than 800
persons We're saved from wrecks off
Hatteras alone. Previous 10 that time,
before the organization Of the service.
pretty nearly all OF them that hit the
shoals went 70 pieces with all on board.
1t isn't so bad now. since the introduce
ton of the wirsless. Those that carry
the apparatus are often warned in time
by the wireless station at Hatteras."