Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-08-28

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y -orefathers. It is still possible to find md
father and son serving An the same lt1!e
crew. and there are Long Island u. IAN I'm
\ flies that can boast Of having every
male member a coast guard; but
these Instances are by no means az
ri frequent as they used to be. The
& ssurfmen are beginning to doubt ss the ne
value OF service that pays, at most,
4 salary. OF s.. 1O4 a year, with no pros.
pect OF pension or Ind emntd Il
y . man dies in the performance OF nis
duty. Why should q man adopt sucn
i q life when he can do better and i've
safely as fisherman or FISHERMAN, OF
q combination carpenter and yacht
skipper in the summer months! Why,
indeed .ti| II 5 M III &.
Along the 10000 miles Of coast line
there Il no stretch that 10 30 uniform
liz 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, II
1. u called .Sor Fire Island beach; but to
men Of the sea 1t Is known as the
Graveyard OF the Atlantic I" because
.of the ships that have broken their
backs on the shifting bars that dot It's
q length. s 81 Il 4!
Since the white man first sailed
these seas, the Great South beach has
4 taken its toll. luft-bowed Dutchmen
out &of Rotterdam Spanish galleons
from Cuba high-pooped English
merchantmen that traded to the loyal
u 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 90
a seldom let loose its prey.
You md evidences OF them in the
shattered thimbers that line the beach
Il from Fire island to the Hamptons
and beyond stout spars, sections Of
Il planking, water-soaked timbers Of
many shapes and ages; and oft-shore,
4 sometimes one catches a glimpse OF .
shattered hull, draped with the green
\ seaweedl or a sunken mass OF engines
I and boilers and twisted pipes.
The government long ago recognized
the peculiar dangers Of the Long Is
land shore, with its menace to the
liners that ply between New York and
European ports, and measures to safe
guard 1t were taken. At intervals Of
4 I'VE miles along. the most dangerous
section, tiny stations are planted.
\ There are - of them, each manned
by eight men from the first OF August
to the FIRST Of June. Between these
dates all the crews. except captains
8. keepers. got ofs duty wit outapay..
These are are stations at New York'Ss
door. They are also the stations
which do the greatest amount OF work
and bear the heaviest responsibility
statement that casts no reflection
4 on the remainder OF the 800 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 tho
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
4 firemen probably, the government has
!. not seen At TO raise their pay or in.
crease the comforts OF their surround.
ings. One wonders how long such an
attitude will be preserved. It seems
unfair and unwise, inasmuch as 1t has
already begun to react by curtailing
the supply Of recruits.
1t should be borne in mind that in
4 al the history OF the life-saving serv-
ice there has never been an instance
Of cowardice-not once. There has
never been a time when captain
/ had any difficulty in getting his men
to follow him into the surf. There has
sary for the captain to repeat an or
der. Now and then, men have been
4 known to 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 hard life,"
said old Capt. George Goddard Of Lone
Hill, when some one once asked him
why NO 6Ill oIuSh " AlS JOU a. oCN-
enty. Eyes. 1t may be hard life" he
unused. But like it, Thirty-odd
years I've been on the beach, for l
was 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 US pension, you know"
This last was not a complaint, but
fact. 1t was spoken, too. by man
who had reached three-score years
and ten and who was still able to
stand up in the stern of big surf
boat and handle kicking steering
oar, with the seas piling in higher
every minute and the North German
Lloyd liner Princess Irene fast on the
3 outer bar. His tones expressed
certain amount Of surprise. but no