Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-30


| government bureaus still to be published
covering the work for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1912. is
a, Years that of the United States
life-saving service. One of the
NcSoAu' most interesting facts 1t
will contain is that the number of disas-
ters reported from life-saving stations Tor
the year was greater than ever before IN the
history of the service And also out OF the
| /, 100 vessels that suffered casualty, carry
ing a total of 1888 persons aboard, only
sixteen persisted. But those figures become
still more eloquent of the work being done
by the service when 1t is stated that OF
| those who persisted ten were lost In acct
dents to small boats. mostly motor
launches, while the remaining six met
death in a single casualty, being drowned
when an eight-ton launch met with an
accident.
Summarizing the years work, II Is
| shown that Of the 1.73O vessels which met
with casualties only fifty-nine were total
ly lost. The value of the boats involved
amounted to $40. 10000. while their car
goes were worth s. 537. 4O5. The total
value Of the property, then. was more
than $13.24S.OOO, Of which amount put
little more than $2,O9O,O 0O was lost.
Reporting casualty from llfe-saVing
station does not necessarily mean that
the station crew made any rescues y!
the 1870 vessels reported as having met
with accidents: the service rendered ana
| in the case of 1911 in all but 80 or whicn
instances the service worked alone In the
| fifty-nine instances where no assistance
was rendered the vessels were aided either
| by private agencies only or were able to
take care Of themselves. Besides the num-
Def of vessels aided. as shown already. the
service assisted 344 vessels in situations
| of less Importance. and sent timely warn
| ings to. 23S vessels running into danger.
The greater portion of these warnings
were given to steamers at night, and
while there is no way of determining the
number of lives or value OF property
thus saved 1t is believed to be consid-
cradle.
But even such a list as this. does not
comprise the entire work done by the
21S crews scattered over
| Miscellaneous the coasts of this coun-
try. According to General
dsSlsIdAce. Supt. Kimball the peo-
pie living in the neighborhood of the sta
lions look to the corps for assistance in
all sorts of difficulties, and. when it is
that in the years report are found such
| items as rescuing 1O1 persons from drown
| ing or from situations of danger on land;
giving medical and surgical first-aid to
eighty-seven persons suffering from sick
ness. cuts. broken limbs. gunshot wounds.
ETC.: affording shelter and subsistence for
varying periods of time to 2O2 fishermen
hunters and other wayfarers, driven oy
storm and flood to seek refuge at the
stations: recovering the bodies OF 40 per-
| sons-bathers swimmers and others-who
| were drowned or met death In other
ways: saving various articles OF personal
] property, such as fish nets. buggles.
wagons. automobiles. domestic animals.
etc. from the sea- boys. mire and quick
| sand: service at fires involving both pub
| lie and private buildings. of which there
were fiHty-six instances. and. lastly.
| building collins for the poor, conducting
| funeral services and performing buriais.
Such feats as these are required from the
| men who stand ready to give their lives
that other human beings may be rescued
| from the perils OF the sea-.
| The sea and lake coasts of the United
States. exclusive of the coast of Alaska,
have an extent of more than 10000 miles
More extended than the coast line OF any
other maritime country, the waters
| touching the shores of the United States
are among the most dangerous. 1t was
1 for this reason that. In 1873. congress
| formally established the life-saving serv-
| ice. at that time the only institution OF
| it's kind in the world under government
control AS the service stands today, the
coastal regions Of this country have been
| divided into thirteen districts, each in
charge of a superintendent Assistant in
spectors are also connected with each d.
vision, being officers Of the United States
revenue cutter service. In many in
stances the revenue cutter service as
sists the life-saving service in rescue
| work At each of the 279 stations is a
keeper. as well as a captain of the crew.
Crews number from seven to ten. ac-
cording to the Importance of the station
| in relation to the prevalence of danger
the total number of surfmen being 1851
| At the head of the service is Sumner I.
| Kimball. general superintendent. Oliver
NJ Maxam is assistant general superin-
tendent.