The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-18

tcrrors, and in some places they are
only five miles apart, with their re-
spect1ve patrols meeting day and
night. FROM the eastern extremity of
the coast of Maine to Race Point on
cape Cod there are Ais miles which
abound with stony headlands, Jagged
lstets, rocks and reefs, and tortuous
channels. Cape Cod itself reaches out
lrto the ocean 40 miles. It's sand
bars have seen the murder of hum
dreds of vessels and their precious
freight by the ruthless elements. The
coasts of Long Island and Jersey are
exposed to all the eastern storms and
their shifting sands offer further dan
gers to the life-saving crew. On the
Gulf of Mexico terrific "northers"
must be braved. sudden storms of
great violence on the Great lakes take
their annual toll of life and ships and
defy Uncle Sans fighters.
The life-saving stations are plain
but solid buildings which shelter the
keeper and his crew OF six or sever
men and give storage space to sup
plies and ~life-saving equipment. In
the majority of stations the first floor
- .'~ AAAAo Aoti 'SiAiS ~ hoSN
ROOM; messroom, which is also the
general living room; the keepers
room, and a storeroom. Wide double
leafed doors and a sloping platform
running from the sills to the ground,
facilities the running out of the heav-
Ter equipment. The two rooms of the
second story are for sleeping quarters
and for the refuge of shipwrecked
persons. A few large stations have
two extra rooms, a kitchen and a bed
room for visitors.
On each station is a lookout where
a day watch is kept. The roofs of
the stations which face the sea are
painted dark red so that they may be
seen afar. They are also distin-
guished by a Flagstaff 60 feet high.
from which signals are sent to vessels
in the International code.
Houses of refuge are, as the name
implies, simply furnished little places
i~nterspersed anon the stations. The
general equipment of a station con-
sists of two surfboats with oars, life
boat compass, etc, a boat carriage,
two sets of breeches-buoy apparatus,
including a Lyle gun n accessories,
a transportation cart, a life-car, 20
cork jackets, IL Coston signals, II sig
nal rockets, a set of signal flags of
the International Code, a medicine
chest, barometer, tools, etc. Horses
are sometimes used to facilitate the
transportation of boats and supplies
to the scene of a wreck. Wherever it
is possible all stations are connected
by telephone.
The station at Louisville is a pecu-
liar affair, and the only river station
in the service. 1t is a floating scoW-
shaped hull which supports a two
story house with it's lookout on the
roof. 1t is equipped with two life
skiffs and two reels, each with capac-
ity to hold a coil of five-inch Manila
rope. The station is usually moored
above the dam, where boats are in
the greatest danger. But it can be
lowed from placefto place and by be-
ing so handled during the great
floods of 18S3-S4 it rescued helpless
persons from the roofs of houses and
altogether saved 500 people and sup
| piled food to over 10, 900 sufferers. 1t
is one of the show places of the Ken
lucky metropolis. The life stations
proper are very strong and have been
known to be carried a half-mile in
land by a storm without being Sc
verely damaged.
Eight months is the average active
season. in which the crews are on
daily duty. The crews go through
drill every week day, the most i'm
portant of which is practice with the
beach apparatus. A spar or wreck
pole represents 9 stranded vessel. 1t
is put rs yards distant-over the
water, if possible-from the place
where the men operate, representing
the beach. Each man when called
describes his particular duty. When
the order is given the men pull the
apparatus to the scene of the wreck
throw their line, cast the breaches
buoy across the spar which represents
the sinking ship, n then pull the
supposedly helpless voyager ashore.
A crew is expected to effect such a
rescue" within five minutes and the
inspector or district superintendent
sees hat the mark is met. Several
crews have done it in two n one
half minutes. Such proficiency is the
rule that actual rescues frequently
are made in total darkness, regardless
of the storm.
Patrols are out all night, no matter
how terrible the weather. When a
setinel sights a wreck, he Immediately
sets off his Coston cartridge, the red,
flaring light, informing the vessel that
the life-saving service has sighted
her. The nearest station is on the
scene with the speed of a fire depart
ment. The self bailing, self-righting
~lifeboats, which capsize but once in
every lis trips, are used If possible.
This falling. the wreck gun is fired
off, often throwing the hawser as far
as 700 yards. The passengers are then
hauled ashore, either in the breaches
buoy or the lifecar. Lifeboats
equipped with gasoline motor-poWer
are now used extensively by the serv-,
ice, over 100 types being employed.
The service was the first in the world
to make practical use of motor-power.
All other nations nave copied our
plan, and Canada adopted it bodily.
Whatever the means employed to res