El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-19
US. Life Savers Lead World
SueeOr to Mariners in 1855.
-Rv Frederic ]. HasEzin
ASHINGTON. D. c, March 10

NAI Inc united states lie SalN4nB
w service has been a fully or
/ gained department of the federal gov
eminent since 1878, and was the first
in the world to he put on a national
basis 1t has led all others since that
time, both in size and in the devising
and use of inventions peculiar to its
/ needs. The United States has the long
est coast line of any maritime power
and the service necessarily parallels it.
Today it maintains 13 districts and 290
stations. The net annual expenditures
! for the fiscal year 1912-1913 were 81
were guarded, including 25OO miles
along the Great Lakes. Rescue work
was extended to 1871 vessels, carrying
6631 passengers, the total value OF com
mercial and personal property being
Work Organized IA 1856.
| Notwithstanding the great length OF
our coasts, which are very dangerous
in some places, the life saving business
Of our country struggled along with
! very pitiful results for nearly cen
| fury The Massachusetts, Humane So
ciety was the first in the field in 1856,
when il put a few huts along the most
desOlate and dangerous parts OF the
Massachusetts, coast for the succor or
mariners. The first hut was built on
LOvelIs island near Boston In 1907 II
| established the first life boat station
at COhasset-
Federal interest began in 1S4S with
an appropriation to the society of $lO-
600, and later the government put real
life into its own small service at Cape
Cod. Interest, however, was spaSmOdic
/ memorable for several fatal storms
along the Atlantic coast, where life
saving stations should have been.
First Appropriation of 100000.
George S. Boutwell,, then secretary OF
the treasury, took the matter up with
such vigOr that he secured an appro-
priatiOn of 100000 on April 20, 1871
( Then Sumner Kimbau, chief Of the
/ revenue marine service, was put IN
charge of the life saving stations He
is the heart of the service ana directs
/ il today with the same sympathy that
he did ~ years ago An investigation,
| made in 1871 by Mr.. Kimball and Capt.
John Faunce Of the revenue marine
[ service, showed a deplOrable condition
Of affairs at the various stations due
to neglect and lack of system More
help from congress was forthcoming
| thereafter. In 1873 congress provided
! for the organization of the service,
thanks to the elOquence OF the IaIno
/ CONGRESSMAN, Sunset Cox. The bill
/ passed the house Of representatives
I without a dissenting voice and barely
/ lacked a unanimous vote in the senate.
| Mr.. K;mbau was Immediately ap-
I pointed and confirmed as general su-
perintendent and has held the position
Many stations on the Atlantic.
The majority of the 29O life saving
T Tefuge. are located on the Atlantic
coast, although adequate provision IS
/ made for the Pacific coast, the CUR
unique station is at the falls of the
Ohio river. at Louisville, Kentucky, ana
/ there is an interesting station on the
! lake shore at Chicago me AJlanuC
I coast has the most stations because OF
{ its terrOrS. and IN some places Jney
{ are only five miles apart with their
respective patrols meeting day and
I night From the eastern extremity OF
/ the coast of Maine to Race point on
I Cape Cod there are 415 miles Whlcn
I abound with stony headlands, Jagged
islets. rocks and reefs, and tortuOuS
I channels. Cape Cod itself reaches out
| into the ocean 40 miles It's sand Dars
/ have seen the murder OF hundreds OF
vessels and their precious freight by
I the ruthless elements The coasts OF
Long Island and Jersey are exposed 20
all the eastern storms and their shift
ing sands offer further dangers to the
life saving crew On the cur OF mex
J leo 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
Crews Number Six Men
1 The life saving stations are PLAIN
but solid buildings Wnleh sheIter Ihe
/ keeper and his crew OF SIX or seven
men and give storage space 10 sup
plies and life saving equipment In
Z the majority of stations the first 1ioor
! is divided into four rooms: boat room:
( mess room, which is also the general
living room; the keepers room; ana
F storeroom. Wide dOuble-leated doors
and a sloping platform running from
| the sills to the ground, tacllltate me
] running out OF heavier GQuAplA6At- NJ
/ two rooms Of the second story are lot
] sleeping quarters and for the refuge
/ of shipwrecl1ed persons A few large
stations nave Two e 9oI v i9Gt5i
| On each station is a lookout, where
a day watch is kept The roofs OF me
stations which face the sea are painted
I dark red so that they may be seen a1ar-
They are also distinguished by a Ilag
staff 90 feet high, from whlch slgnaIS
are sent to vessels IN the lntern31lOhaI
code
Houses OF refuge are as Jne neLle
implies simply furnished little places
/ interspersed among the stations Inc
general equipment of a station con
sists Of two surfDoats win cars, ~ NJ
/ boat compass, ETC. a Doat CaIILet5S 9
! two sets Of breechesbuoy apparatus
including a Lyle gun and accessories;
cork jackets. - Cotton signals, u sig
nal rockets set of signal flags OF
the international code, meolclne
I chest barometer, tools, etc Horses are
! sometimes used TO facilitate the trans
portation of boats and supplies 10 the
scene Of a wreck hereNeI ~ y -
sible all stations are connected Dy lele-
Only One River station.
The station at Louisville is pecu-
liar affair. and the only river station
in the service 1t is floaJns Sow
shaped hull which supports a Two STORY
house with its lookout on the TOOL It
1 Is e0uiDped with two life skiffs and
| two reels, each with capacity 70 holQ d
coil of five-inch Manila rope the STA
ton is usually mOOred above the dam
where boats are in the greatest dan
ger But il can be toWed from pace
/ fo place and by being so handled dur
ling the great floods of 1SS3-S4 1t res
cued helpless persons from the roofs
/ of houses and altogether saved SUI
DeopIe and supplied food to over 10000
( sufferers. It is one Of the show places
/ of the Kentucky metropolis The life
! stations proper are very strong and
! have been known to be carried a half
mile inland by a storm without being
| severely damaged
Eight months is the average active
! season" in which the crews are on
I daily duty. The crews go through drill
every week day, the most important
! of which is practice with the beach
apparatus A spar Of wreck pole rep
! rasants q stranded vessel It is nut .