The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-06-02
BENEFIT ASSOCIATION
BY Paying Dues They Provide
Funds For Widows Made BY
The Wild Ocean Storms
Fifteenth Annual Convention
To Meet at Elizabeth City
June gill
(By S. CHtPI!N.)

(BY S. CHAPL!N.)
Elizabeth City. May 30.-The Surf |
mems Mutual Benefit Association will
meet here in its fifteenth annual SEES
sion on June 9Th. 10th and 18th. P. /
H.. Morgan. president Of the ~associa-
ton and superintendent of the Sew
enth Division OF Life Saving stations.
will preside. John w. Richardson is
secretary and treasurer.
This is the only public gathering
Of any Importance to meet here this
year and Elizabeth City people have
made big preparations to entertain
the surfmen III royal style. There
Will be about seven hundred life saw
ing men here from every station on
the tlantic coast. from Maine TO
galveston. n from the Great Lakes.
but mostly from the stations of the
Seventh Division, which are near
Eliza City. Their stay in Eliza
beth will be divided between bust
ness meetings of the association and
the various amusements which the
| citizens have planned for them. The
Surfmen. in their turn, have arranged
a very interesting and instructive fea-
ture Of entertainment for the people.
1t is a public drill. in which they
will show just how the life saving APP
paratus is used in saving crews and
passengers from sinking ships on the
coast.
The Benefit Association.
The Surfmen's Mutual Benefit AS
%sociation is fourteen years old. It was
organized in the Arlington hotel in
Elizabeth City on the 4th Of June.
1900 with five members-H. H. Gal
Iop, president; J. f. Woodhouse, vice
president and N. w. Daley, secretary
and treasurer, r. O.. Crisp and z. G..
Burrus. The association had at the
last annual meeting. a year ago., L.
$50 members. It is rapidly growing
in popularity with the members OF
the life saving stations. The pur-
pose Of the organization is mutual
protection of the families and those
dependent upon the surfmen, whose
calling is SO dangerous that it rem
ders life very uncertain, those de-
pendent upon them being lab to be
bereft Of their protector at any time
without a minutes notice.
A second meeting Of the association
was held five days after the organiza-
. ton, June 9th, 1900. SO popular had
the idea become among the surfmer
for a mutual benefit association. that
1876 members of the life saving sta
tons of the seventh division met ir
Elizabeth City. The life saving meT
OF other sections Of the United States
earned Of the movement, became i'm
pressed with the practicability of thu
: plan, and, when the association me
: in it's second annua session, five hun
dred members were enrolled and thu
5 benefits which a Deen fixed in tn
y first meeting at five hundred dollars
were increased to $4,000. The as
SOciation has grown year by year un
til there were 1880 members enroll
, ed in the last session. The benefit
paid to the benefciaries of deceased
. surfmen have been increased t
: $1,000 90.
How 1t Is Maintained.
To maintain his association. eacl
member pays $3.50 per month or 81
per year. These Cues from the mem
e bers provide a fund ample enough t
pay all the running expenses Of tn
: organization. pay the beneficiary o
the deceased Surfmen of $1,000 an
keep IN the treasurer all the time
n large surplus. Since the association
!, was organized fourteen years age
q more than 500. 10000 has been pai'
o out to beneiciarieS of deceased surf
men. In most instances this sum O
money paid promptly upon the dealt
a Of the member has been a boon to hi
family and has maintained them i
easy circumstances until the gov
eminent paid its allowance Of tw
years pay twelve months after tn
= death Of the surfman.
/ Brave Men and Their Work.
The Atlantic. Pacific and Gul
q | coasts ana the coast OF the Urea
axes are dotted at regular interval
with life saving stations which ar
=, manned with the most experience
seamen and the bravest men that tn
government can secure. who stan
guard over the shipping Of the worl
when il approaches the dangerou
sand reefs and rocky coasts Civ
warning OF dangers that lie hidden t
IT the Seamen as they struggle with tn
storms. and when the ships are caugf
in the grasp of mgr seas and hurl
ed on hidden rocks and reefs. thes