Evening star., 1914-07-12
REVENUE CUTTERS A!9 A!9
VESSELS IN DISTRESS
Lives Saved and Property Rescued
Both at Sea and on
Shore.

Eleven reports from commanding
officers of vessels of the revenue
cutter service. telling of assistance
work done. were received at the
bureau Of the service in the Treasury
Department in the past week. and the
activities of the vessels ranged from saw
ing human lives to aiding In extngush-
ing a waterfront fire. The reports came
from the Atlantic. great lakes and Pacific
stations, and most of the work was done
by the little vessels OF the service that
do not ordinarily figure in assistance re-
ports in the winter cruising time.
While cruising in the vicinity of Chi
cagO the little cutter Patrol. the smallest
vessel in the revenue cutter service. saved
the lives of two men who We're in
hydroplane when it capsiZed. The men
on the Patrol saw the accident and
reached the vessel just in time TO save
to go to the bottom After rescuing the
men the hydrop!ane vas taken to der
rick righted and then towed to its boat
house. Earlier in the week tine Patrol
had picked up dsa bled motor boat the
Mildred. in the lake at Peoria. Ill. and
toWed it to a place of safety.
Rescues Near the 800"
Up on the st. Marys river Michigan,
al the northern confines of the country,
the launch Nigilant. employed In the
500 canal patrol found the tug Bob
Stephenson hard and fast ashore on Keep
point, and after several hours work the
tug was worked into deep water. and was
able to continue on its way unasssted.
The Nigilant also has to her credit the
rescue of the three-masted schooner J. II.
Meade of Chicago. from danger of going
ashore in an exposed position on Winter
Point shoal, st. Marys river. during a
gale The little vessel. using every ounce
Of her power. pulled the big schooner
away from danger and to a place of
safety.
In New York harbor. the launch Calu-
met. one of the harbor patrol boats look
ing after anchorages, found the launch
termilk channel. She was towed to safety
in Erie basin. Out on Puget sound the
little launch Scout. which has been doing
considerable assistance work recently,
found the motor launch Tomboy, with
two persons aboard. drifting at the mercy
of wind and tide. The supply of fuel oil
had given out and there We're no oars in
the boat. and but for the timely appear
ance of the Scout the vessel would prob
ably have been lost. as the Gather was
stormy. The Tomboy was taken In tow
to safe harbor.
When the cutter Apache arrived at
Black Walnut cove, Choptank river. to
assist the schooner L. c. Spencer which
had been capsixed in a summer gale and
had been righted by wreckinz concern,
the first thing she had to do was to sup
ply the men on the schooner with food
Then the vessel was taken in tow to
Hoopers straits, from which point the
master Of the schooner said ne could
sail his vessel to a shipyard for repairs
Helped to Fight Fire.
Timely assistance given the local fire
fighting force at Peaks Island. near For
est City landing, Me, by the crew of the
cutter Woodbury. prevented the destruc-
ton OF several hundred thousand dollars
worth of summer resort property. the
men from the cutter aided in running hose
ings and were largely instrumental in
preventing the spread of the flames
Later the Woodbury. went to the aid of
the yacht J. n Onita. ashore on an
island near Portland The vesse was
freed from the rocks that held her ana,
being unharmed. was able to proceed un-
der her own steam.
It's slow week that the cutter Acush-
net. on the VINEYARD sound and Nan
tucket sound station. is not called upon
to aid vessels in trouble. Recently she
fioated the two-masted schooner Mary
Pennel of Harrington. Me. from off
shore at East Chop. near the entrance
TO Vineyard Haven and towed her into
the haven. While working on the
schooner the cutter received radio
message that the sloop Rita was ashore
or No Mans Land. south of the island
Of Marthas Vineyard Owing 10 the
shoal water In which the sloop was "
used in floating her. After several hours
hard work and the breaking of numerous
hawsers. the vessel was hoated and taken
to Woods Hole.