Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-29
WINTER SEA PERIL
NOW ABOUT ENDED
Revenue Cutters Soon Will
Enter on Summer Period
of Social Duties.
MANY OFFICERS PREFER
STRESS OF STORM PERIOD
Patrolling Courses of Regattas One
of Functions of the Warm
Season

Winter cruising of vessels of the reve-
nue. cutter service, under special orders
10 keep a diligent lookout for vessels in
distress and to give them and those
aboard all the assistance possible, will
end with this month. The last week of
the cruising season has been devoid of
any work Of particular moment for the
boats. Placid weather has prevailed on
both the north and south Atlantic. and
there have been but few calls upon the
vessels of the service for aid.
Following the closing Of the cruising
season the vessels Of the service will go
overhaul in preparation for summer
work. which is more of a social nature
and consists of supervising regattas and
public functions of various kinds. Many
of the officers of the service, 1t is said
prefer the strenuous fights with winter
gales and ice in aiding vessels in trouble
to the summer functions. and are really
sorry when the summer season comes
The closing of the winter cruising sea-
son does not mean that the cutters VIII
not be ready to go to the aid OF Nessei
in trouble. for they are always ready 10
respond TO calls for aid. and much of the
of the service was made necessary oy
heavy summer storms and fall gales In
the winter season the vessels are con-
stantly on the move looking for some
thing to help and waiting for calls for
aid. In the other seasons the cutters
remain in port longer. but are always
ready at a moments notice for any duty
they may be called upon to perform.
Aid for Three Vessels.
The cutter Pamico. on the inland
waters of North Carolina; the cutter
Apache. on Chesapeake bay. and the cut
ter Thetis at Honolulu. this week send
in reports of aid given vessels in distress
The Pamlico, while cruising on Pamiico
sound, was notified that the schooner
Annie May of Chincoteague, Va, was
ashore near Long shoal. Speeding to the
point given, the vessel was found haTu
and fast and several attempts were made
to float the schooner before she was
pulled into deep water and taken to a
safe anchorage. The cutter Apache found
the schooner Ella r. Hill ashore and full
of water in the Choptank river near
Cambridge, Md The vessel was finally
floated and towed to Cambridge. "here
she could be repaired.
Capt. James H. Brown, commanding
the cutter Thetis. at Honolulu. in a re-
port to the department tells OF the explo-
sion of dynamite aboard a ScoW employ
ed in blasting work in harbor improve
ments The explosion was seen from the
decks of the Thetis and her boats were
sent to the scow. Four men. badly in
jured were taken ashore and sent to the
hospital. The master. of the scow and
others of the crew were killed by the ex-
plosion. After looking after the injured
persons the cutter returned to the scow,
but it had sunk and the cutter could do
nothing to raise it.
While the cutter Onondaga, on the
Norfolk station. has had no calls to aid
-essels in distress, she has had a busy
week of it. EARLY In the week she was
employed in blowing up the wreck of the
steamship Monroe, sunk off Hog Island.
on the Virginia coast, in order to make
it safe for vessels to pass over it. Com
pleting this work she returned to the
Chesapeake and is now engaged in blow
ing up the wreck of the barge Dom
Pedro II, which sank several weeks age
is in the way of vessels passing in and
out of Chesapeake bay.
Reports received at the department
state that four steamships have re
Gently sighted the hulk of the derelic
schooner Haskill about 900 miles NORTH
of Porto Rico, and the cutter Algonquin
on the Porto Rico station. has been in
structed to locate the derelict. If i
is found and can be towed into por
it will be done, but if Capt. Billiard
commanding the Algonquin. deems i
inadvisable to attempt to tow the hulk
gun cotton mines will be used to de
stroy it as a menace to safety of yes
sells.