Norwich bulletin., 1915-07-24
CAPT. SANDS MADE
 COAST GUARD suPT.
Promotion Given to We'll Known Block
 Island Man.

Capt. s. Ray Sands, for the last II years keeper of the Sandy Point life saving station on the north end or Block Island. was this week sworn in at Washington as superintendent Of lthe First coast guard district, embrac- ing the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire. He earned his promotion by passing the highest examination of any of the candidates on the North Atlantic coast recently. Of the keepers in the Third district, of which Capt. Herbert NJ. Knowles of Wakefield is superintendent. II took the examina- tion and all of them passed.
 The examination was held under di- rection of a board of which Captain Knowles was head, at Wakefield Cap tain Sands mark being 97 and a frac- tion. He is one of the best known men on Block Island and one of the most ceeds the veteran superintendent, Silas H. Harding. retired. and will take charge of his office at Portsmouth, N. H., at once.
 Captain Sands is a lIneal descendant of James Sands, one of the Is original purchasers of Block Island in 1861, son of Simon Ray and Tanner Mott Sands. The Sands family were prominently identified with the early settlement and later development of Block Island.
 In 1905 he married Miss Frances Perry. daughter of Charles E. and
 
 and,who also came from Colonial stock, being a direct descendant of Edward Perry, who was born in Devonshire, Eng, in 1880, and who later settled in They have two children, Simon Ray, Jr.. and Virginia, aged and 4, re- spectively.
 Captain Sands was born on the orig inal Sands farm. a large part of which he still owns, and received his educa- f9n In the common schools of Block Island. the South Kingstown High school and Bryant & Stratton's com mercia1 college, Providence.
 In early life he had an ambition to follow the sea but was dissuaded from doing so by his father. After finishing his course at commercial college he obtained a position with an oil firm in Providence and later with a hotel in Chattanooga, Tenn. as clerk and after ward steward. His early desire for the | sea overcame him and he returned to I Block Island and engaged in shore and | trap fishing. later becoming purser of the mail steamer running between Block Island, Newport and Providence In January, 1903, he entered the life saving service as surfman at the New Shoreham life saving station, was pro- | noted as keeper of the Sandy Point | life saving station Oct. Il, 1904. and warrant officer in the coast guard ser | vice Feb. 6, 1915. | He has had many thrilling experi- ences in life saving work, both before | and since entering the life saving ser vice, taking an active part in such | wrecks as the government tug Leyden | when 29 persons were rescued by means of a brooches buoy, and in car ing for the victims and survivors of | the steamer Larchmont, which sank in | Block Island sound Feb. Il, 1907, with | the loss of over 100 livesI the majority of the survivors and bodies of victims that were rescued being cared for al | his (Sandy Point) station.
 | Captain Sands is member of sev- | eral fraternal organizations being 2 | past noble grand of Neptune lodge oi | Odd Fellows, member of Atlantic lodge l A. F. and A. M., both of Block Island Newport chapter and Washington com. mandery, K. T., of Newport, and Pales- tine temple. A. A. O. N. M. S., Provi- | dence.
 | Captain Sands promotion gives op- | portunity to John D. Tourgee, who fol | some time has been No. l man on the Sandy Point crew. and who now has | been appointed acting keeper. He is | an excellent seaman, a man of gooC | judgment and will no doubt be con- frmed in his appointment very shortly