The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1915-09-30

Principal Duty In Case Of Emergency
Would BE to Guard the Wireless Sta
tions-Lishthousss Serve as Signal
Towers, and Men Are Trained Sharp
shooters.
The life saving service hitherto has
been a civil institution. It is now In
process OF organization as a military
establishment. for use In case OF war.
Every surfman Il 10 have his Krag
rife and will be regularly enlisted In
stead OF being hired for the season. as
heretofore. Each life saving station
will he provided with one machine
gun, and the keeper will hold rank as
captain.
Rife practice, and plenty Of It, will
be in peace time a part Of the routine
business OF every station, In order that
the men may become expert sharp
shooters They win dig trenches In
the sand OF the beach and with ma
chine gun and Krags viii defend the
shore line against attack by landing
parties Of an imaginary enemy.
Immediately upon the outbreak OF
war the service NOV renamed the
coast guard will automatically be
come an adjunct of the navy, and as
such It will have assigned to 1t the
important duty of protecting the naval
wireless plants strung all along our
coasts ut intervals of 200 miles. The
first thing likely to be attempted by
an enemy Is to capture and disable
these outfits for distributing intellf
gence.
Each wireless plant will be in com
munication by telephone and telegraph
with all the life saving stations for
distance OF hundreds Of miles. and, IN
der the system now being organized. an
emergency summons will call out from
each station a seagoing power boat
carrying n machine gun and dozen
or more armed men Thus. within a
surprisingly short time. a formidable
body OF defenders win be assembled,
trained for the kind Of fighting that Is
expected OF them Hastily throwing
up intrenchments along the beach. the
best fertilization In the world is bank
Of sand They will be able to offer dan
gerous opposition TO an invader.
Every Lighthouse . Signal Station
Every lighthouse from this time forth
h to be equipped as signal station
and similarly provided with telephone
and telegraph BY the same means Of
communication the life saving stations
will be connected together as In a con-
tfnuous chain all along the coasts. No
hostile fieet can approach within sight
Of shore and escape the attention Of the
In their ordinary business. are trained
To see everything that hoats in range
Of human vision.
The lighthouses will serve admirably
as signal towers Their equipment, as
well as that OF the life saving stations,
win include powerful telescopes and
binoculars, wigwag days, navy mineral
fags. pistols that shoot fire balls Of
different colors. and acetylene lamps
| for signaling at night In time OF war
a special signal book will be furnished
by the navy department, the interna-
tional code being OF no value. of course.
, where secrecy Is desired.
At short intervals along the beach are
telephone boxes. like those used by po-
licemen In cities. The surfman out on
patrol Is never more than a mile or two
from such box. Suppose that in time
OF war he catches sight OF squadron
Of hostile warships. lie runs TO the
nearest box and telephones to the sta
ton. The station keeper telephones
or telegrlphs 10 the naval wireless
plant. fifty miles away perhaps. The
wireless outfit sends the news TO the
great long distance wireless towers at
Arlington. across the Potomac from
Washington Arlington calls up the
navy department. which issues core
spending orders by wireless TO our hat
tie feet ana TO the coast forts.
Wartime Regulations.
In case of sudden and serious emer-
gency the coast wireless plant would
send the news direct To the fleet and
TO the forts and batteries Even when
nothing In particular is doing" In war
time daily telegram win be dispatch
ed from each life saving station 10 the
headquarters Of its own district Tin
land. using a cipher word TO indicate
that all hands are well and the equip
ment IN good order,
All such messages In time OF war
will have right OF way over the wires.