The Washington times., 1915-12-11

Replete with thrilling stories of ship
wrecks. rescues at sea. and numerous
other adventures. the report of Capt. f.
p. Bertholf, OF the United States coast
guard. was transmitted to Congress to-
day. and pronounced mighty inter-
estlng reading" While the report con-
tains its full quota of statistics and
recommendations. it is made up chiefly
OF narratives OF trips mads by the trim
cutters and the saving of seamen and
passengers from watery graves far from
shore by these vessels and by the life
guardsmen of the life saving stations.
Assistance was given l,5N distressed
vessels by the cutters and the imperiled
lives of 1907 persons were saved. The
distressed vessels carried a total Of
lO.952 persons, Sl3 of whom were given
medical attention by physicians on cut
ters.
Examined 24,S17 Vessels.
Officers from cutters boarded and ex-
, amined 24.H7 vessels. seizing or report
ing 772 of them for violations OF the
| law. The fines and penalties incurred
by the seized or reported vessels aggre-
gated $29O.5OO. Derelicts valued at $751;
600 were recovered, while twenty-siX
others which menaced navigation were
destroyed. The value OF vessels given
| assistance by the cutters. including their
Among the narratives in the report
Is the story OF the loss OF the cutter
Tahoma, which ran on an unchartered
| reef in Bering Sea last summer The
story OF the disaster is told in graphic
| terms by Commander r. o. Crisp. who
was in charge of the vessel at the time
| she struck the reef. He describes the
futile efforts made to back her of into
open water. and of manning the life
boats while waiting for answer to the
''S. o. s." calls Immediately sent out.
Other sea disasters referred to in the
| report are the wreck of the Paramtta
in Los Harbor, which was salvaged by
coast guard cutter: wreck OF the
Josephine. near Eli Devil Hills Station.
n. c.; wreck of the Edward Lucken-
bach Off Little Island Station. Va.
and the disabling OF the Evelyn on the
cases and a number OF others coast
guard cutters arrived promptly on the
| scene of distress and rendered every
possible assistance in saving lives and
| cRrgoes.
Rare Birds Found.
The report contains extensive refer
erence to the wholesale slaughter OF
walrus and birds on the islands in the
northern Pacific ocean. Several pages
| are devoted to the destruction of bird
life on the Laysan Islands. First Lieut.
| w II. Munter, on board the cutter
| Thetis, reports the finding OF many
birds of rare plumage and strange
| names. Among the members OF the
feathered tribe reported are blue-faceo
boobies, honey eaters. bristle-thighed
curlews, noodles, wedge-tailed and
Christmas Island sheaTwaters, turn
! stones. black boobies, Hawaiian, gray
/ hacked and sooty terms, and black.
footed albatross. The report shows thai
| the birds are being thinned out at al
| amazing rate by hunters, and recon,
mends protection for them.
Asserting that the loss of the Tahoma
| i'm addition to that of the Perry rlvt
years ago, has seriously curtailed thC
activities of the coast guard. Captain
| Bertholf said it Is imperative that two
| new cutters be added to the service
and that 500 900 should he provided FOL
| their construction.
Larger Appropriation Needed.
Speaking of thA need of these vessels
the report says:
"The old cutter Manhattan now limpS
along with woTn-out hull and machin'
cry performing in a very inefficient
manner the important duty of reg:,
! latinE the anchorage of vessels in tho
greatest American seaport Since firsl
recommending the replacement of this
antlquated craft, now over forty-twC