Evening star., 1927-12-04
FlS FrmC GarO O@cnEx Seven
Y~mP gReeya dRuR

A cowboy from "on high" lass,
lifelineS from elevated sta
tions, speed in racing planes to ships
in distress at sea or on rock-ribbed
storm swept shoals, and carry succoi
to crews and passengers who were
about prepared to meet their fate?
Visualize the stirring scene if you
can. An angry sea- bowling in hun
ger for new victims Inky darkness
"A faithful beach patrolman bent low
against the stinging gale. policing his
beat" alert for signals of distress
Suddenly, he sees the squirting glow
from a speeding rocket, just discern
ible, out at sea. Another and another
follow the first.
The Coast Guardsman translates
the signal into rapid action. Although
tncunlbered by heavy garments. he
races to the central station. There
he sounds the alarm. Lights fash in
the neighboring hangar. Soon the
y clamorous purr of a mighty motor
adds its rhythmic noise to the song
of the seas storm. Hangar doors are
opened. An amphibian airplane is
rolled along the runway.
With precision, it scars from the
ground. What are these birdmen go-
ing to do? viii they speed to sea.
alisht on the deck of the sinking
ship, take on what passengers they
can carry and race again to shore?
Will they repeat this rescue, time and
again, until the last person aboard
the doomed vessel is saved?
The story is a thriller, but not quite
as melodramatic as that. There are
well defined limitations to airplane
rescue work at sea. Their complex
ities are pretty we'll illustrated by the
fact that Lieut.. Comdr. c. c. Van
Paulsen of the Coast Guard wrestled
with them off and on for seven years
before he perfected the practical sys-
TENS now in operation at the Cape
May, n. j., and Gloucester. Mass, sta
tions of the Coast Guard service.
Government airplanes are being
used in the novel capacity for space
annihilating vehicles for carrying life.
lines to ships in distress. To trans.
port the imperiled passengers and
sailors bodily from ship to shore is an
impossbility under present conditions.
But to tow a "rescue rope" far beyond
the range of the customary Coast
Guard cannon usually used in "hurl-
ing" such a lifeline to an endangered
vessel is both possible and practical.
Airplanes can carry their rescue ac-
tivities to points one mile or farther
from shore, outdistancing about three
fold the best efforts of the Coast
Guard cannon.
Once the light line is carried from
shore to ship. it is a comparatively
simple matter for the seamen to
"heave to- on that line and through
its assistance to bring aboard the reg
ulation safety cable, historic ''breeches
buoy" and its supplementary tackle
This cable. once in secure position-S
life link between danger at sea and
safety ashore-is the railroad tracks"
by which those shipwrecked ones
travel to the security of a hoSpitable
Coast Guard station.
The ''breeches buoy" is nothing
more than canvas seat attached to
a life preserver. This seat" takes
the form of sturdy trousers in which
the passenger hangs securely as the
Coast Guardsmen haul him through
the wild waves and seething serf. The
rescue is precise and rapid. The
cred with life, scurries along on it's
round-trip journeys. 1t retires from
action only after all are saved, even
the ships cat being carried ashore
clasped in the arm of a friendly sailor.
X y
WHEN the lifeline Is carried out to
lu6 ulSITeSS0u vessel, the weight
of this rescue rope" is such that an
amphibian plane cannot rise from the
ground or water while such drag"
is attached to it's fuselage. Hence the
aircraft takes off as though it were
bound on an exploring trip after rum
running schooners. Once the plane
is in the air it begins to circle around
a pair of lofty masts set perpendicu-
larly 200 feet apart and from Is to 20
feet above the ground.
A horizontal line in loop formation
fastened with spring clips connects
the tops of these high poles. If you
stand close by on the ground. you will
notice the end of a second line fasten-
ed about midway between the masts.
This second line is hanging in a po-
sition parallel to the masts and swings
at right angles to the horizontal rope.
The perpendicular line in this curious
setup is the lifeline which the OBJ
server in the circling airplane must
''lasso," yank free from it's attach
ment. and carry to sea as a trailer be-
hind his fleet cloud cruiser.
The pilot maneuvers his plane until
1t Is above the suspended lifeline. With
speed and deXterity. the observer in
the airship lowers a weighted rope.
With an adept twist he snares the life
Iiiie dS the dlFpidUe EllucS IOTWdfu.
The pull of the plane as it steers
straight out to sea tears the lifeline
from it's elevated position. Like the
tail of a wind-tossed kite, the line
trails behind the plane, which every
second is increasing it's speed.
The airplane continues its course
until it arrives directly above the
ship in distress. Then the observer
in the airplane cuts the lasso which
holds the lifeline so that it falls on
the deck of the ship or else is caught
in the rigging. The awaiting sailors
snatch up the rope which has been
flung to them from the sky. They
'heave in" hand over hand on the
lifelne-light in weight, but very
strong-using it as a tow to bring
from shore a more substantial rope.
This process is continued until the
safety cable is finally hauled to the
ship, securely fastened and the
'breeches buoy" is rugged into place
ready for action.
Having accomplished it's mission of
carrying succor to the imperiled
ship, the aircraft returns to its
hangar while its crew stands by to
deliver any other emergency assist
ance.
These gasfed cruisers which navi-
gate the clouds are not employed eX-