Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 207, 24 August 1906 — Page 7

mwML- e?Ml?s V A W, i-fT. 1U-tfC -"i!S5t- ! -rrfiii - ' - Jill is 111? 1 i .

With the beginning of this month the winter reason of the United States Lifesaving Service la Inaugurated. Throughout the coming months of bitter cold weather, when the wind howls In fury and the air upon the beachea la laden with flying snow and Baud that cut the face like a knife, and those who live in country and city hurry home, thankful that there Is a warm fire awaiting tbenr. a band of gallant men. muffled In ollaklna, are stumbling along the Atlantic Coaat in a y peaselesa patrol, ever and anon casting their eyes beyond the line of foaming seas that break in thunder at their feet, watching for the approach of lights that may indicate that some vessel, manned by a half-frozen crew. Is la danger of being wrecked on the treacherous bars that lie, unscen' a waiting their prey. At the breakfast table In the morning a brief dispatch may tell the story or the nlght'a work of the life-savers. It may merely 'state that a vessel was wrecked on such and such a bar and her crew was taken ofT. by the life-savers; and the reader. If he lives inland, passes over the Item with a glance. Only those who, live wlthlo sound of the beating waters realize the Importance of our governmental life-saving service. They alone know the peril and hardship undergone by the humble men who com pose the station crews. In order that boiand there a few lives may . be snatch from the hungry sea. It makes no difference whether the endangered persons be the crew of a coasting coal barge or the company on a millionaire's yacht, the life savers arc at tt.e!r post of duty Id the Interest of humanity, ready to rescue .the unfortunate, whoever they may be, of whatever race or clftue. The distress signal Is to them a ffiute appeal to be answered, though evetydne lay down his life la the attempt. In carrying on the ork of this great humanitarian service the , live-saving crews receive invaluat'e co-operation from a private society ' nowvn as the Women National Reli"' 'Association, having Its headquarters li le State of New York. This organlzre n supplies delicate foods and serf-e Si clothing for the use of the shlpwre jd persons succored at the stations. lV(j humane work Is most timely and of tar-reaching beneficence, for in many case's of shlp- , wreck, particularly during the 'Bight, the disaster comes without warning, giving those on board no time to secure their clothing or other personal effects, and upon reaching shore they are absolutely destitute. In many instances, their condition Is rendered even more pitiable from long hours of exposure before their plight Is discovered, and from Injuries sustained by failing wreckage. Before this association ' was formed the lifesavers often had to deprive themselves of clothing they could 111 afford to spare In order to render comfortable and decent the sufferers they had rescued. . With the exception of Denmark the United States is the only country In the world having a life-saving service supported and directed entirely by the government. There are a total of 277 stations distributed along our coasts, 100 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, 61 on the Great Lakes. 1 at the Falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Ky.. and 10 on the Pacific Coast! The number of men employed at these stations is something like 2,000. 7 or S men to a station. The "active season" on the Atlantic Coast (when the station crews are on duty) is from August 1 to May SI; on the Lakes from the open ing to the close of navigation (usually from April 1 to November SO). The stations on the Pacific Coast are manned 1"' year around for the reason that disasters on that co&if are likely to occur at any season. 4 During the Inactive season only the captain (called the keeper) of the station crew remains on duty, the men (called surfmen), who In most cases are natives of the neighborhood, having a two-month vacation. They are, however, by the erins of their enlistment, "subject to the call of the keeper for life-saving "daty during this period, and are paid $3 for each occasion of service. The keeper may also employ volsnteers durlag the Inactive season when necessary. Included In the Dumber of stations above given there are on the eastern coast of Florida 10 houses of refuge, eaca In charge of a keeper during the entire year. No crews are employed at therj stations, as the coast Is generally precipitous, and the places of danger to navigation are In most esses so close Inshore that the crews of Imperiled vessels usually manage to reach land unassisted. The keepers maintain a patrol, however, and that their services are Indispensable was Illustrated upon the occasion of the wreck of the Italian ttark Georges Valentine, which, during the great storm of October, 1904, went ashore during the Bight on the Florida Coast, oue-thlrd of a mile east f Gilberts .iar House of llefuge. The vessel struck with terrific force, her three steel masts falling almost simultaneously and killing a member of the crew. The others on board, numbering 11, finding that the:- could not ieBiala on the vessel, which was rapidly axoing to pieces, plunged In'- the sea and

T ill Mil - sLs - - - - ' v " x ' -v A r Os

struck out for the shore. Seven of them, after a terrible buffeting, were thrown upon the beach more dead than alive "ut the others perished In the breakers. The first man to reach land was Victor It. , Erlckson. He was well-nigh exhausted, but being in better condition than his comrades, he at once started along the beach In quest of assistance. On his way be found one of his fellows thrown up on tbfe beach and entangled In some wreckage, whom he freed and took along with him. While these tragic Incidents were taking place the wrecked vessel was Invisible from the shore, and the solitary man at the Gilberts Bar Station had no Idea of what had occurred until the arrival of Erlckson and his shipmate, about 9 P. M. After giving the men stimulants and putting them to bed the keeper went to the scene of the disaster, and, unmindful of the raging tempest, worked until dawn, when he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had saved five lives. For two days the storm continued In unabated fury, cutting off all communication with the mainland, reducing the Valentine to a total wreck, and, had there not been a 'house of refuge on the bar In charge of a brave man, some of those who succeeded In getting ashore must have perished for want of succor. The federal life-saving establishment may be said really to date from the year 1S71, although It was not made a bureau of the government until several years later. During the winter of 1S70-71 several fatal disasters on our coasts aroused the country to the need of adequate protection to shipping and the lives of seafarers exposed to the dangers of shipwreck. At that time the life-saving operations of the government, such as they were, were under the supervision of the Revenue Marine (now the Revenue Cutter Service). For the work of reorganization and Improvement the present general superintendent of the Life-saving Sevlce was chosen. An appropriation was secured from Congress, and the work of creating an adequate life-saving system was begun. By 1S73 the project had attained such Importance that It was made a separate bureau. The Hfe-savlng stations are located with reference to points of danger to shipping. On long stretches of sandy beach, such as Cape Cod, the Long Island and New Jersey Coasts, the stretches between Delaware and Chesapeake Bays, and from Cape llenry to Cape Ilatteras, the stations are located at Intervals of about five miles. These coasts are all very dangerous, and along them vessels are about as liable to strand at one place as at another. This entire coast Is patrolled four times each night, and a patrol is also maintained during the daytime in thick weather. The frequency of the stations enables this Important vigil to be kept and also makes practicable the co-operation between the' statlonr crews on octa' slons when to perform effective wreck duty more men are required than a single station crew. On other coasts the stations are not so numerous, being confined to isolated dangerous points. With the exception of perhaps a dozen such points on our coasts, those places offering a menace to navigation are now amply protected, and within a few years the cfiast guard of the service will stand watch at every point where protection Is needed. In addition to warning vessels off the coast by Coston : light by' night- and by other signals by day and responding to wrecks the life-savers aid whenever asked, and many mariners have had their craft relieved from danger by the surfmen. The latter have In many Instances gone ,

offshore to disabled boats, rerigged them and taken them to places of safety. They also co-operate with , wrecking companies, and the number of vessels saved numbers thousands, while the property rescued amounts to many millions of dollars. So carefully is the coast patrolled and so efficient Is the service that the loss of life Is reduced to a minimum. While the statistics of the season of 1905-6 are not yet completed, those of the preceding years prove that the $l,SO0,000 that is annually expended upon the service is a good investment, as the followlug summary of the work of the department since Its Inauguration shows: Since November 1, 1S71, to the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1005, the results were: ' Number of disasters 15,031 Persons Involved 111.050 Lives lost 1,(108 Persons succored at stations.. 18,930 Days' succor afforded 54,828 Value of vessels and cargoes. .$227,642,559 Value of property saved .'$179,758,512 Value of property lost $47,8S4,047 Of course, one will understand that much of the loss of life aud property occurred in the days when the service was small. For Instance, S5 persons were lost on the wreck of the steamer Metropolis in 1S77-73, when the service was Impeded by distance, it being conceded that had the crew been on the scene sooner every soul would have been saved. Fourteen other lives were lost during the same period for a similar reason. The general summary of the season 1904-5 shows that the efficiency of the service is now at a high standard, the report being: Number of disasters.. 7S5 Persons Involved 5,044 Persons lost 37 Persons succored 624 Days succor afforded 1,510. Value of vessels and cargo $10,5S5,350 Value of property saved 58,175,210 Not Included in the above, 107 persons were rescued from divers situations In which their lives were imperiled; 27 had fallen from wharfs, piers, etc.; 7 were in bathing, 52 were cut off from land by water, 7 were In burning buildings, 3 had attempted suicide by drowning. 2 were lying on railroad tracks Intoxicated, 1 was frostbitten and unconscious on the beach, 2 were lost on the Ice in a thick fog, 2 were In runaway accidents, 1 was suffering from a severe hemorrhage, 1 was bitten by a rattlesnake, and 2 were on a locomotive that had plunged through an opeu draw at night. The fully equipped Hfe-savlng stations, as may be seen by the illustrations, are commodious frame structures, and upon their location depends their equipment. Those situated on the Atlantic Coast, where there are long stretches of sandy beach, are provided with light surfboats, which may be either launched from skids In front of the houses or else transported to the scene of .the wreck on, wjde tired carts. - Horses are used -to .a,.-limitd extent to haul the beach apparatus usually one horse at a station, and In some cases two. On bold shores, where the lifeboats may be launched directly Into deep water, the self-rlghtlag, selfrbailing boat Is used. This craft is a modification, of the English type of lifeboat, la the way of stability, and Inother respects has advantages over the lighter boats. The adoption of mechanical power for the larger boats of the service is a new feature, which has not as yet become general, but it Is proposed to place power boats at all stations where conditions will permit of their being launched with facility. They are considerably heavier than acy boats now generally used tweighiug five or six tons and at many stations, where the beach Is shelving, or

n -i

w Art where there is a surf, they could be gotten Into deep water only with great difficulty, if at all. The operation of launching would also involve considerable delay at a time when moments were precious. The few boats of this type that have been Installed have proved their practicability, and the innovation promises to be a valuable addition to the equipment of the service. The government Is constantly on the lookout for effeclve life-saving appliances, and there exists a board on lifesaving appliances, which meets once a year to examine and test the practicability of all devices submitted for its consideration. At some points on the Pacific Coast, where the shore is rcky, and there are great bluffs overhanging the water, the transportation of the life-saving apparatus is beset by difficulties and pack mules have been impressed Into service. A very Important feature of the service Is its system of telephone lines, of which it has upward of 1,500 miles. Wherever practicable the telephone service extends from station to station. It is also connected with the commercial and maritime centers of the country, to which are transmitted wreck news and other information relative to shipping. By Its aid wrecking outfits are frequently called to the aid of stranded and disabled vessels In time to prevent great loss. It also enables a station-keeper to summon the crews of other stations to his assistance for wreck duty when necessary. If the life-savers snatchy lives from tie insatiable sea, the latter takes its toll from the former, and every now and then a surfman gives up his life in the attempt to save others. One of the most noteworthy sacrifices of life-savers la their attempt to succor the helpless was on March 17, 1902, when seven of the crew of the Monomoy Station lost their lives while responding to the signals of a panic stricken crew of five men on the. barge Wadena, which was stranded oa

JtfZ's ArAf 4rv '3r-t , zyi

4 zjszJ? .llr

Shovelful Shoal, off the southern end of Monomoy Island, Cape Cod. These five men subsequently lost their lives, but from evidence gathered afterwards It was conclusively their own fault. The barges Wadena and Fltzpatrlck went ashore on the night of March 11, during a northeast gale and a teavy sea. A few hours later the life-savers took off the crew. When the weather moderated wreckers were engaged to lighten the barges, and off and on the work was carried on until tha night of March 16, when the weather, became so threatening that the wreckers, with the exception of five on the Wadena and three on the Fitzpatrlck, abandoned the work and sought harbor. The next morning about 8 o'clock the keeper saw a distress signal flying from .the Wadena, although the weather was thick, rain was falling ana a fresh southeast wind was kicking up an cgly sea, the barge did not seem to be la any danger. Notwithstanding there was the signal, and the keeper said to his crew, "We must go. There is a distress flag In the rigging." The lifeboat was manned and the trip begun. The sea was running nasty on the shoals and the boat shipped great quantities of water, adding to the discomfort of the men. The boat, however, reached the barge and the five men "Jumped in. As the boat was cut adrift ami the oarsmen were trying to turn her a sea broke over them r.nd poured considerable water into the boat. In an Instant the five men became panic stricken. They stood up, clung to the surfmen and Impeded them so they could not manage the boat and a huge wave struck the little craft and turned It over. Twice the life-savers righted it, but each time the seas upset It. The water was bitterly cold, and the foam of the breakers almost suffocating, while the terrible buffeting caused the men one by one to lose their hold and they sank until but one was left. He, too, would have perJalifcd bd oat C.nr, .Elmer E. Mayo, who

fc

4 jt ss JVy' was on the Fltzpatrlck nearby, at the risk of his life, launched a dory and rescued the half dead surfman. Thus, of a dozen men, but one survived, and the lost seven life-savers represented one of the most fearless crews along the dangerous coast. The Wadena remained safe several days after the disaster, and the general conviction" Is that the men were practically a sacrifice: on one hand to the needless apprehension aa senseless panic of the men on the barge, and on the other to their own high sense of duty, which would cot permit them to turn their backs upon a signal of distress. The life-sarers, la taking crews from wrecke vessels, are frequently called upon to perform service from which many men would shrink, no matter how brave. An Instance of this was at the wreck of the schooner Jennie Hall, which, in a 50-mile northeaster, went ashore about 10 miles south of Cape Henry. The crew from Dam Neck Mills Station, below Virginia Beach, responded and took off the crew by breeches buoy. The last man from the wreck told the keeper that there was yet one man left and the buoy was sent off again. No attention was paid to it, and the keeper realized that the man. If alive, must be helpless and he called for a volunteer to Investigate. Surfman John R. O'Neal, despite the assurance that It was taking his life In his hands, made the hazardous trip to the vessel and found the man unconscious and wedged between the crosstrees of the vessel, whither he had climbed for safety. O'Neal, although wet through and the mast was swaying many feet from aide to side, threatening to fall at any moment, worked for fully 15 minutes, and only after he was becoming numb from the awful cold and realized that he could not move the man, did he give the signal to be hauled ashore. Then, after making his report, he again volunteered to go out If someone would go with him to help. By this time the vessel had shifted, forming somewhat of a lee and the iifhot ku aA. 7rmrh

(1 i

log the vessel O'Neal, this time accompanied by Horatio Drlnkwater, again went aloft. Their position was a perilous one. Tha schooner was pounding furiously and th masts were momentarily expected to fall. Had they done so, nothing could have saved the men, as the heavy eea thrashing the wreckage at the side of the schooner would have ground them, to pieces. To make matters worse the unconscious seaman was sowedged In the crosstreea that they could not lift him out. Aa a last resource they rigged a tackle and, after an hour of heart-breaking toll, got the apparently dead man lashed to the buoy, and he was hauled ashore, followed by the surfmen lu a similar manner. Tba seaman, although In a bad condition, was revived, and la a few days completely recovered. For their heroism O'Neal aud Drlnkwater were given gold medals, aud they had well earued tbein. The aurfman In his vigil along tba shore keeps a lookout for small aa well aa large crafts. On the night of September 25, 1901, the patrolman from Gay Head Station, Massachusetts, saw a feebly flickering light waving through the darkness a few hundred yards off shore. He promptly burned his coston aa a signal of encouragement and called out the boat crew. Within half an hour Mr. Edward II. Raymond, D. D. S., of Summit, N. Y., and his son were taken, mora dead than alive, from a email yacht. Mr. Raymond later gratefully acknowledged the service rendered by writing t the department the following letter: "Summit, N. Y., October 5. IDOL Dear Sir I wish to praise the keeper and crew of the Gay. Head Life-saving Station for their promptness and efficiency la rescuing my son and myself from poasl-' ble death on September 25. While crnla-: lng In the small yacht Natica we wert caught In a sudden northeast gale at night, and after battling with It for five hours without making any headway, and getting numb with wet and cold, and exhausted with hard work, we were obliged to cast anchor on a lee shore Just outside' of a dangerous bar. We swung a lantern a few times, and received a response' through the darkness from the patrol oa the beach by the burning of a red light.' In due time the lifeboat was alongside, and we were rescued, more dead than i alive. With good care and attention we soon revived. They put a ere' on board afterwards and saved the yacht. I cannot commend their service too highly, fully appreciating their noble rescue at a time when hope was almost goua. (Signed) EDWARD H. RATMtND, D. D. 8. The above Is but one of the many letters received annually by the department.' In similar win the writers pay their tribute to the brave and self-sacrificing men who, by their energy and fearlessness, have placed the United States Llfe-aavlug Service on a pinnacle around the base of which all nations stand and look upward to with envy. THOMAS WILSON. 1 Catching Sturgeon in Russia. The Cossacks of the Ural have a singular way of catching aturgeou, and It Is a method unknown in any part of En-, rope. At certain times In winter tha men assemble in large numbers by the! side of the river and, dismounting from their horses, cut a deep trench across the stream from one of its banks to the other. They lower their nets Into the water and arrange them so as to block up the entlra channel. Then, getting on their horsea, they ride for seven or eight miles along the banks. -They then form a line of horsemen reaching from shore to shore' and gallop down la the direction of the nets. The fish bearing the clatter of hundreds of hoofs Bwlm away from the sound and dart like lightning In the opposite direction. Here their course Is at once arrest-, ed and they become entangled In tha trammels. The quantity of sturgeon la at times so large that the sheer weight of the fish Is sufficient to force a passage' through the nets, a blank day being the result of the fishermen. In England tba sturgeon Is locked upon as being rather poor eating and as unfit for the table, but' In Russia it Is highly appreciated. When served up In cold slices with Jelly and horseradish sauce It la by no means to be despised. The part of the sturgeon most liked by the Russians Is the roe (the famous caviare). A Russian will take this out whilst the Esh Is almost allva and devour It with the greatest relish, for the fresher the roe the better It Is liked. In order to give an idea f the abundance of the eggs of this great fish, it Is stated that the weight of the roe will equal nearly one-third of the weight of the whole animal. There are three kinds vof caviare la Russia, the quite fresh when no salt has been added, then the slightly Baited, which is the kind generally exported to England and other parts of Europe, and, finally, the pressed caviare, which Is the second quality, pressed Into cakes. This Is used for sandwiches and other relishes. A little caviare and a glass or so of Russian vodkl taken a minute before sitting down at the dinner table gives a wonderful stimulus to the appetite. Diamond Eyes. In the beautiful church f St. Paula Fuort le Mora, la Rome, there are two diamonds set In a rather odd place. Thes stones were given to the chorea by lsa-j bella II. of Spala. Above the column of the inner aisles and tranSept Is a row of medallions f all the popes. These medallions, although they look much smaller from the floor, are really five feet In diameter. Viewed from a certain position the eyes of one f the popes seem to emit lightning Cashes at times and at others to glow with a lurid light. Those are the diamonds donated by tha . . Spanish Queen.