FEW RECRUITS FOR LIFE-SAVERS
Small Wages and Lack of Pension Fund Are Driving the
Surfmen Into Less Hazardous Callings. , , ,
forefathers,
father and
UK United States Hfo
savlng service Is finding
It Increasingly difficult
to fill gaps In Its crows
nnuami hv death and
resignation. Tho young
er men of tho coast do
not seem as willing to
accept tho small Bnlary
and groat dangers of tho
sorvlco as wero tholr
It Is still posslblo (o find
son serving In tho samo
crew, and thoio are Long Island fam
ilies that can boost of having every
malo member a coast guard; but
theso Instances are by no moans as
frequent as thoy used to bo. Tho
surfraon nro beginning to doubt tbo
valuo of a sorvlco that pays, at most,
n salary of $1,104 a year, with no pros
pect of ponslon or indemnification If
a man dies In tho performance of his
duty. Why should a man ndopt such
a Jlfo when he can do bettor and live
eafoly as fisherman or oystorman, or
combination carpontor and yacht
Bklpper In tho summer months? Why,
Indeed?
Along tho 10,000 mllos of coaBt lino
thoro Is no stretch that Is so uniform
ly dangorous as tho tenuous sand spit
that runs along tho south side of Long
Island, projoctlng 120 miles Into tho
Atlantic. Tho Gront South beach, It
Is colled, or Klro Island beach; but to
men of tho nea It Is known as "tho
Graveyard of tho Atlantic" bocauso
of tho ships that havo brokon tholr
hacks on tho ohlftlng bars that dot Its
length
Slnco tho whlto man first sailed
these boos, tho Great South beach has
tnken Its toll, niult-bowed Dutchmen
out of Rottordnm; Spanish galleons
from Cuba; high-pooped English
merchantmen that traded to tho loyal
colony of Now York; king's ships and
fishing boats of tho old days; stout
clippers nnd ocean Hnors all those
nnd many moro havo driven In with
tho flying Bcud, setting their stems
deep In tho clinging Band that has so
noldom let looso Its prey.
You find ovldoncos of thorn In tho
shattered thlmbors that lino tho beach
from Flro Inland to tho HamptonB
and boyond stout spars, sections of
planking, water-soaked timbers of
many shapes and ngos; and off-shore,
aomotlmeB ono catches a glimpse of a
shattered hull, draped with tho groon
Beawoed or a sunken mass of onglnos
nnd boilers and twisted pIpeB.
Tho government long ago recognized
tho pocullar dangers of tho Long IB
land shoro, with Its monaco to tho
liners that ply botweon Now York nnd
European ports, and moosuros to safe
guard it wore takon. At Intervals of
flvo mllos along tho most dangerous
section, tiny stations aro planted.
Thoro nro 13 of thorn, each manned
by eight mon from tho first of August
to tho first of Juno. Dotwoon thoao
dates all tho crows, oxcopt captalnB
or koopora, go oft duty without pay.
Thopo nro aro stations nt Now York's
door. They nro nlso tho stations
which do tho greatest amount of work
nnd boar tho heaviest responsibility
a Btatomont hnt casts no reflection
on tho remainder of tho 300 stations.
Somo of tho mon in these stations
havo porformod notoworthy deods of
valor, but tho most thoy havo over re
ceived In recognition has been a few
modals, nnd In ono lnstanco tho
thanks of tho Now York legislature.
Dosplto tho undoubted hardship of
their work, and tho fact that thoy aro
called upon to risk tholr lives moro
often thnn soldlors or sailors, or oven
flromon probably, tho government has
not soon fit to ralso tholr pay or In
oreaso tho comforts of tholr surround
ingB. Ono wondors how long bucIi nn
Attltudo will bo prosorvod. It Booms
unfair and ilnwlso, Inaamuch ns It has
tfilrcmly begun to react by curtailing
ho supply of recruits.
I It should bo bomo In mind that In
nll tho history of tho Ufe-Bavlng sorv-'
lea there has novor boon nn lnstanco
of cowardice not onco. Thoro has
jiovor boon a tlmo when a cnptaln
hail any difficulty In getting his men
to follow him Into tho surf. Thoro has
mpnor boon a tlmo whon It was nocos
&fcry C?r h? captain to ropoat nn or
der. Now and then, men havo boon
known to drink nnd npgloct patrol
duty,' but evon thoao havo novor
showed thomBolvca to bo cowards.
And perhaps, after nil, that Is tho
thing tho sorvlco Is most proud of.
"Yo. thoy do Bay U'b n hard llfo,"
said old Capt. Goorga Goddard of Lono
31111, whon Bomo ono onco asked him
-why ho still stuck to his job nt sev
enty, "Yoo, it may bo a hard llfo," ho
inusod. "But I llko It. Thirty-odd
years I've boon on tho beach, for I
was it, mlddlo-agod man whon I jblnod
tho sorvlco. Dut I'm good for a spell
yot, and thon I've laid asldo u little,
bo'b I can lire comfortable Thoy
don't glvo us a ponslon, you know,"
This last was not. a complaint, but a
fact. It was spokon, too, by a man
who hnd reached throe-BCoro years
and ten and who was still ablo to
staud up In tho stern of a big surf
boat and handlo n kicking steering
oar, with tho soas piling In higher
-every tnlnuto and tho North German
Lloyd lluer Prlnzosa Irene fast' on tho
outer bar. Ills tones expressed a
certain amount of surprlso, but no
complaint. In fact, ho momber of tho
service complnlns about his lot, even
whon ho roslgns.
A man wont to tho captain of his
crow not long ago last summer, to bo
exact and remarked: "I'm goln' to
quit. Cap. Too rriuch work foedln'
tho folks homo, now wo'vo got anoth
or baby."
Tho captain took his plpo out of his
mouth nnd grunted. That was all. Ho
know perfectly well, as well as tho
man la front of him, that with a fami
ly of young children to bo brought up
and oducatod In thqao days of ex
pensive living, It was Imposslblo to
got alomt on tho coaat guard's nnv of
$G5 a month and $9 extra for rations.
If the const guards aro somewhat
rough and uncouth outwardly, they
aro as gentlo and courteous aa wom
en. Tho visitor will find nothing too
class and calling broad-shouldered,
strong-limbed, with deep chests that
havo beon dovoloped by hours of tug
ging at orrs that had to meet tho un
dertow and blto of tho surf. In a way
one 1b sorry to boo material llko this
wasted on tho sea. But thoro Is an
other sldo to tho Jtory. Is It wasted,
after all? These youngsters lead cour
ageous, healthful Uvea, out In tho open
air. Tho city moans nothing to them.
Eddy Baker, who bossed tho job
In his father's abaonco whon tho An
tonio Lopez camo oshoro noar Point
o' Woods two summers ago, and wont
out to her with a scratch crow of cot
tagors and bay mon, wob onco Invited
to spend a week in town with somo of
thoso Bamo cottagers, who had taken
a fancy to his strong, slmplo nature.
Ho was bo dismayed by tho confusion
of civilization that ho lost himself at
four tugs bad unexpectedly dislodged
her from the sand bar:
"I'd llko to bo aboard her," Bald a
man, wistfully, as ho thought of tho
long trip back to tho city by boat and
train.
"Why?" asked young Baker. "To
go to Now York? Shucks! What do
you want to go thoro for?"
Somo of the Lone H1IJ surfmen bad
been standing around when Baker
made this romark and, nfterward, in
the messroom of tholr atatlfln, just
after Buppor, and tho "sunset" patrol
had started out, tho subject was
brought up again. Thoy wero mildly
amused by tholr visitor's Inclination
to roturn to New York and, finally,
Jim Reynolds, who, as ho said him
self, had had moro schooling than tho
rest, was induced to frame tho philos
ophy of his mates in concroto phrases.
f jg" " "
b , --,Vm 'hP &
-ikw jT-mv iStiwiL & -r-r- - azjv-to
Vri' ' ' '-'rirTTgnrWIillll'll III I' M Tl III mini I ll I tirrWIiliT i niTniTT-J''r-J-' "t1
iPUBH
Wvw s-sr- jzpjtjraizrif jivar-'
goodfor him. When you Bit down to
oat with them you aro oxpoctod to
forngo for yourself. Thoy tako it for
granted that overy ono does that at
any table. Every man knows how to
reach for tho condensed milk can, ac
cording to tho coast guard's view
point. But If thoy onco got It into
their heads that n visitor Is not far
ing properly thoy will mnko amends.
Any stranger who goes to a life-saving
Btatlon and appears to bo a decent
citizen can havo board nnd lodging
and ho isn't nBkod to pay, olthor. That
part of tho bargain Is loft to himself.
Even If ho does pay ho won't bo al
lowed to tax himself moro thnn tho
cost prlco of everything. This Is not
said unknowingly; It Is a fact Tho
llfo-savorB of tho Long Island coast
havo n codo of hospitality as rigid ns
the American Indians.
Thoy aro of tho puroat American
stock, often with a strong vein of old
Dutch blood from tho colony at West
Sayvlllo. In moat cnaoa thoy havo fol
lowed tho sea from fathor to son for
from four to elx generations. Ono ts
almost Inclined to bollovo that thoy
nre born lenthor-Bklnned nnd ablo to
pull tho hoavy fourteen-foot ash
swoops that row the BiirfboatB and
"solf-balters," Some of tho Long
Island fishing families havo estab
lished cuvlablo reputations for them
solves In tho sorvlco, Take the Rhodes
family, tho Bakorn, tho Roynoldses,
tho Raynora, tho Soamons and many
others. Thoy havo nil furnished at
least ono horo.
Captain Baker of tho Point o' Woods
station has two sons In tbo sorvlco.
Tho oldest, Eddy, Is No. 1 man. at
Point o' Woods; tho Bocond, Wally, Is
at Bluo Point, and tho youngest, Sim
my, is alroady on tho ollgtblo list tor
appolntmont at Lono Hill. They aro
tlno, husky, strapping boys, tho best
typo of young Americana of tholr
Jamaica, whero he had to chango cars,
nnd It took the pollco half a day to
find him. He had novor seen tho In
sldo of a big theater before his visit,
nnd ho went Into ecstacles at tho din
ner tablo ovor somo Ice cream that
had been frozen In fnncy molds. But
ho could fry ham and eggs as doll
clously aB tho boat chef that ever
handled a grlddlo, and ha know his
way through the mysteries of flap
jacks, plum duff, and other dtshos that
form tho Ufo-Bavor's menu.
It was this samo Eddy Baker, by
tho way, who summed up tho wliolo
vlowpoint of hla ktnd as the big Prln
zoB3 Irono headed for Now York, after
"You see, down hero, wo'vo got thd
clean sea and tho wind?7 ho said.
"Everybody knows everybody else.
And tho everybodles aren't so thick
that wo can't havo lots of space and
air and sunshine pn all four sides of
us, outdoors and in. Nobody down
bore Is after your money. I don't neod
to knock the city. But down here they
llko you for yourself. Eddy Baker's
right I can't see how anybody likes
to llvo In tho city. Why, think of tho
breakers and the fights wo havo with
them. Do you have anything llko that
In tho city? No, sir; I guess not"
The fact Is, theso men do not mind
tho dangers and privations thoy un
dergo. They aro nerveless, or prac
tically so. Thoy are not wholly Ig
norant of fear; thoy roallza It In grad
uated degrees. Men llko Captain God
dard of Lono Hill or tho Bakers of
Point o' Wooda havo reduced tho ap
prehension of danger to a minimum.
Although, It should bo said, ovon Cap
tain Gooddard, stanch old veteran that
ho Is, has been known to break down
and cry.
For the Sake of Novelty
Small Girl's Excellent Reasons for
Wishing She Might Be a Hen, If
' Only on Occasional Sunday.
Out back of tho houso, on a grassy
bank overlooking tho chicken yard,
sat Mlaa Thung nnd Margaret last
Sunday. Thoy wero absorbed, espe
cially Mnrgarot. In watching tho
chickens.
"They scratch just tho samo on Sun
day," observed Mnrgarot reflectively,
"as thoy do on weekdays. It's wicked,
I 'sposo."
"Oh, no, It Isn't wicked." objected
Miss Thung.
"My mother says that 'musmenton
Sunday Is bad for the soul," remarked
Margaret. "But chlckons aro not llko
Uttjo boys and girls, aro they?" sho
quostlonod with a baby sigh.
"No, they aro quite Ulfteiont."
"They haven't got a soul, have
they?" pursued tho child.
"No."
Margaret paused long nnd roflect
lvoly. "r wish I was a hon," shr said
at last with doclslon.
"But don't you llko to bo mamma's
dear llttlo girl?" Inquired Miss Thung
in surprise.
"Oh, yos, I 'sposo so," replied Mar
garet "But," sho concludod wistfully,
"I think I should llko to try being a
hon for a while "
Fraternal Fractions.
Lodger My brothor Is coming on
a vlait; havo you n couplo of spare
cots?
Landlady A couplo! Is he so big
as all that?
Lodger No, but you soe tho fact
is, ho really consists of two half-brothers,
ntv. w "r- 'w' v c- i
JL$L.sfr i --Zz-AJ
BHAVSINHJI, MAHARAJAH OF BHAVNAGAR
Accessories.
Bacon A small ploco of tubing
fastonod across tho handle bars of a
motorcyclo will hold convenient small
accessories for which thoro Is no oth
er placo on a machlno.
Egbert By accessories I suppoao
It means arnica, wltchbazol and court
plaster, i
Tho publication of tho history of
tho Rajkumar college of Kathlawar in
western India has drawn Into promi
nent notice tho movement for tho ed
ucation of the chlofs and princes of
India which waa commenced half-o-century
ago on tho model of tho
English public bcIiooIb. Tho work,
which has been Bumptuously got up,
gives a comploto record of tho
growth of tho movement up to dato
nnd servos as a book of reference
both with regard to tho daily work
carried on in that somlnary and the
two generation of youths who havo
passod through its portals. In this
way It amply testifies to tho success
which has beon achlovod by tho Insti
tution slnco Us foundation, Of which
many of tho reigning chiefs of west
ern India themselves furnish living
examples.
As a rulo tho present generation of
theso prlncos may bo regarded ns e
notable Improvement upon their pre
decessors of half-a-contury back, for
although It may not bo possible by
tho methods of western education to
Inculcate In them a higher degree of
' the ordinary courtesies of llfo which
aro inherent in tho oriental of tho noblo type they aro doubtless better
fitted than their forefathers wore to realize and discharge tho obligations that
lie upon them aB responsible administrators. As leadors of society In their
own territories some of thom have aet noblo examples in tho way of social
and educational reforuiB by breaking through old customs and superstitions
which havo cramped the Uvea of tholr women for centuries.
Tho compiler of tho history himself has, been ono of thom, and tho be
stowal of tho coveted distinction of tho crown of India on the Maharanee of
Bhavnagar by his majesty at tho imperial Durbar was a fitting recognition
of hor husband's efforts to elovato tho statup of Indian women. Besides
being a successful administrator tho Maharajah Bhavslnhjl la fond of liter
ary pursuits as the history of his alma mater testifies, and ho doserves to
be congiatulnted on tho many-sided proofs ho has been giving of tho benefit
he derived from his training thero. He Is, moreover, a keen lover of music,
a fearless rider, and on excellent shot
VICE PRESIDENT SHERMAN TO TAKE REST
Although the family and physician
of Vice President Sherman declare ho
has so far recovered from his recent
illness that his condition Is no longer
dangorous, It Is certain ho will not
return to Washington during this ses
sion of congress and will take no ac
tlvo part In the campaign.
For tho first tlmo In thirty years ho
has been forced to glvo up all atten
tion either to business or politics and
is compelled to tako a thorough rest
-ure.
For a time his family feared tho
notification of his nomination, which
will take place at Utlca, N. Y., August
21, would have to be deferred. This
was after Mr. Sherman was stricken
with heart trouble, tho first tlmo In
his llfo there had been detected any
weakness of that organ, at his sum
mer home at Big Mooso lake, Juno
26. He was removed immediately to
his homo at Utlca, as it was belloved
tho high altitude had an Injurious
effect
For a time his condition was such
as to alarm his friends, bu$ for the
last fow days he has been decidedly
bettor, nnd has been ablo to tako
automobile rides every day. Ho Is permitted to seo his friends, but It must
bo in tho afternoon, and all business matters aro tabooed.
"" 7t i?,c2 .committee is going ahead with tho arrangements for the noti
fication, and If his improvement Is as marked as It has beon for the last
few weeks, thore is no reason to think the arrangements will havo to be
changed.
"I am not at liberty to say much about Mr. Sherman's condition," said
Dr. H. Peck, his physician, tho other day, "but I can say .there has beon a
decided improvement. I see now no reason why the notification cannot tako
placo on August 21, as arranged. That Is a month from now, and there is
every reason to believe he will bo much Improved. I shall, however, forbid
him taking any part in tho campaign this year."
l ' i ii , .
PRINCE KATSURA OF JAPAN VISITS CZAR
Tho present visit to Russia of tho
Japanese statesman, Prince Katsura,
is a momentous development toward
completing the final details of tho
defon3lve alliance pact between Rus
Bla and Japan.
The actual agreement botween tho
former enomies was concluded samo
tlmo ago and probably will bo signed
soon.
Tho agreement consists of two
parts, ono dealing with tho delimita
tion of the spheres of influence of
Russia and Japan In Mongolia and
Manchuria, which Is similar In scopo
and character to tho Anglo-Russian
accord of August 31, 1907, regarding
Porsla. Tho second part deals with
tho duty ot tho two nations for a
joint defense in case either powor is
attacked.
Tho Russo-Japanese agreement of
July 4, 1010, providing for the main
tenance jointly of tho status quo In
Manchuria, was a direct result of tho
ill-fated neutralization schome for tho
Manchurlnn railroads, and tho pres
ent one was the outcome of a long
entanglement which taught both na
tions tho necessity for a close union ot forces.
London advices assert tht the ew agreement Is an exemplification of
the treaty of Portsmouth between Ruabia and Japan. It Is said that somo of
the articles will be oxpunged and restated In n form confirming to Japan
her Llao-Tung peninsular lease, allowing both signatories greater military
freedom In Manchurian development and sanctioning tho building of a new
stragetlo railway,
Tho opinion prevails that Japan will havo confirmed all of her terri
tory south of tho parallel 44, east of longitude 11C, giving hor paramount
Influence ovor nnd enabling hor to dominate Peking, while Russia will havo
comploto liberty ot action In all ot tho Chinese territory outsldo tho great
wall and west of tho Japaneso zone.
Also that Japan formally accepts the Russian twelvo-mllo limit In terri
torial waters and supports tho construction by Russia ot tho Klakhta railway
in Siberia.