SERVICE, U. S. LIFE-SAVING. 



and dawn is divided into watches, each kept 

 by two men of the crew of six at the several 

 stations. In conformity with this routine, two 

 men issue at sunset from each coast station. 

 They carry beach lanterns and are provided 

 with Coston signals, which are cylindrical cases 

 of combustible materials, fitted into percussion 

 holders. One man goes to the right, the other 

 to the left, each continuing along the beach, 

 keeping watch to seaward, until he meets a 

 similar patrolman from the next station, when 

 he returns to the starting-point, where he sets 

 out again, keeping up his march until the term 

 of his watch expires and that of the next 

 patrol begins. Thus, every night, along the 

 ocean beaches, in moonlight, starlight, thick 

 darkness, driving tempest, wind, rain, snow, or 

 hail, a file of sentinels is strung out, steadily 

 marching, on the lookout for endangered ves- 

 sels. The duty is arduous, often terrible. Storm 

 tides flooding the beach, quicksands, the be- 

 wildering snowfall, overwhelming blasts, bitter 

 cold, are often conditions to the journey. The 

 result is that, should a vessel strand, which usu- 

 ally takes place on some shoal or bar at from 

 one to four hundred yards' distance from the 

 beach, instead of being left unnoticed for many 

 hours, to be torn to pieces by the furious surf, 

 she is sure to be soon discovered by the patrol- 

 men. Seeing her, he at once strikes the bot- 

 tom of his percussion holder, driving its spike 

 into the Coston cartridge, which ignites with a 

 fierce deflagration, reddening the darkness, and 

 notifying those on board the wreck that they 

 are seen. The patrolman then races to his sta- 

 tion and brings the crew. The keeper knows 

 by the state of the surf whether the boat can 

 be used, or whether to resort to the life-car, or 

 breeches-buoy. The boat always puts out if 

 possible, this being the speediest mode of suc- 

 cor. If the surf be impassable, the wreck-gun 

 casts its lariat over the wreck, the hawser and 

 haul ing-lines are set up, and the imperiled sea- 

 farers are drawn ashore. By whatever mode 

 the rescue is effected, it involves hours of rack- 

 ing labor, protracted exposure to the roughest 

 weather, and a mental and bodily strain under 

 the spur of exigency and the curb of discipline 

 which greatly exhausts the life-saving crews. 

 In the case of the boat-service, whether by 

 surf-boat or life-boat, tremendous perils are 

 added to new hardships. The result of these 

 gallant toils in the rigors of the winter beach 

 and the drench of the surf, since the date of 

 original organization in 1871, has been extraor- 

 dinary. During this period of eight years, sta- 

 tistics show that there have been, within the 

 scope of live-saving operations, 6,287 per- 

 sons imperiled on stranded vessels. Of these, 

 5,981 were saved, and only 306 lost 197 ot 

 these at wrecks remote from stations, or at 

 times when they were closed, and the others, 

 in nearly every instance, under circumstances 

 which rendered human aid impossible. During 

 this period the stations have also given succor 

 to 1,382 persons. Their crews have, more- 



SOUTII CAROLINA. 



767 



over, notably performed wreckers' duty, and 

 saved large amounts of marine property. The 

 virtue of organization is attested by these re- 

 sults, but large credit must always be given 

 to the noble fidelity, capability, and dauntless 

 courage of the stout groups of seven who man 

 the lonely stations. Wherever native manli- 

 ness is held in honor, these heroic pleiads of 

 the seaboard beaches, and the gangs of nine 

 who drive the life-boats through overwhelm- 

 ing seas upon the Lakes arid the Pacific, with 

 hearts greater than danger, can never fail of 

 their meed. W. D. O'CONNOR, 



Assistant Superintendent U. S. Life-saving Service. 



SHEPLEY, GEORGE F., died in Portland, Me., 

 July 20th. He was born in Saco, Me., Janu- 

 ary 1, 1819, and was the son of the late Chief 

 Justice Ether Shepley. He was graduated 

 from Dartmouth College in 1837, and after 

 studying law at the Harvard Law School he 

 began practice in Bangor, Me., but in 1844 re- 

 moved to Portland. In 1850 he was elected to 

 the State Senate. From 1853 to June, 1861, 

 he was United States District Attorney for 

 Maine, having been appointed to that office by 

 President Pierce and continued in it by Presi- 

 dent Buchanan. In 1860 he was a delegate at. 

 large to the National Democratic Convention 

 at Charleston, and attended its adjourned ses- 

 sion at Baltimore. In the autumn of 1861 he 

 became colonel of the 12th Maine volunteers, 

 with which he arrived at Ship Island in Feb- 

 ruary, 1862. He was then placed in command 

 of the third brigade. On the occupation of New 

 Orleans he was made military commandant 

 of that city. In June, 1862, he was appoint- 

 ed military Governor of Louisiana, and in July 

 was made a brigadier-general. After the in- 

 auguration of a civil Governor of Louisiana, 

 General Shepley was placed in command of the 

 military district of Eastern Virginia. He after- 

 ward became chief of staff to Major-General 

 Weitzel, and for a short time, during the ab- 

 sence of that officer, commanded the 25th ar- 

 my corps. He continued with the Army of the 

 James to the end of the war, and after the en- 

 try into Richmond he was made the first mili- 

 tary governor of that city. He resigned his 

 commission in the army July 1, 1865. In the 

 following November he was appointed an asso- 

 ciate justice of the Supreme Court of Maine, 

 but declined the position. In 1866 he was 

 elected as a Republican to the State Legisla- 

 ture. In 1869 he was appointed United States 

 Circuit Judge for the First Circuit, in which 

 position he continued till the time of his death. 

 In 1878 the degree of Doctor of Laws was con- 

 ferred upon him by Dartmouth College. 



SOUTH CAROLINA. The Legislature of 

 this State, after the holiday recess, resumed 

 its sittings on January 18, 1878. On this occa- 

 sion, for the first time since the late civil war, 

 the presiding officer qf the House of Repre- 

 sentatives wore a robe of black silk trimmed 

 with purple velvet, the official distinctive 



