USCG HISTORY: On this day, November 13, 1883 -The sloop Madge Schults capsized as she was passing in through Rockaway Inlet, about half a mile distant from the Rockaway Point Station (Third District). The only crewman of the sloop clung to the bottom of his craft and made signals for help. They were seen by the lookout at the station and the life-saving crew went off in their boat. He was taken from the water and landed on Barren Island. -------------------------------------------------------- Rockaway Beach [East] #35 Daniel Mott Keeper John H. Abrames Surfman Jordan Warner Surfman Charles Pettit Surfman James Hicks Surfman Valentine Smith Surfman Solomon Combs Surfman Rockaway Beach [west] #36 Isaac Skidmore Keeper John H. Davis Surfman Nathaniel Carman Surfman Richard Hendrickson Surfman Benjamin Carman Surfman Janeway Bogert Surfman Samuel Carman Surfman longislandgenealogy/LILifeSavers.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- US Life Saving Service Station at Rockaway Point, NY Due to the high number of shipwrecks along the coast of New Jersey and New York, which resulted in the loss of life, ships, and cargo, life saving stations were established along the New Jersey and Long Island coasts. These stations were equipped with surf boats to rescue crewmen from ships which had beached or run aground in the shallow coastal waters. The Rockaway Station (unknown if it was the one at Fort Tilden or the one in the town Rockaway) was established in December of 1849 by the New York Life Saving Benevolent Association (Pre-USLSS). Mr Daniel Smith of Huntington, Long Island erected 10 buildings on the shore of Long Island. Each building was provided with one of Franciss life boats, a mortar for throwing rockets with lines attached from the shore to the wreck, also on of Shepards box stoves, fuel, provisions, cooking utensils, etc...(See Ref 3). This station was manned by volunteers until 1854, when the Keeper was paid $200 per year. The crew of 6 or 7 men were not paid until 1871. Another structure on this site was built in 1855 (?), along with a total of 14 New Jersey and 13 other Long Island, New York stations. The Station Keeper of the Rockaway Point Station in 1856 was June Cheney. The U.S. Life Saving Service was later created in 1871 and General Superintendent Sumner Kimball was in charge of approximately 280 stations on the East and West Coasts plus the Great Lakes. At the time of the 1872 reorganization of the USLSS, a new building was constructed on the site. Isaac Skidmore was the Station Keeper at Rockaway Point from July 3, 1869 to 1876. Nathaniel Carman was appointed on January 30, 1877 and resigned from service on September 22, 1881. By 1881, the Keepers annual salary had increased to $700. Benjamin Weston was appointed on September 14, 1881 and was dismissed from service on May 13, 1885. Daniel B. Abrams was appointed on March 8, 1885 and was still serving as of 1915. In 1887, this building was expanded with additional construction. Another similar station was located to the east, in the town of Rockaway. oocities.org/fort_tilden/uslss.html
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 17:55:28 +0000
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