Chapter 265.
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CHAP. 265.— AN ACT to organize the Life-Saving-Service.June 18, 1878. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Additional lifesaving stations. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to establish additional lifesaving and life boat stations at or near the following-named points upon the sea and lake coasts of the United States, namely: One complete lifesaving station at Cranberry Isles, Maine; one complete lifesaving station at or near Cranberry Isles;
Scituate;Scituate. Massachusetts; one complete lifesaving station at or near Watch Hill, Rhode Island; one complete lifesaving station on the coast ofDelaware coast;Maryland coast; Delaware between Cape Henlopen and Indian River; two complete lifesaving stations on the coast of Maryland, to be located, one between Indian River and Green Run, andVirginia coast;North Carolina coast; one between Green Run and Chincoteague; fifteen complete lifesaving stations on the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina, ten of them to be located at intermediate pointsTexas coast; between the existing stations, three between the southernmost existing station andHatteras Inlet, one at or near Cape Lookout, and one at or near Cape Fear Point; five complete life-stations on the coast of Texas, to be located,Lake Michigan; one at or near Sabine Pass, one on Galveston Island, near west end, one at or near Pass Cavallo, one at or near Arauzas Pass, and one at Brazos Santiago, and one life boat station on Galveston Island, near east end; two complete lifesaving stations on the coast of Lake Michigan, to be located, one at or near Sleeping Bear Point, and one at or near Bayley’s Harbor, and four lifeboat stations to be located, one at or near Manistee, one at Ludington, one at or near Muskegan, and one at Kenosha; one lifeboat station on the coast of Lake Superior,Lake Superior;Lake Huron; at or near the mouth of Portage Lake and Lake Superior Ship Canal; two complete lifesaving stations on the coast of Lake Huron, one at or near Port Austin and one on Middle Island, and a lifeboatCalifornia;1874, ch. 344,18 Stat., 126.Superintendent, Gulf of Mexico.station at or near Sand Beach Harbor of Refuge; and on the coast of California, a lifeboat station at Bolinas Bay, in place of that authorized to be established at Point Reyes by the act of June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four, entitled “An act to provide for the establishment of lifesaving stations and houses of refuge upon the sea and lake coasts of the United States, and to promote the efficiency of the Life Saving Service”; and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized, whenever, in his opinion, it may Salary.Keepers.become necessary for the proper administration of the lifesaving Service and the protection of the public property at the stations, to appoint a district superintendent for the coast of the United States bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, whose compensation shall be at the rate of one thousand dollars per annum, and also a keeper for each of the stations hereby authorized to be established.
Sec. 2. That the unexpended balances of appropriations heretoforeUnexpended balances available. made for the establishment of life saving and lifeboat stations are hereby made available for the payment of the expenses of the establishment of the stations herein authorized. Sec. 3. That all moneys received from the sale of old stations and equipments andProceeds of sale of old stations, etc. other material condemned by a board of survey as unserviceable may be expended in rebuilding or improving and equipping stations.
Sec. 4. That hereafter tbe compensation of the keepers of life-savingKeepers’ compensation, powers. and life-boat stations and houses of refuge shall be at the rate of four hundred dollars per annum ; and they shall have the powers of inspectors of customs, but shall receive no additional compensation*Proviso.* for duties performed as such : Provided, That said keepers shall have authority and be required to take charge of and protect all property saved from ship- 164 FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
Sess. II. Ch. 265. 1878. wreck at which they may be present, until it is claimed by parties legallyCustodians of property saved. authorized to receive it, or until otherwise instructed to disposeResidence. of it by the Secretary of the Treasury; and keepers of lifesaving stations shall be required to reside continually at or in the immediate vicinity of their respective stations. Sec. 5. That hereafter the lifesaving stations upon the sea and gulfStations to be open, how long. coasts at which crews are employed shall be manned and the stations opened for active service on the first day of September in each year, and so continue untH the first day of May succeeding, and upon the lake coasts from the opening to the close of navigation, except such stations as, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, are not Residence of crews.General superintendent.necessary to be manned during the full period specified; and the crews shall reside at the stations during said periods, Sec. 6.
That the President of the United Stares may, by and with the consent of the Senate, appoint a suitable person, who shall be familiar with the various means employed in the lifesaving-Service for the saving of life and property from shipwrecked vessels, as general superintendent of the lifesaving-Service, who shall, under the immediate direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, have general charge of the service and of all administrative matters connected therewith, and whose compensation shall be at the rate of four thousand dollars per annum;Assistant superintendent. and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to appoint an assistant to the genera) superintendent, whose compensation shall be two thousand five hundred dollars per annum.
Sec. 7. That it shall be the duty of the general superintendent toDuties of general superintendent. supervise the organization and government of the employees of the service; to prepare and revise regulations therefor as may be necessary; to fix the number and compensation of surfmen to be employed at the several stations within the provisions of law; to supervise the expenditure of all appropriations made for the support and maintenance of the lifesaving-Service; to examine the accounts of disbursements of the district superintendents, and to certify the same to the accounting-officers of the Treasury Department; to examine the property returns of the keepers of the several stations, and see that all public property thereto belonging is properly accounted for; to acquaint himself, as far as practicable, with all means employed in foreign countries which may seem to advantageously affect the interests of the service, and to cause to be properly investigated all plans, devices, and inventions tor the improvement of lifesaving apparatus for use at the stations, which may appear to be meritorious and available; to exercise supervision over the selection of sites for new stations the establishment of which may be authorized by law, or for old ones the removal of which may be made necessary by the encroachment of the sea or by other 1874, ch. 344,18 Stat., 106.Annual report.causes; to prepare and submit to the Secretary of the Treasury estimates for the support of the service; to collect and compile the statistics of marine disasters contemplated by the act of June twentieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-four; and to submit to the Secretary of the Treasury, for transmission to Congress, an annual report of the expenditures of the moneys appropriated for the maintenance of the lifesaving Service, and of the operations of said service during the year.
Sec. 8. That the Secretary of the Treasury may detail such officer orRevenue Marine officers as inspectors. officers of the Revenue Marine Service as may be necessary, to act as inspector and assistant inspectors of stations, who shall perform such duties in connection with the conduct of the service as may be required of them by the general superintendent. Sec. 9. That upon the occurrence of any shipwreck within the scopeInvestigation of shipwrecks with loss of life. of the operations of the Life-Saving Service, attended with loss of life, tbe general superintendent shall cause an investigation of all the circumstances connected with said disaster and loss of life to be made, with a view of ascertaining the cause of the disaster, and whether any of the officers or employees of the service have been guilty of neglect or misconduct in the premises ; and any officer or clerk in the employment 165 FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
Sess. II. Ch. 265, 266, 267. 1878. of the Treasury Department who may be detailed to conduct such investigation, or to examine into any alleged incompetency or misconduct of any of the officers or employees of the lifesaving Service, shall have authority to administer an oath to any witness attending to testify orAdministering oaths. depose in the course of such investigation. Sec. 10. That section six of said act of June twentieth, eighteen hundredVolunteer crews. Compensation.1874, ch.344,18 Stat., 127. and seventy-four, is so amended as to extend the compensation of the enrolled members of volunteer crews of lifeboat stations therein named to occasions of actual and deserving service at any shipwreck, or in the relief of any vessel in distress, and that such persons as may volunteer to take the place of any absent or disabled enrolled members of a crew, and who shall be accepted by the keeper, may be paid therefor, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, a sum not to exceed eight dollars each on every such occasion: *Provided*, That all crews and volunteersDuty of crews. employed under authority of this act who may be present at a wreck shall be required to use their utmost endeavors to save life and properly care for the bodies of such as may perish, and, when such efforts are no longer necessary, to save property and protect the same, under the direction of the senior keeper present or of the superintendent of the district, until the arrival of persons legally authorized to take charge; and for the time employed in so saving and protecting propertyVolunteers.Compensation for saving property.Drill and exercise. volunteers shall be entitled to compensation not to exceed three dollars per day each, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury.
Sec. 11. That the enrolled members of the crews of lifeboat stations may be called out for drill and exercise in the lifeboat and lifesaving apparatus as often as the general superintendent may determine, not to exceed twice a month, for each day’s attendance at which they shall be entitled to the sum of three dollars each. Sec. 12. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized toLifesaving medals. bestow the lifesaving medal of the second class upon persons making such signal exertions in rescuing and succoring the shipwrecked, and saving persons from drowning, as, in his opinion, shall merit such recognition.
Approved, June 18, 1878.