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524 Chronicles of the Cape Fear Rwer

by keeping to seaward of the Frying Pan lightship, there will
be no depth of water encountered less than 334 fathoms; and
the patches can be avoided by deep-draft ships by shaping a
course which will carry them to the southward and eastward
of Frying Pan lightship until the position of the present lighted
bell buoy is reached. The 334 fathom patch referred to above
lies 9 miles east by south (mag.) of the Frying Pan lightship.
For deep-draft vessels the practice in running the coast is to
pass outside the gas buoy, but the practice on the Seminole,
when coming from the northward, is to shape straight to the
Frying Pan lightship, making allowance for fully five miles
inset of current on a ninety-mile course.

In general terms, a stranger approaching the coast between
Hatteras and Frying Pan can determine his position by re-
course to the lead. The depths are very regular, and from 4
to 6 fathoms can be taken to within one mile of the beach.
The ten-fathom curve follows the curve of the coast at an aver-
age distance of eight miles from the shore until in the vicinity
of Cape Fear, and there it bends around Frying Pan.

There is a mighty carrying trade from north to south past
these dangerous shoals. Practically all steam craft to and
from the Gulf follow the coast, and this trade promises to be
greatly augmented since the opening of the Panama Canal.

The Seminole keeps eyes and ears open on that part of this
great thoroughfare which has been assigned to her, and night
and day trained wireless operators are listening for a call. At
the first call for help the cutter must start, and to be pre

pared for emergency call at any hour, and for any stage of
weather, demands the constant attention of officers and crew.
The headquarters of the Seminole are at Wilmington, where
the Revenue-Cutter Service possesses its own wharf and store-
houses, and at this port the cutter is provisioned after each
cruise. The officers of the Seminole during the year 1912-13

were:

Captain Godfrey L. Carden, U. S. R. C. 8S.
First Lieutenant L. C. Covell, U. S. R. C.
Second Lieutenant L. T. Chalker, U. S. R.
Third Lieutenant T. S. Klinger, U. S. R. C
Third Lieutenant C. H. Abel, U. S. R. C. S.

First Lieutenant Engineers R. B. Adams, U. S. R. C. S.
Second Lieutenant Engineers W. P. Prall, U. S. R. C. S.
Third Lieutenant Engineers C. C. Sugden, U. S. R. C. S.

Ss.
C. S.
= .*

Peace Restored 525

The wireless has contributed wonderfully to the effective-
ness of the patrol. The Seminole has picked up messages at
the first call from distressed craft, and long after the cutter
had started confirmations were being received via official
sources from land. It is not too much to say that ordinarily
the Seminole will pick up any distress call from a modern
wireless installation which may be sent out on her station.
What the Seminole may miss will in all probability be picked
up by either one of the United States powerful wireless stations

at Beaufort or Charleston, and the Seminole is always in touch
with one or the other of these two stations.

UNITED STATES REVENUE-CUTTER SERVICE.?

An important arm of great reach and efficiency is the admir-
able Revenue-Cutter Service on this station. At no time in
its history has this service been more effective in life-saving
and in the rescue of imperiled ships from imminent destruction
than during the past five years. Within the writer’s memory
more than a hundred vessels have been totally lost on or near
Cape Fear and many brave seamen went down with them; but
such is the equipment and efficiency of the cutter Seminole and
the professional skill and daring of her commander, his well-
tried officers and men, that valuable ships and crews, given up
for lost in the terrific winter gales of our dangerous coast, have
been drawn out of the teeth of the destructive elements and
restored to usefulness, and this without reward or the hope of
reward beyond the consciousness of duty done.

Repeated recognitions of rescue work have been made by
Lloyd’s and other important underwriters, and two services of
Silver plate have been presented to the commander and officers
of the Seminole, and quite recently, with the approval of the
Secretary of the Treasury, a gymnasium has been presented,
by friends of this valuable service, to the crew of that vessel
as a mark of appreciation by shipowners and underwriters and
as a reward of distinguished merit.

The quality of mercy is not strained by the fine fellows who

the Ce 1915, the United States Congress passed an act creating
Lifssee Guard by combining the Revenue-Cutter Service and the
eee aving Service, and all duties previously performed by the two
Services are now performed by the former, with equipment, offi-
cers, and administration suited to the combined activities of the two.