[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 131 (Tuesday, November 16, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9694-H9695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING 130TH ANNIVERSARY OF CREATION OF LIFESAVING STATIONS ON THE
GREAT LAKES
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 750) recognizing the 130th anniversary of the
creation of lifesaving stations on the Great Lakes, which became part
of the United States Life-Saving Service, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 750
Whereas in 1871 Sumner Increase Kimball was appointed as
the Chief of the Revenue Marine Division of the Department of
the Treasury;
Whereas in overhauling the Revenue Marine Division and
decentralizing the system of lifesaving stations, Mr. Kimball
recommended the establishment of lifesaving stations on the
Great Lakes;
Whereas in 1874 Congress authorized the organization of the
Life-Saving Service into 12 districts, including 3 on the
Great Lakes;
Whereas the 8th district consisted of Lakes Erie and
Ontario, the 9th district consisted of Lakes Huron and
Superior, and the 10th district consisted of Lake Michigan;
Whereas in 1878 these lifesaving stations were organized
with others around the Nation as a separate agency of the
Department of the Treasury known as the United States Life-
Saving Service;
Whereas in 1854 at the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury, lifesaving capabilities were first introduced to
the Great Lakes with 9 lifeboats placed on Lake Ontario, 14
lifeboats placed on Lake Erie, 23 lifeboats placed on Lake
Michigan, and 1 lifeboat placed on Lake Superior;
Whereas the forgotten heroes who served at lifesaving
stations contended with giant squalls, wrecked vessels, and
low pay;
Whereas these men performed amazing rescues, but by far the
largest amount of work for the crews revolved around drilling
with the rescue equipment, patrol and lookout duty, and
general station upkeep;
Whereas the United States Life-Saving Service enabled the
shipping industry to rapidly grow on the Great Lakes;
Whereas when the United States Life-Saving Service ended in
1915, 63 Great Lakes stations were in operation, including
one on the Mississippi River in Louisville, Kentucky;
Whereas during the years of its operation, the Great Lakes
Life-Saving Service contended with 9,763 disasters, saving
55,639 people and $110,038,860 in property;
Whereas over the course of the United States Life-Saving
Service, 20 brave employees gave their lives while performing
their duties;
Whereas the organization that Mr. Kimball formed provided
the basis for the new search and rescue organization of the
Coast Guard; and
Whereas the constant attention to practice with rescue
equipment and inspections employed by the United States Life-
Saving Service is still in use today: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the 130th anniversary of the creation of
lifesaving stations on the Great Lakes, which became part of
the United States Life-Saving Service;
(2) commends the personnel of the United States Life-Saving
Service whose efforts saved lives and property on the Great
Lakes; and
(3) acknowledges Sumner Increase Kimball for his foresight
in the field of marine safety and commitment to maritime
safety on the Great Lakes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr.
Oberstar) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons).
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 750, which was introduced by the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. McCotter), recognizes the 130th anniversary of the
creation of life-saving stations on the Great Lakes. It commends the
personnel of the United States Life-Saving Service for their efforts to
save lives and property on the Great Lakes and acknowledges the
leadership of Sumner Increase Kimball in protecting maritime safety.
The United States Life-Saving Service was established in 1874. The
Life-Saving Service operated as an independent agency within the
Department of the Treasury before these operations were transferred to
the newly established United States Coast Guard in 1915. The efforts by
the brave heroes of the Life-Saving Service formed the basis for the
Coast Guard's search and rescue functions that continue to this very
day.
As part of the service, numerous life-saving and lifeboat stations
were built on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts and along the
shores of the Great Lakes. Over a period of 40 years, the men of the
Life-Saving Service saved the lives of more than 55,000 people, and
they saved more than $110 million in property in the Great Lakes region
alone. These rescues were often made in the face of dangerous storms
and under treacherous conditions. Twenty brave men gave their lives
while performing their duties as employees of the Life-Saving Service,
and we honor their service and their sacrifice with this resolution
here today.
I certainly commend my colleague, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
McCotter), for introducing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues
to join me in recognizing the anniversary of the creation of life-
saving stations on the Great Lakes.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Those of us who live on or along the Great Lakes or within the Great
Lakes basin know what a great resource this extraordinary collection of
individual bodies of fresh water is. It is 20 percent of the fresh
water on the face of the earth. We think of it as a great fresh water
resource, but it is also a highway of commerce, and we recognize today
that in this highway of commerce there are dangers for those who ply
the waterways.
The story of today's legislation begins in 1871, when a young lawyer
from Maine named Sumner Kimball was appointed chief of the Treasury
Department's Revenue Marine Division.
Not many people know, or if they knew recall, that the Coast Guard we
know today started out as a revenue cutter service. It was the main
source of revenue for the fledgling U.S. government. So the Revenue
Marine Division leader began a review of the Department's life-saving
network. He found equipment old, rusty, in need of replacement and that
the Department's lifesaver employees were too old for life-saving
missions, few were competent, and that their selection depended more on
politics than qualifications in handling boats.
It was indeed a very dark time for life-saving, especially on the
treacherous waters of the Great Lakes, whether it is Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie or Ontario.
[[Page H9695]]
Kimball went to Congress to ask for and was successful in getting an
appropriation of $200,000 to hire the necessary life-saving personnel.
He instituted six-man boat crews at all stations, built new stations,
set performance standards, physical standards for crews and also
schedules for the life-saving stations.
Within 3 years, by 1874, Mr. Kimball's life-saving stations had been
established not only across the Great Lakes but all across the country,
three of those in particular on key points on the Great Lakes.
By 1878, the life-saving mission within the Department of Treasury
was split off as a separate organization, named the U.S. Life-Saving
Service. Sumner Kimball would be named superintendent of this service
and remain there until his civilian service was merged with the revenue
cutter service that I mentioned a moment ago in 1915 to create what we
know today as the U.S. Coast Guard.
For over 10 years, the Life-Saving Service and the Coast Guard
operating the Great Lakes have encountered over 10,000 disasters, saved
55,000 people, and over $110 million in property damage protected. Over
40 life-saving and Coast Guard personnel have sacrificed their lives in
the pursuit of this service and their duties.
The legacy of Sumner Kimball and the Life-Saving Service continues in
the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes region is part of the 9th Coast Guard
District, with two air stations, two air facilities, five group
offices, eight marine safety offices, 10 cutters and 46 small boat
stations, protecting more than 6,700 miles of coastline in the eight
States in the 9th Coast Guard District.
We talk a great deal about homeland security in this post-9/11 era,
and that certainly is one of the missions of the Coast Guard, but far
predating homeland security was that of life security, and there is no
organization in the Federal Government better suited to saving lives
than the U.S. Coast Guard. Its personnel are rigorously trained, highly
skilled, a great sense of mission, and today we recognize a great sense
of history in the carrying out of their life-saving responsibilities
that we know today as the search and rescue service of the U.S. Coast
Guard.
With great pleasure, we bring to the House floor from our Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure H. Res. 750 recognizing the
extraordinary and valiant service of the men and women of the Life-
Saving Service and the U.S. Coast Guard on our Great Lakes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 130th
anniversary of the creation of life-saving stations on the Great Lakes.
Congressman McCotter and I recently introduced House resolution 750
to recognize the heroes who paved the way in improving modern maritime
safety and enabling the Great Lakes shipping industry to take hold and
expand in the early part of the 20th century.
Despite facing long hours and low pay, these individuals risked their
lives--tackling giant squalls and wrecked vessels to ensure the safety
of individuals and property traveling on the Great Lakes. In all, the
Great Lakes Life-Saving Service saved over 55,000 people and $110
million in property.
In the late 1870s while Chief of the Revenue Marine Division of the
Department of Treasury, Sumner Increase Kimball played a key role in
redesigning the network of life-saving stations around the country and
championed the idea of establishing stations on the Great Lakes.
These life-saving stations, which became part of the United States
Life-Saving Service, combined with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915
to form the United States Coast Guard.
The organization provided in these units serving the Great Lakes
provided a basis for the new United States Coast Guard's search and
rescue organization for years to come.
I would like to thank Congressman McCotter for his efforts to
acknowledge the heroic performance of the Life-Saving Service on the
Great Lakes.
Please join me in recognizing the personnel of the United States
Life-Saving Service, especially the 20 brave rescuers who gave their
lives in duty during the Services' existence, and Mr. Kimball for his
commitment to marine safety on the Great Lakes, by supporting this
resolution.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, seeing that there are no more speakers on
this side, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 750.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
GENERAL LEAVE
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 750.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Connecticut?
There was no objection.
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