[Footnote A:  See the article entitled “The House on the Beach,” in Lippincott’s Magazine for January.  Since the publication of that paper a letter of distinction has been received by General Albert J. Myer from the International Congress of Geographical Sciences, held in Paris in 1875, which states that the United States signal service appeared to the Congress to deserve an exceptional reward.  “This service, so remarkably organized, has been the cause of such progress in meteorological science that the distinctions provided by the regulations of the Congress would not be commensurate for it.”  The letter of distinction was therefore sent as the highest award decreed by the Congress.]

“That only argued bad seamanship,” said one of his listeners.  “When every ship’s captain knew the bar—­”

“That’s precisely what they didn’t know.  It alters with every year; and on a dark night, with a driving sea and wind both against you, there’s small chance of clearing it.  However, I don’t mean to say that all of them vessels were wracked fair and square.  It got to be customary with owners of wornout coast-schooners to send them out with light cargoes and run them on the Jersey bar.  The captain and crew would time it so’s they could get ashore, and the sea would soon break up the vessel, and then up they goes to York for insurance on ship and cargo.  There was a good deal of that sort of work went on when I was a boy, until the underwriters got wind of it and established the wracking system.”

“This building?—­”

“No, no!  Don’t confound the two things.  This is government work altogether, and maintained solely for the saving of life.  The crew of the lifeboat here are not allowed to touch a pound of freight or baggage on a wracked ship.  The wracking-masters were appointed and paid by the board of underwriters in New York.  Old Captain Brown was general agent on this beach.  They took the coast in charge, as you might say, long before this government service was started.  It was managed—­like this,” resorting again to his finger and the imaginary lines on the table.  “A vessel came ashore on the bar.  The first man who saw it gave warning to the wracking-master, who took command of the men ashore and the cargo in behalf of the insurance companies.”

“Were there any signals then to rouse the coast in case of wreck?”

“Lord save you! no:  every man warned his neighbor.  There weren’t but a few scattered folks along the coast then, but in time of a wrack you’d see them in the dead of night ready and waiting along the beach.  No need of your signal-flags for them, I reckon.  They knew there’d be dead men and plenty of wrack coming ashore before morning.”

“And every man was ready to go out in his boat?” cried an enthusiastic townsman, “or to carry a line to the sinking ship?”