Kimball Realty Group

Before the existence of the United States Coast Guard, there was a group which dealt with saving lives on the high seas. It was a unique United States government agency known as the United States Life Saving Service which was founded in 1848 when the Newell Act was signed into law. It was under this act that the United States Congress gave money for the establishment of life saving stations which were unmanned along the coasts of Massachusetts, and New Jersey just south of the New York Harbor. Also, the life saving stations had surf boats, carronades, rockets and other items for saving the lives of people who were caught in ship wrecks.

U.S Congress Approves Extra Money to U.S Revenue Marine

The United States Revenue Marine (also known as the United States Revenue Cutter Service) administered the stations with permanent crew members and volunteer crews. During the disastrous Carolina Hurricane of 1854, many sailors lost their lives at sea. Some of the deaths could have been avoided had the life saving stations carried better equipment and the Cutters Service had better crew training when dealing with the fallout from massive hurricanes. This caught the attention of United States Congress enough to allocate more money for a full time keeper and two superintendents at the life saving stations.