MONOMOY POINT STATION.

The Monomoy Point Station is located near the extreme end of Monomoy Island, about nine miles from Chatham lights, which bear about north-northeast. Monomoy Island is a long, narrow strip of beach at the elbow of Cape Cod. The dreaded Shovelful and Handkerchief shoals stretch out under the waters of Nantucket Sound along the eastern and southern shores of the island, and in the vicinity countless vessels have met their doom and many lives have been lost. Owing to the great number of disasters that occurred off the southern end of Monomoy, the present life-saving station was built. At the time that this station was erected it was intended that the old Monomoy Station should be abandoned and the crew transferred to this station.

After the appalling calamity, “The Monomoy Disaster” on March 17, 1902, when Captain Eldredge and six of his crew of life savers lost their lives, the department decided to continue the old Monomoy Station.

The station is one of the most modern buildings of its kind, with large and airy rooms for the crew and a big boat room for the surf-boats, beach carts, and other apparatus.

The patrol north from this station is about one and one-half miles, the surfmen meeting and exchanging checks with the surfmen from the Old Monomoy Station. The south patrol along the beach on the end of Monomoy is also about one and one-half miles, the surfman on that patrol carrying a time clock to record their performance of duty.

At the Monomoy Point Station there are three surf-boats. One of these boats is a self-bailer, the only one on Cape Cod. There are also two beach carts with apparatus, and one life-car. Six surfmen with Keeper Kelley go in the self-bailer at the time of shipwreck. A horse owned by the government, called “Susan,” is kept at the station to assist in hauling the apparatus to scenes of disaster. There are also two other horses owned by the surfmen kept there. Cats are the pets of the surfmen, a half dozen making their home at the station.