Chapter I: Front Matter

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THE WIRELESS OPERATOR—WITH THE U. S. COAST GUARD

* * * * * *

BOOKS BY
LEWIS E. THEISS

IN CAMP AT FORT BRADY. A Camping Story. 304 pages.

HIS BIG BROTHER. A Story of the Struggles and Triumphs
of a Little Son of Liberty. 320 pages.

LUMBERJACK BOB. A Tale of the Alleghanies. 320 pages.

THE WIRELESS PATROL AT CAMP BRADY. A Story of How the
Boy Campers, Through Their Knowledge of Wireless, “Did
Their Bit.” 320 pages.

THE SECRET WIRELESS. A Story of the Camp Brady Patrol.
320 pages.

THE HIDDEN AERIAL. The Spy Line on the Mountain. 332
pages.

THE YOUNG WIRELESS OPERATOR—AFLOAT. How Roy Mercer Won
His Spurs in the Merchant Marine. 320 pages.

THE YOUNG WIRELESS OPERATOR—AS A FIRE PATROL. The Story
of a Young Wireless Amateur Who Made Good as a Fire
Patrol. 352 pages.

THE YOUNG WIRELESS OPERATOR—WITH THE OYSTER FLEET. How
Alec Cunningham Won His Way to the Top in the Oyster
Business. 328 pages.

Cloth Bound—Illustrated by Colored Plates and Photographs

* * * * * *

THE WIRELESS OPERATOR—WITH THE U. S. COAST GUARD

by

LEWIS EDWIN THEISS

W. A. Wilde Company Boston Chicago

Appreciation is herewith extended to the United States Coast Guard and the International Newsreel for the use of photographic material.

Copyrighted, 1924, By W. A. Wilde Company All rights reserved

The Wireless Operator—With the U. S. Coast Guard

Made in U. S. A.

To those unsung heroes,
men of the U. S. Coast Guard,
this book is dedicated

AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTION

Among all the various arms of government in our nation, no arm is at once less known or more worthy of renown than the Coast Guard. Like the knights of the Table Round, this company of gallant surfmen and sailors is organized and exists almost solely for the protection of others. Though few in numbers, the Coast Guard accomplishes deeds that are mighty. Skill of the highest order, daring incredible, and discipline that is perfect, make a giant of this little service. Stout of heart, indeed, must be the men who belong to it; for when others are fleeing for their lives, the Coast Guard is always heading straight for the danger, to rescue those incompetent or unable to effect their own rescue. Let those who think the age of romance is past but read the story of the Coast Guard and they will change their minds.

For those who demand that fiction be based upon actual occurrence, the author wishes to say that this book is hardly more than a transcript from life. Every major incident in it is based upon an actual happening. It was the Coast Guard cutter _Yamacraw_ that lost six boatloads of seamen in the surf while attempting to rescue a helpless steamer. It was the _Seneca_ that searched the wintry seas for the helpless oil tanker that had been abandoned by the tug towing it. And the final incident in the book, in which a stricken freighter sinks in a storm, and the wireless operator ministers calmly to his commander in the face of almost certain death, is but a poor attempt to recite the story of “Smiling Jimmy Nevins,” a mere lad, who went smiling to his death as a member of a volunteer crew from the _Seneca_, in an effort to save a torpedoed freighter for the Allies during the recent World War.

In preparation for the writing of this story, the author spent some time aboard both the _Seneca_ and the _Tampa_. He wishes here to express his admiration for the Coast Guard as a whole, and his very great indebtedness to Captain B. H. Camden, of the _Seneca_, Captain Wm. J. Wheeler, of the _Tampa_, Lieutenant C. C. Von Paulson, of the _Tampa_, and Chief Electrician Belton Miller, of the _Seneca_, for their kindly assistance. Each of the four has played a heroic part in some of the deeds portrayed in this book.

Lewis E. Theiss.

Lewisburg, Pa.
February 28, 1923.