I have said in _Chronicles of the Cape Fear River_, pages 525-527, that a public service which measures its efficiency by the number of human lives saved from the perils of the sea is to be classed among the highest humanities of a great government, and that an important arm of great reach and efficiency is the admirable service of the U.S.S. _Seminole_ on this station. The activities of this ship in assisting vessels in distress are so continuous as to be classed by her efficient commander as all in the day's work. In the four months from December 1, 1912, this ship assisted nine vessels in distress at sea and destroyed a tenth, the _Savannah_, a dangerous derelict. A typical case is described in the recent rescue in a gale of wind three hundred miles off Cape Fear, of the British mail and passenger steamer _Korona_, bound from St. Thomas, West Indies, for New York, whose boilers broke down, rendering the ship helpless without motive power, wallowing in a heavy sea which threatened to engulf her. The story of this splendid rescue of a hundred human lives is told in the matter-of-fact official report of Capt. Eugene Blake, jr., of the _Seminole_, and in the letter of thanks to the Secretary of the Navy, which follows, with the Acting Secretary's reply: "Wilmington, N.C., "_April 2, 1919_. "_Seminole._ "From: Commanding Officer. "To: Commandant, Fifth Naval District. "Subject: Report of search and tow of Canadian S.S. _Korona_. "1. At 1 a.m. on the morning of March 25, the following message was transmitted to the _Seminole_ from the communication officer at district headquarters: "'March 24, 1919: _Korona_ boilers out of commission. Needs assistance. Position, latitude 31-48 N., longitude 72-12 W., noon, today. Signed, Doyle, Master.' "2. The _Seminole_ left the Berkley oil docks at 7 a.m. the same morning and proceeded at top speed for the reported position of the _Korona_, passing through the Gulf Stream from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. of the morning of March 26. "3. At 8 a.m. in the forenoon of March 26, intercepted a radiogram from the Porto Rican S.S. Co.'s steamer _Coamo_ that she had the _Korona_ in tow, and was proceeding with her to the westward. Communication by radio was immediately established with the _Coamo_, and the position, course, and speed ascertained. It was also learned that as the Coamo was bound to the southward for Porto Rico, she was anxious to be relieved of the tow. Arrangements were therefore made to meet the _Coamo_ at the nearest possible meeting point and at 10 that morning the course of both vessels was changed to effect this meeting at about 7 that evening. The _Seminole_ was run under forced draft in order to take advantage of the weather, which was then favorable to picking up the disabled vessel.