The wreck of the immigrant ship Ayrshire on the Jersey Shore was one of the first tests of the volunteer lifesaving service proposed by ex-Manahawkin doctor and Congressman William A. Newell. It was also a test for a new device manufactured by Joseph Francis called the life car.

Newell’s bill in Congress called for the building of eight stations between Little Egg Harbor and Sandy Hook, N.J., with two on Long Beach Island.