The Life Savers: A story of the United States life-saving serviceOtis, James
History
The Life Savers: A story of the United States life-saving service
Otis, James
Lifesaving -- Juvenile fiction; United States. Life-Saving Service -- History -- Juvenile fiction
“‘Upon the boat reaching your vessel, the directions and orders of the
keeper (who always commands and steers the boat) should be implicitly
obeyed. Any headlong rushing and crowding should be prevented, and the
captain of the vessel should remain on board, to preserve order, until
every other person has left.
“‘Women, children, helpless persons, and passengers should be passed
into the boat first.
“‘Goods or baggage will positively not be taken into the boat until all
are landed. If any be passed in against the keeper’s remonstrance he is
fully authorized to throw the same overboard.
“‘Should it be inexpedient to use either the life-boat or surf-boat,
recourse will be had to the wreck-gun and beach-apparatus for the
rescue by the breeches-buoy or the life-car.
“‘A shot with a small line attached will be fired across your vessel.
“‘Get hold of the line as soon as possible and haul on board until you
get a tail-block with a whip or endless line rove through it. This
tail-block should be hauled on board as quickly as possible to prevent
the whip drifting off with the set, or fouling with wreckage, etc.
Therefore, if you have been driven into the rigging, where but one or
two men can work to advantage, cut the shot-line and run it through
some available block, such as the throat or peak-halliards block, or
any block which will afford a clear lead, or even between the ratlines,
that as many as possible may assist in the hauling.
“‘Attached to the tail-block will be a tally-board with the following
directions in English on one side and French on the other:
“‘Make the tail of the block fast to the lower mast, well up. If the
masts are gone, then to the best place you can find. Cast off the
shot-line, see that the rope in the block runs free, and show a signal
to the shore.
“‘As soon as your signal is seen a three-inch hawser will be bent on to
the whip and hauled off to your ship by the life-saving crew.
“‘If the circumstances will admit, you can assist the life-saving crew
by manning that part of the whip to which the hawser is bent, and
hauling with them.
“‘When the end of the hawser is got on board a tally-board will be
found attached, bearing the following directions in English on one side
and French on the other:
“‘Make this hawser fast about two feet above the tail-block, see all
clear and that the rope in the block runs free, and show a signal to
the shore.
“‘Take particular care that there are no turns of the whip-line around
the hawser. To prevent this take the end of the hawser up between the
parts of the whip before making it fast.
“‘When the hawser is made fast, the whip cast off from the hawser,
and your signal seen by the life-saving crew, they will haul the
hawser taut and by means of the whip will haul off to your ship a
breeches-buoy suspended from a traveller-block, or a life-car from
rings, running on the hawser.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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