Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 44.djvu/362

 jeopardy. Their devotion to duty and humanity are beyond praise.

For convenience of supervision the stations are grouped into districts, of which there are twelve. Each is in charge of a superintendent, who must, at least once a quarter, visit the stations in his district, and who is held responsible for their condition in all respects.

The means employed to rescue people from stranded vessels are everywhere essentially the same. The tumultuous waters between



the wreck and the shore are either crossed by a lifeboat or are spanned by strong lines over which a car or breeches buoy is passed to and from a wreck. There are many kinds of lifeboats and many other devices for effecting communication by lines between a wreck and the shore. The type of boat in most general use in our service is distinctively known as a surfboat. It is made of white cedar upon a white-oak frame. It is from twenty-five to twenty-seven feet in length, with its other dimensions proportionate. It is propelled by six oars, and will carry, besides the