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THE
LIFE SAVERS
OF
CAPE COD
BY
J. W. DALTON
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Copyright, 1902, by J. W. Dalton
The Barta Press, Printers
Boston, Mass.
5
The Life Savers of Cape Cod.
Cape Cod’s life savers areknown the world over fortheir intrepid, enduring bravery,gallant deeds, and thesuccess in rescuing life thatthey have achieved in theirhazardous duties along themost dangerous winter coastof the world.
Every night, along theshores of Cape Cod, fromWood End at Provincetownto Monomoy at Chatham, inmoonlight, starlight, thickdarkness, driving tempest,wind, rain, snow or hail, anendless line of life saverssteadily march along the exposedbeaches on the outlookfor endangered vessels.
The life saver’s work isalways arduous, often terrible.Quicksands, the blindingsnow and cutting sandstorms, the fearful blasts of winter gales, are more often than not tobe encountered on their journeys; storm tides, flooding the beaches,drive them to the tops or back of the sand dunes, where they plodalong their solitary patrol with great peril.
When a ship is in distress, whatever way the crew is rescued by thelife savers, the task involves great hazard of their lives, hours of rackinglabor, protracted exposure to the roughest weather conditions, anda mental and bodily strain under the spur of exigency and the curb ofdiscipline that exhaust even these hardy fearless coast guardians. Incases of boat service tremendous additional peril and hardships areadded.
Death has often claimed the life saver at his work. Or as a resultof his gallant, unselfish toil for the s