The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-06-25
THE LlFEBoAT IN SERVICE.
A sketch of the Work Performed on
the ENGLISH COnst.

A sketch of the Work Performed on
the English Coast.
We will imagine the watch set and
all the other good Caster folk in bed.
The night wears away, until as day be-
gins to break a longer look than ordin-
ary is taken through the glass and a
discussion of bearings, etc, ensues,
with the result that a vessel is deserted
fast aground on the Cross Sand with .
heavy sea breaking over her.
Out dash the men on to the staging.
One lays hold of the cord attached to
the clapper of the bell and the other
rushes at breakncck pace down the
steps and up the gap, shouting and
hammering at the doors as he goes.
Then breaks out Babel of sounds.
Men rush from every door and side
road, some of them with their trousers
on, pulling on their shirts as they run,
stumbling in the dark, through the
heavy sand, but all making for ono
point the shed. There, hung up to
| the rails at the roof, are their oilers,
sou 'westers, and boat stockings; under
the benches their big sea boots, In a
twinkling the men have donned their
seagear, and are making bee line
across the sands for the lifeboat. The
surf is smashing on the beach in tons,
and the wind is bowling across the
beach and up the gap, bringing with it
almost solid with it. The red tanned
lugsails are carried down and placed in
the boat ready for hosting, and the
skids laid down forward of the boat;
the legs which kept the boat on an even
keel are taken away and replaced by
the broad backs of the sturdy beach
men, amid shouts of Hold her up;'
the hauling off warp, which is anchored
out to seaward, is taken in over the
pulley in the bow, and the boat begins
to move on her porpoise-oiled skids.
AS she goes over and clears the one at
her stern it is caught up by the side
handles by two beachmen and taken to
her bows, and placed in line ready to
pick her up again as she comes steadily
on down the sand. Then the men tum-
BILE on board and haul at the warp. The
remaining men keep her moving over
her skids until she dashes her bows into
a mass of water Just breaking and thun-
dering on the beach, and, shipping tons
of it and giving her crew the first
smother of many they will have before
they return, she moves slowly on. An
other breaker catches her ere she has
fairly gathered way and she looks al
most like coming back. but the beach.
men on shore have had the sett ready.
They ship it on to the stern and shove
her off into the smother. Up goes the
foresail with a run; up goes the mizzen
and the boat thrashes through ths
broken water; overheard goes the haul
ing-otf warp and she is clear of the
beach and fighting her way through the
heavy seas to the wreck; sea after sea
breaks over her until they can see
nothing of that boat, only feel it under
their feet, hang like grim death to the
ridge-ropes and take a breath when tht
sea gives them chance.
Over the Barber they thrash, ther
over the Scroby. They have to make :
long leg to fetch the wreck. and as they
rise on wave they can sometimes
make her out dimly with some spoutine
fountains over her. She Is small
schooner, and her crew-two men and
two wretched, half-starved looking
boys and an equally wretched-lookine
mongrel cur-are huddled together in
the weather shrouds of the foremost
the mizzenmast has already gone ovel
the side. The lifeboat fights her way te
winward then anchors, and lowering
her lugs veers down to the wreck, drops
alongside and takes in the poor half
drowned wretches and their poor dog
hauls back to the anchor, then up sal
and away to the beach, where the res
of the company is awaiting them. :
En0LiSh Illustrated Ma0uziue