When Cape Cod men saved lives in 1902, they pitted their strength, selfless courage, and training against the stormy weather and towering waves off the New England coast.

This fascinating documentary account is the story of the United States Life-Saving Service, established in 1891 by the federal government. It would later become the U.S. Coast Guard. Focusing on the Cahoon's Hollow Life-Saving Station, one of 11 stations set up at danger points along Cape Cod, the author follows closely the exciting life of young life saver Ben Eaton. He explains how Ben learned to be a life saver, and how he and the other men raced a storm to unload a grounded coat barge adrift from its tugboat. Patrolling the beach on lonely, stormy nights, battling the force of wind and waves to save a family aboard a brig grounded on a sand bar, and collecting and guarding a wrecked ship's cargo to keep it from the hands of the salvage-hunting "mooncussers" were also among the life savers' duties. The text is vividly enhanced by the old prints, paintings, and photographs which illustrate the book.

This book is part of the How They Lived series, developed to give young people a wider and more comprehensive view of American history, and thus a deeper understanding and more lasting appreciation of their heritage.

From the book