signal for “help!” and every radio man understands it, no matter what language he speaks.)
Using a special gun, men on the cutter shoot a lifeline across to the sinking ship, and a breeches buoy is rigged on it. This is a canvas seat, made like a pair of short pants. The seat hangs from a wheel called a block which runs along the line. One by one the seamen sit in the seat and are pulled along to safety.
CHARTS FOR SAFETY
In the days when the United States was still a very new country, many people in Europe longed for the freedom they were sure they could find here. One of them was Ferdinand Hassler, a young Swiss mathematician. Hassler was no seaman when he set out for the new world in a sailing ship. But luckily he did know a great deal about the stars. After the captain of his vessel collapsed in a terrific storm, Hassler was able to look at the stars and tell the seamen how to steer the ship.
The things Hassler knew about mathematics made it easy for him to navigate, but real troubles began when the ship came into Delaware Bay. The map of the bay was old and very inaccurate. Hassler could not tell whether the ship was in shallow water or deep water, except by watching the leadline day and night.
This last part of his adventure made young Hassler very angry because it was so unscientific. He realized that the safety of all ships depended on accurate maps, called charts, of the coasts and harbors. Soon after he landed he began to make plans for a survey of the whole American coast. He talked to President Jefferson who agreed with him, and Congress finally gave him the job. At last his good charts began to help save lives.
Today the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey carries on the work Hassler started. Using many ships and small boats with marvellous equipment, the scientific men of the sea go about their important and often dangerous work. It’s their job to map the earth that lies under the oceans, rivers and harbors. Here are some of the things they do along the Alaskan coast.