So interesting. Found this photo and brief piece about the tumultuous wave action at the Rockaway beaches and the installation of literal “lifelines” for bathers in the late 1800s/early 1900s. That's a particularly hairy stretch of coastline, and I've spent many a beach day in my teens getting pummeled in the Rockaway monster surf. A rope would have been handy instead of being tossed around and spit out onto the shore, disoriented and exhausted, left with a heap of sand piled in the crotch of my bathing suit (what was the purpose of that open pocket anyway?).
Here’s a snapshot: “During the mid-1870s rough surf acting on high and steep beach berms caused drowning to increase in the Rockaways. At this time, the beaches in New Jersey were installing new bathing lifelines patented by an enterprising new company, and beach owners from the Rockaways traveled to observe the lifesaving device. They liked what they saw, and they decided to install them as well. The device was very simple: poles were sunk into the beach and ran in rows at intervals out into the surf. Ropes were then attached accordingly."
See full article here: https://www.rockawave.com/.../historical-views-of-the.../
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