Some of the scenes were of immeasurable grandeur and of absorbing interest. The sea, mountains high, threw skywards with each wave mighty masses of white foam. Here and there was a fishing boat, with a rag of sail, running madly for shelter before the storm. On the summit of the East Cliff the new searchlight was ready for experiment, but had not yet been tried.

The officers in charge of it got it into working order, and swept it over the surface of the sea. Once or twice its service was most effective, as when a fishing boat, with gunwale under water, rushed into the harbour, able, by the guidance of the sheltering light, to avoid the danger of dashing against the piers. As each boat achieved the safety of the port there was a shout of joy from the mass of people on the shore, a shout which for a moment seemed to cut through the gale and was then swept away in its rush.

Before long the searchlight discovered some distance away a schooner with all sails set, apparently the same vessel which had been noticed earlier in the evening. The wind had by this time backed to the east, and there was a shudder amongst the watchers on the cliff as they realized the terrible danger the ship was in.

Vocabulary:

Grandeur: Grand, impressive
Absorbing: Here it means 'taking full attention'
Summit: Very top
Searchlight: A powerful focussed light
Gunwale: The front of a small ship
Dashing: Hitting hard into
Schooner: A sailing ship
Vessel: Ship or boat
Shudder: A shiver of fear or disgust