At this time there were two ways to save people in the water. One, which was used if the ship was close, was to rig a breeches buoy, a device on a rope used to pull someone to safety. The other method was to use a boat to row out through the surf to reach victims. Boats at this time were around long and were partially covered to keep water out. Crews often rowed through waves that were higher than the length of their boats. In about 1907, the boats began using gasoline-powered engines.