In 1848, Congress assigned funds for unmanned life-saving stations along the East Coast. Sumner Kimball became the chief of the Revenue Marine Division, a part of the Treasury Department, in 1871, and with more government appropriations he transformed this volunteer organization into a  fully manned, well-trained, and efficient Life-Saving Service. When the Life-Saving Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service in 1915, there were 270 stations nationwide and 13 on Cape Cod.