THE LIFE-BOAT. JOUENAL OP TI1E IRo^al IRationat %ife*boat Jnstitution, (ISSUED QUARTERLY.) YOL. XVI.—No. 184.] IST MAY, 1897. Is. At the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION, held at St. Martin's Town Hall, Charing Cross Koad, on Saturday, the 27th day of March, 1897, The Eight Hon. Gr. J. GOSCHEN, M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty, in the Chair, the following Report of the Committee was submitted and adopted:— ANNUAL BEPORT. In addition to these four new stations which were established and equipped, 1897. ten other stations were supplied with THE important life-saying work of the new Life-boats, the coxswains and crews BOYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION having in each instance been fully con- has been earnestly and actively carried sulted as to the type and dimensions of on during the past year, and every effort the boat. they would be called upon to has been made to maintain, increase and use. The stations to which these new secure the efficiency of the service. The boats were sent to take the place of Committee, while thankfully acknowledg- obsolete, unsuitable, or worn-out boats ing the valuable help they have received were:— from the Public in the past, hope that they may be encouraged by similar ENGLAND AND WALES. co-operation in the coming year, and Blackpool .... Lancashire. Brixham .... South Devon. that in view of the improvement which Penmon Anglesey. has of late been manifested in the general Teignmouth . Devonshire. trade of the country, better times are in Winterton No. 1 . Norfolk. store not only for all classes of the com- SCOTLAND. munity, but also for the great Institution for which they plead. Ayr Ayrshire. IRELAND. Life-hats.—The Institution has estab- Ballycotton.... Co. Cork. lished new stations during the past year at Carrickfergus, Fonnby, Port St. ISLE OP MAN. Mary, and Kosslare Harbour, a Life-boat Castletown | Douglas Ko. 2. Ramsey. fully equipped and of the type most suitable having been supplied to each. The boats at three other stations were A new station is also in the course of also during the year improved and brought formation at Bhos (Colwyn Bay). as far as possible up to date, and a VOL. XVI.—No. 184.—LIFE-BOAT JOURNAL. 2 T 686 ANNUAL REPORT. [1ST MAT, 1897. similar course will be adopted with others Officers appointed for the purpose during as circumstances permit. the past year, and the majority of them A steam Life-boat being built for the on two or more occasions. A full report Institution l>y Messrs. Thornycroft, of of each visit has been submitted to the Chiswick, will shortly be placed at New Committee for their consideration and in- Brighton. The larger proportion of the cost formation. The system of surprise visits, of the boat has been raised by the Port of introduced two years ago, has been con- Liverpool Branch of the Institution. She tinued with satisfactory results. is to be named The Queen in commemo- ration of the completion of the sixtieth Shipwrecks. — The last three years year of the reign of Her Gracious Majesty, have been somewhat remarkable for the the Patron of the Institution. absence of any long continuance of In 1896 the Committee withdrew one stormy weather, and the year 1896 of the Life-boats from Douglas, Isle of proved to be one of the calmest years Man, the large sailing Life-boat recently experienced during the last decade. stationed there being, in their opinion, Whole weeks passed without a single well able to do all the work now required Life - boat being launched on service, in the vicinity of the station. The large and it was only, speaking generally, in sailing Life-boat which had been placed the early and closing months of the year at Beaumaris as an experiment has also that the services of the Life-boats and been withdrawn, the new boat which has their crews were specially called for. It been sent to Penmon meeting fully the is gratifying however to know that when requirements of the Menai Strait and the storm raged, making havoc on land the immediate neighbourhood. One of and spreading desolation at sea, there was two Life-boats at Selsey has likewise been no hanging back on the part of the Life- withdrawn for a similar reason, and the boat crews, who, braving the tempest, stations at Dartmouth, Kimeridge and gallantly rescued many a shipwrecked Silloth have been closed; local circum- mariner from a watery grave. stances rendering it unnecessary to incur The heaviest gales of the year occurred the expense of maintaining them. on the 25th of September and the 8th of There were 298 Life-boats belonging October. During the first of these gales to the Institution on the coast at the twenty-five Life-boats were launched on elose of 1896. service, resulting in the saving of twenty- four lives and the landing of eight other Transporting Carriages.—New trans- persons from vessels in distress as a porting carriages have been supplied precautionary measure; whilst during the during the year to eighteen stations, and second, seventeen Life-boats were launched ethers are being built and will be de- on service, resulting also in the saving spatched to the coast as soon as possible. of twenty-four lives and the landing of thirty-nine other persons from vessels in dangerous positions. An enormous Tipping's Plates.—The launching ar- amount of damage was done, particularly rangements at five stations have been on the west coast, to the Life-boat houses, rendered more efficient by being furnished stages, slipways, &c., during these two with these very useful plates, which have gales, entailing a very heavy pecuniary fully justified their introduction into the loss on the Institution. The tide which service. •accompanied the gale of the 8th of October was alleged to have baen the Inspection of Llfe-loats, &c.—All the highest, in many places, on record. Life-boats of the Institution on the coast The Committee have to report with have been thoroughly inspected by the thankfulness that, notwithstanding the IST MAT, 1897/ ANNUAL EEPOET. 687 Year. No. of Lives. : Year. No. of Lives. thousands of their Life-boat men who were 1846 134 1 1873 668 afloat in the Life-boats during the year, 1847 157 : 1874 713 only one lost his life on service, and that 1848 123 1875 921 1849 209 1876 600 from an accident not due in any way to 1850 470 1877 1,048 the Life-boat, but unfortunately, it is 1851 230 1878 616 to be feared, to an error of judgment 1852 773 1879 855 1853 678 j 1880 697 on the part of the poor fellow who had 1854 355 1881 1,121 divested himself of his life-belt and fell 1855 406 : 1862 884 1856 473 1863 9S5 from the side of a vessel he was endea- 1857 374 1884 792 vouring to board. 1858 427 1885 5S5 The number of lives for the saving 1859 499 1886 761 I 1860 455 1887 572 / of which the Institution granted rewards 1861 424 1888 800 I in 1896 was 461 ; of which number 312 1862 574 | 1889 627 1863 714 1890 765 were rescued by Life-boats, and 149 by 1864 698 1891 736 shore-boats and other means. On other 1865 714 ' 1892 1,056 occasions the crews were assembled for 1866 951 1893 598 1867 1,086 1894 790 service 50 times, their services not being 1868 862 1895 709 ultimately required. The details of the 1869 1,231 1896 461 lo*1 Q7rUt ^fOQ *( services during each month of the year 1871 882 Total 39,815 are as follows : — 1872 739 i Rewards. — The rewards granted by the Number Lives Vessels Lives of Life- Saved Saved Saved 1896. h°yv Institution last year for the saving of boat byLife-;byLife- Shore- Launches.- boats, boats. boats. life from shipwreck on the coast, or for 1 efforts to do so and in recognition of January 24 15 — 28 February 25 j 10 — 25 other good services rendered to the March 29 13 1 5 Society, comprised 1 Gold Medal, 5 Silver April . 18 9 3 2 Ma Jy . 11 11 • 2 19 Medals, 9 Binocular Glasses, 4 Aneroid JunT e . 5 — 1 2 Barometers, 39 Totes of Thanks inscribed July . 11 2 1 August 11 — 1 4 on vellum and framed, 6 Certificates September 49 29 4 4 of Service framed, and 10,616?. 18s., October . 74 ! 95 3 11 November 37 58 2 26 including grants to relatives of men lost December 50 1 70 2 23 on service and compensation for injuries Total . 345 312 20 149 received in the Service. At the close of the year the Institution had bestowed altogether in rewards since The total number of lives for the saving 1824, 99 Gold Medals and Gold Clasps, of which the Institution has granted 1,154 Silver; Medals and Clasps, 266 rewards since its establishment in 1824 Binocular Glasses, 15 Telescopes, 13 by Life-boats, shore-boats, or by other Aneroid Barometers. 1.558 Votes of means, has been 39,815, the number for Tnanks inscribed on vellum and framed. each year being as follows : — ! 63 Certificates of Service framed, and Tear. No of Lives. Year. No. of Lives. 169,546?. 5s. 6rf. in money. 1-824 124 1835 364 : 1825 218 :. 1836 225 . , ,, ... , , 1826 175 1837 272 Aneroids. — Many of these very useful 1827 163 1838 456 \ and reliable instruments were in 1896 1828 301 ! 1839 279 supplied by the Institution, at about a 1829 463 1830 372 1841 128 third the retail price, to Masters and 1831 287 1842 276 Owners of Fishing -boats and small 1832 310 Coasters Of 144 1833 449 1844 193 i - the instruments so 1834 214 1845 235 supplied, 114 went to Fishermen and 2 T 2 688 ANNUAL REPORT.