The Life-Boat
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THE LIFE-BOAT, OK JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. QUARTERLY.) YOL. IX.—No. 96.] MAY IOTH, 1875. PBICE Is- AT the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, held at the Mansion House, by the kind permission of the Eight Honourable The LOBD MAYOB of London, on Tuesday the llth day of May, 1875, His EOYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF EDINBUEGH, E.G., in the Chair, the following Report of the Committee was read by the Secretary:— than there -was at the period of its first formation in 1824. ANNUAL KEPORT. The Committee desire again to record IN presenting the Fifty-first Annual Eeport their gratitude to the Great Giver of all of the BOYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- good for the blessing He has bestowed on TUTION to its supporters and to the public the work of the Institution; and to express of the British Empire, the Committee of their heartfelt thanks to the many bene- Management feel thankful that they are factors whose bounty and confidence have once more able to announce the unabated encouraged and supported them in the success with which it has prosecuted its | performance of their responsible duty. mission. The year's transactions may be sum- The storms of fifty-one winters have marised as follows. swept over our shores since the first esta- Life-Tioats.—Since the last year's Eeport blishment of the Institution, each one with the Institution has placed twelve new its tale of lives lost and lives saved. In Life-boats on the coast—five of them at this, as in every other department of human new stations and the others to replace old work and knowledge, science has been or inferior boats. Seven of them have ceaselessly engaged in improving and per- been provided with transporting carriages, fecting. Notwithstanding that steam has, and six new boat-houses have been built. to a considerable extent, replaced the sail The following are the stations at which as a motive power, and that new codes these boats have been placed:— of maritime law have been passed by the legislature, we have but to glance at the ENGLAND. lists of shipwrecks during last winter, to West Hartlepool. LlWCOtNSHIHE Skegness. perceive that the risks attendant on the NORFOLK . Brancaster.* increase of commerce and of intercourse KENT . Lydd (Dungeness).* by sea have more than kept pace with SUSSEX . Brighton. Scittr ISLANDS St. Mary's.* •cience and legislation, and that there IstE or MAN Douglas.* is probably even greater need at the present time of the outstretched hand of WALES. A.NGI.ESEA . Moelfro, flieBoYAi, NATIONAL INSTITUTION FOB TBS RffiSBBVATION OF LlPB FEOM SHIPWEECK * Tiis indicates a complete new Life-boat station. THB LIFE-BOAT JOTJHNAL.—You IX.—No. 96. 234 ANNUAL REPORT. [MAT 15, 1875. life-belts, rushed into their boats, some SCOTLAND. insufficiently clad, and after several hours FOKFAHSHIRE . Montrose. AYSSHIKE . Irvine. of exposure to the cold, alternately ORKNEY ISLANDS Longhope.* drenched by salt water and by rain, and without food or drink, have landed IRELAND. in an almost equal state of exhaustion WEXPORO. Carnsore. with the rescued men they had brought During the past year the Society's Life- safely to land. Others have gone forth boats have saved five hundred and forty- ia the dark, when the danger and I three persons, nearly all of them under difficulty of the work before them were perilous circumstances, when ordinary doubled, nay often quadrupled, in reply boats could not have accomplished their to the distant rocket or booming gun rescue, or could only have done so at from the lightship near the outlying banks extreme risk to those on board them. which flank our shore. Although the These invaluable services since the last Life-boats are in most cases successful, Annual Meeting havehappily been rendered yet at times their crews have the mor- without any loss of life amongst the brave tification to find, on arrival at the spot, men who have performed them ; but, un- that vessel and crew had been swallowed fortunately, the death of one man has to up together, and that their long hours of be reported, caused by the upsetting of the risk and exposure had been in vain. Shoreham Life-boat on the bar off that The services of the Life-boats of the harbour when out for the quarterly exercise. Institution during the whole year may The Institution's Life-boats now num- thus be briefly epitomised :— ber 250. : Number | Shipwrecks. — Animating as is the fact 1874. ,' of Life- .Vessels Lives ! boat ' Saved. Saved, that the Life-boats of the Institution launches.; contributed last year to the saving of January 16 83 543 liyes from various shipwrecks, yet February j 17 61 •unhappily it remains to be recorded March 18 34 April ' 18 54 that hundreds of valuable lives perished May 4 11 during the fearful storms of last -winter. June, July, and August 11 43 September . ] 7 21 It is, however, consolatory to know that, October i 29 116 as far as the operations of this Ifisti- November . : 3d -.43 tufcion are concerned, the violence of no December . ' 52 4 I 122 storm appalled the gallant men who Total .... 202 15 513 manned the Life-boats. On the contrary, there have been services amongst them of It may be stated that the launches the grandest character, and particularly of the Life-boats, unattended with posi- during the heavy and continuous storms tive results, have been during the year of December last, when, the Life-boats unusually frequent. But such occasions saved 122 lives and 4 vessels. In one case, are not times for hesitation. Those at that period, a Life-boat had hardly who are wise after the fact are not landed with her living freight from the in a position to judge of the reasons very jaws of death, when she was sum- which at such times influence Life-boat moned again to launch, her crew vying crews, who, seeing a vessel with a distress with each other once more to face the signal or in a perilous position, falter storm, whilst others were eager to share not between two opinions, but proceed their glorious work. In other cases the out at once to offer help, which, as it brave fellows, in their anxiety that valuable often, happens, she may not, from \aiiouB time should not be lost, have seized their subsequent causes, ultimately need. The * This indicates a complete new Life-boat station. Life-boat men, however, cannot say until MAY 15, 1875.] ANNUAL BEPOKT. 235 they reach her that the vessel is not in j and worked so efficiently by the Coast- distress; and hesitation at such critical guard and the Eocket Volunteer Brigades. periods may mean the loss of valuable J The number of lives saved during the lives. I fifty-one years from the establishment of In addition to the efficient services of j the Institution in 1824, to the end of the the Life-boats, hundreds of lives are saved year 1874, either by its Life-boats or by every year by means of the Koeket-Appa- special exertions for which it has granted ratus, belonging to the Board of Trade,. rewards, is as follows:— In the No. ol Lives : In the So. of Lives > In the No. ot lives ( In the So. of Lives In the No. of Lives Year Saved. Year Saved. Year Saved. Year Saved. Year Saved. 1824 124 1835 364 184S 134 1857 374 1868 8«2 1825 218 1836 225 1847 157 1858 427 1889 1,231 1825 175 1837 272 1848 123 1859 499 1870 784 1827 163 1838 45S 1849 209 1860 455 1871 882 1828 301 1839 279 1850 470 1861 424 1872 739 1829 463 1840 353 1851 230 1862 574 1873 G68 1830 372 1841 128 1852 773 1863 714 1874 713 287 1832 310 1843 236 'I 1854 355 1865 714 Total. 22,866 1833 449 1844 193 ;! 1855 406 1866 921 1834 214 1845 235 1856 473 1867 1,086 Language fails to express adequately j the Admiralty, the Admiral Superinten- the gratitude which every one must feel dent of Naval Eeserves, and the Officers who ponders over this noble list of and men of the Coastguard Service, for lives saved, and instinctive thankful- their continued co-operation. ness rises up in our heart that such Since the establishment of the Institu- great work has been accomplished on our tion, it has expended on. Life-boat esta- shores. blishments, and other means for saving life from Shipwreck, upwards of 356,000?., Rewards.—In the Appendix a summary and has voted 91 Gold and 863 Silver is given of the cases in which honorary Medals for saving life, besides pecuniary and other rewards have been voted. During rewards to the amount of 45,2002. the past year 11 Silver Medals, 18 Totes of Thanks inscribed on vellum, and 2,4132. Local Committees.—The Committee have have been granted for saving the lives of the satisfaction of acknowledging the con- 713 persons by Life-boats, shore and tinued valuable and zealous eo-operation fishing boats, and by other means, on the j afforded them by the Local Branch Com- coasts and outlying banks of the United j mittees, and their Honorary Secretaries, Kingdom. ! which constitute so important a portion of The Committee devote much careful the machinery for the supervision of the consideration to the granting of these Re- j Institution's numerous Life-boat establish- wards. Each ease is minutely inquired ; ments, and the collection of funds for into, in the first instance, through the co- their support.