THE LIFE-BOAT. JOUENAL OF THE IRo^al National 3Life*Boat Jnstitutlon. (ISSUED QUABTEBLY.) VOL. XIV.—No. 156.] MAY 1, 1890. [PBIOE Is. At the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the EOTAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION, held at Princes' Hall, Piccadilly, on Saturday, 15th day of March, 1890, His Grace The DUKE OF FIFE, K.T., in the Chair, the following Beport of the Committee was read by the Secretary:— to express any opinion as to the success or otherwise of the experiment, and at ANNUAL EEPOBT. present they can only venture to hope 1890. that the great problem as to the efficiency of a Steam Life-boat may soon be solved. THE important -work of the KOYAL Efforts have recently been made to NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT IxsTirtmow has produce an improved transporting car- been actively carried on during the past riage, and when the proposed alterations year, and every effort has been made have been fully tested a large proportion to place the Life-boat service in a of the stations will be supplied with it. yet higher state'of efficiency, either by It has also been decided to still further stationing new Boats on the coast, or by extend the use of the Tipping sand- improving old ones for temporary use plates, which will, it is believed, be the until such time as the Society shall be in means of expediting the launch of many a position to remove them and to substi- of the Life-boats from sandy and soft tute others of a superior type, beaches. have also been taken at many of the stations to improve or add to the facilities Life-boats.—During the year 1889, for launching the boats—in some cases twenty new Life-boats of various sizes at considerable cost —• with a view to were sent to the coast, all of which assistance being rendered to distressed have given complete satisfaction to their vessels with the least possible delay. crews, some of them having already The Steam LifeMboat referred to in the rendered excellent service in saving life; last Annual Beport as about to be built for and in the same period the boats at the Institution, will be ready for service as nineteen other stations were supplied with Bdon as the necessary series of severe tests water ballast tanks and other improve- h»ve been thoroughly carried out. The ments. Never perhaps in the history of Committee fee! that it would be premature the Institution has the confidence of the XIV.—No. 156.—LIFB-BOJT JOPBHAL,—(2nd ED.) 246 THE LIFE-BOAT. erews in the suitableness of the Life-boats Holyhead Anglesey. for the work they are intended to per- Kingstown . Dublin. Port of Ness Island of Lewis. form been more full and entire than at Queenstown Covk, the present time. Pwllheli. Carnarvonshire. The following is a list of the stations St. Agnes . Scilly Isles. to which new boats were sent last year:— The Committee have hitherto been enabled to meet the great expenditure Bamburgh . Northumberland. entailed by the building of so many new Blyth No. 2 . Do. boats, either by special gifts presented by Bull Bay. Anglesey. kind friends for the purpose, or by means Cresswell . .. Northum herland. of bequests, and they earnestly hope that Donna Nook Lincolnshire. Fiehguard No. 1 Pembrokeshire. the funds will be provided for the build- Gorleston No. 1. Suffolk. ing and equipping of many other new Haitlepool No. 1 . Durham. boats during the present year. Kingsgate . Kent. At the close of 1889 the Institution's Boker .... Durham. fleet consisted of 293 Life-boats, Torquay .... Devonshira Weston-srupei-Mare Somerset. Shipwrecks.—Although the past year SCOTLAND. cannot be considered to have been by Buokie Banffgbire. any means a stormy one, but rather the HTJUB, Caithness-shire. contrary, yet various parts of onr coasts Monttose No. 2 . Forfarshire. were visited by strong gales in February, Newbnrgh .... Aberdeenshiie. October and November, in which months Bay ... Do. many important services were rendered IBELASD. by the Life-boats. Of the 1,149 times Balhriggan Co. Dublin, the Life-boats were launched in 1889, Portrosh. „ Antrim. namely 239 times on service and 910 for Wicklow. „ Wicklow. exercise, in addition to 32 occasions on which crews assembled, their services not The position of one of the Appledore ultimately being required, happily only Stations has recently been changed, a new one resulted in the loss of life, the cir- boathouse and slipway having been con- cumstances of which were as follows:— structed at a point which it is thought On the 1st November, soon after 9 A.M., will be more advantageous for the pur- intelligence was received at the Portrush poses of the service. It has been deter- Life-boat station that a schooner was in mined, at the earnest request of the danger in the Skerries Eoad. The crew fishermen and other inhabitants, to return were promptly summoned, and the boat, to Pakefield the large Life-boat which which had only just been placed on the was formerly there, but which for the station, was launched in a N.W. gale and past four years has been stationed at a very heavy sea. No trace could, how- Lowestoft in addition to the other Life- ever, be foncd of the schooner, which as boat already there. The boat will, how- it was subsequently ascertained had ever, be placed in a better position for succeeded in getting out to sea. An launching than before, and a new boat attempt was then made to return to Port- is being built for Lowestoft. The email rush, but this being fotmd impossible, it Life-boat at Southend was removed in was determined to make for Port Ballin- October last, having been replaced by a trae. When nearly there, a difference of superior boat of similar dimensions. opinion arose between the coxswain and New or additional stations are, or will the majority of the crew as to whether it be shortly, in course of formation at:— •would not be better to run for Bush ANNUAL REPORT. 247 Strand, which step was finally agreec Since the fonndation of the Institntion upon. When close in, the sail was in 1824, it has granted rewards for the lowered, the mast taken down, and mos' saving of 34,670 lives as follows : — of the oars got out, the port side pulling In the No. of Lives In tile No. of Lives and the starboard backing so as to bring Year Saved. Tear Saved. 1824 124 1858 427 the boat stern to sea, when an exception 1825 218 1859 499 ally heavy sea struck her on the por 1826 175 1860 455 quarter and capsized her about 10.30 A.M. 1827 163 1861 424 1828 301 1862 574 all the crew being thrown oat with the 1829 463 1863 714 exception of one man. The boat immedi- 1830 372 1864 698 ately righted, but was again capsized, am 18S1 287 1865 714 1832 310 1866 921 again righting was driven towards the 1833 449 1867 1,086 beach, some of the crew holdine on to her. 1834 214 1868 '862 1835 364 1869 1 ,231 others reaching land separately. Unfor- 1836 225 1870 784 tunately these capsizes resulted in the 1837 272 1871 882 loss of three of the crew, including the 1838 456 1872 739 1839 279 1873 668 Chief Officer of the Coast Guard. The 1840 353 1874 713 Committee promptly contributed 600?. to 1841 128 1875 921 1842 276 1876 600 the local fond which was raised for the 1843 236 1877 1,048 benefit of the widows and orphans of the 1844 193 1878 616 drowned Life-boat men. 1845 235 1879 855 1846 134 1880 697 The following table furnishes the ser- 1847 157 1881 1,121 vices rendered by the Life-boats during 1848 123 1882 884 each month of the past year :- 1849 209 1883 955 1P50 470 1884 792 i 1851 230 1885 555 Namber I {ves 1852 773 1886 761 Lives Vessels Saved 1853 678 1887 572 1889. of Life- Saved Saved by boat byLife- by Life- Shore- 1854 355 1888 800 LaUBc'bes. boats. boats. boats. 1855 408 1889 627 1856 473 Total 34,670 January 29 67 1 7 1857 374 February 39 65 3 19 March 20 13 40 In view of this grand record of results, April 13 — 34 May . 12 23 1 13 no other appeal is sorely needed to secure June . 5 15 ready and liberal support from a benevo- July . 4 s 9 August 11 5 1 1 lent Public. September 12 6 30 October . 37 100 —2 18 November 24 72 6 14 Rewards. — The rewards granted by the December 33 61 3 ' 7 Committee during the year 1889 for the Total . 239 420 17 207 saving of life from shipwrecks or for praiseworthy efforts to do so, and in The best thanks of the Committee as acknowledgment of good services rendered well as of the Public are due to the cox- to the cause, comprised 3 Silver Medals, swains and crews of the Life-boats fot 3 Second Service Clasps, 10 Binocular the admirable manner in which they have Glasses, 1 Aneroid Barometer, 25 Votes of discharged their hazardous duties, their .hanks inscribed on vellum and framed, gallantry being only equalled by their 8 Certificates of Service framed, and smartness and promptness. To the 5,103Z. 11*. including grants to the rela- officers and men of the Coastguard, and ives of Life-boat men who perished in the to the Volunteer Rocket Brigades also, the tischarge of their duty.