The Life-Boat

THE LIFE-BOAT, OR JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL SHIPWRECK INSTITUTION. II No. 8.] IST MAY, 1853. [PRICE 2o. AT the Annual General Meeting of the NATIONAL SHIPWRECK INSTITUTION, held at the London Tavern on Thursday the 21st day of April, 1853, CAPTAIN THE EABL TALBOT, E.N., C.B., VICE-PRESIDENT, in the Chair, The following Report of the Committee was read:— ANNUAL REPORT. from the first foundation of the Institution to THE Committee of Management, in present- within a few days of his death—actively and ing to the Subscribers and .the Public their zealously co-operated with them, and almost Report for the past year, do so with mingled without intermission presided over their feelings of satisfaction and regret: of satis- meetings. A brief memoir of his life will faction, that so much success has attended be found in the December Number of the tiie efforts which have been made to save Life-Boat Journal, life from shipwreck; of regret, that still so Yet, while the common course of nature has many human beings have perished on OUT deprived them of the services of one valued , coasts during the late autumn and winter. friend, it is with much gratification that the •Yet, however much we must deplore these Committee are enabled to state that the disasters, they form no ground of discourage- vacancy will be filled by another long-tried ment; on the contrary, they should incite us supporter of the Institution, Mr. Alderman to renewed exertion: they point out that THOMPSON, M.P., who, at the last meeting there is much to be done, and they pro- of the Committee, was proposed by His claim more loudly than ever the necessity Grace the President, and unanimous!/ that exists for well-organized, well-directed, elected Chairman. and well-sustained efforts in the sacred cause Mr. FRANCIS WILSO.V has likewise con- in which we are embarked. sented to accept the office of a Trustee of In rendering an. account of the proceed- the Society vacant by the death of his late ings of the Institution for the past year, the lamented father. Report will be arranged, as usual, under the The Committee have further to express several heads of General Proceedings, Life- their regret at the retirement (from in- Boats, Rockets, Wrecks, Rewards, Local creasing years) of GEOKGE PALMER, Esq., of Committees, Publications, and Finance. Nazing Park, Essex, who for a long period filled the office of Deputy-Chairman of Com- General Proceedings.—It is with great mittee. Mr. PALMER will long be remem- regret that the Committee have to advert to bered for his strenuous endeavours to call the loss which they have sustained by the the attention of Parliament to the subject of death of the late THOMAS WILSON, their wrecks, and as Chairman of a Select Com« much-respected and valued Chairman, who, mittee of the House of Commons on Ship- for a period of nearly thirty years—extending wrecks, in 1843. On his retirement from Ko. 8. THE LIFE-BOAT. [MAY, 1853. office, the Committee unanimously voted to fulfil to the utmost the conditions on which Mr. PALMER the gold medal of the Institu- this charge has been intrusted to their care. tion in acknowledgment of the services he A life-boat similar to the above, designed had rendered to the cause, both in Parlia- by Mr. PEAKE, has been stationed at North ment and in the improvements introduced by Sunderland, at the expense of the trustees of him in the construction of life-boats. the late Lord Crewe; and a 31-feet boat at In the course of last autumn the Inspector Appledore, Devon. The Worthing boat, of Life-Boats visited the whole of the life- mentioned last year, has been completed and boat stations on the east coast of England placed on her station; a 27-feet boat for from Berwick-on-Tweed to the Thames, and Budehaven is on her way to that port; took advantage of the opportunity afforded to similar boats are ready for Barmouth and try several of the boats in stormy weather. Cemlyn, and are waiting for a conveyance He has furnished a detailed Report on to their destination. Boats also for Aldboro', the present condition of all the stations, Lyme Regis, Sennen, and Douglas, Isle of which will enable the Institution to pro- Man, are in a state of forwardness at Messrs. ceed systematically in replacing what may be FORRESTT'S, at Limehouse, boat-builders old or inefficient along that coast, on which to the Institution. The life-boats at Filey wrecks are so frequent, and also in aid of and BridlingtoD, in Yorkshire, have been local associations and individual liberality, by put into thorough repair, and plans have which much has already been accomplished. been furnished to Hartlepool and the Tees Bay Society. An application from the Prus- Life-Boats.—It was mentioned in last sian Government has also recently been re- year's Report that four life-boats, on the most ceived for a life-boat on Mr. PEAKE'S design, recent construction, were building, and were to be stationed at Swinemunde, in the Baltic; about to be stationed on the coast of North- The Committee consider it due to the pub- umberland : these boats, by the courtesy of lic spirit of the Messrs. RICHARDSON, of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, Aber Hirnant, Bala, North Wales, to notice were conveyed to their stations in H.M.S. their iron tubular life-raft, on which they Lightning in September last, and taken successfully accomplished a voyage from charge of by the respective Local Committees Liverpool round the Land's End to London. at Cullercoats, Newbiggin, Hauxley, and The experiment is a very interesting one, Boulmer. In the stormy weather, which oc- and should it be found that the iron, of curred shortly after, an opportunity was af- which the tubes are formed, can be preserved forded of trying them; which was taken ad- from rapid decay, it seems probable that vantage of by the Inspector of Life-boats, who such a life-raft might prove useful, parti- fully tested their merits as sea-boats; they have cularly on a very flat beach. since been out on several occasions, and have been instrumental in saving life and property. The sad accidents to the Lytliam and These four stations having been completed Rhyl life-boats are too recent not to be well with boats, boat-houses, carriages, life-belts, known to all who take an interest in these buoys, and every requisite fitting, the whole subjects f the Committee, therefore, only has been most liberally presented to the Ship- advert to them to assure the subscribers to wreck Institution by His Grace the Duke of the Institution and the public, that no similar NORTHUMBERLAND, our President, on the fittings, nor the use of water ballast, will be understanding that everything shall be main- permitted in any life-boat in connexion with tained in efficient working order, and the this Institution, nor, except in special cases, crews be regularly trained and exercised. will the use of sails be sanctioned. Acting in the name and on behalf of the > Boat-houses.—Boat-houses of ample width subscribers to the Institution, tfae Committee -and height of doorway, have been erected have thankfully accepted this munificent gift,' at Hauxley, Newbiggin, and Cullercoats, at and they pledge themselves, in conjunction the expense of the President, and are now • with the respective Local Committees, to ! transferred to the Institution. Also at ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1853. Aldboro' in Suffolk, at Worthing, and on the the Coast-guard, been forwarded by the Northam Burrows, at Appledore, Devon, Institution. (towards all of which the Institution has con- It is with regret the Committee have to tributed), and one at Sennen Cove, Land's record the deaths of Mv. JOHN DENNETT, End, at the sole cost of JAMES TRKMBATH, of Newport, Isle of Wight, and of Mr. Esq., lord of the manor. The boat-house at ALEXANDER G. CARTE, late Ordnance Store- Filey has likewise been repaired, and the keeper at Hull, who have been the chief road to the beach improved. agents in establishing rocket-stations around s Carriages.—The carriage mentioned last our coasts, for effecting communication with year, as building in the Royal Arsenal at a stranded vessel. DENNETT'S rockets (ori- Woolwich, on the design and under the ginally proposed by TRENGROUSE, of Hel- superintendence of Colonel COLQUHOUN, ston in Cornwall, in 1807) were supplied by R. A., Director of the Carriage Department, this Institution to Atherfield, St. Lawrence, has been completed, and is now stationed and Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight, as at Cullercoats, where it is found that it early as the year 1826, and there are now moves easily, that the life-boat can be got about 120 stations on the coasts of the United upon it without difficulty and launched from Kingdom furnished with his rockets. CARTE it with safety: a similar carriage has been first supplied his rockets in 1836, and they built for Hauxley; one is building for New- are now placed at about 31 stations, chiefly biggin and for North Sunderland; and on the coasts of Durham and Yorkshire. applications for a copy of the plan have Both of these individuals are entitled to been received from several quarters. The very honourable mention, as having been in- carriage travels on four wheels; but for strumental in saving many lives from shipwreck. launching, as well as for transporting the boat to any short distance, the platform, or Some experiments were made last autumn body on the hind wheels, is all that is neces- with an anchor-shot and grapnel-shot which sary.

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