THE LIFE-BOAT, OB JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. (ISSUED QUABTHBLY.) VOL. XL—No. 119.] FEBEUARY 1, 1881. [WlTH IU.OSTRATIOS8. OUE LIFE-BOAT WOBK. IP ~we eonld always have OUT own way in lutely safe from disaster, or any other this world, yte •would doubtless make all means for saving lives from wrecked or work easy, all work pleasant, all work stranded vessels without danger, under safe; we would fain do good to others, many circumstances, to those engaged in not only without risk of injury to our- its performance. selves, "but even without serious exertion All the more honour, therefore, to or patient endeavour and endurance on those brave men who, without any other our own part, and our whole lives would award than the payment of a few shillings be assimilated to a pleasant and only too and the approval of their own con- fleeting dream. sciences, in every winter's gale man the But wisely, and no doubt mercifully, noble, though comparatively puny, craft we have not been empowered to devise of our life-saving fleet, and, with their our own careers, to choose for ourselves lives in their hands, as it were, go forth what we shall do or what we shall suffer, to rescue their fellow-creatures, or perish and it has been ordained for us that great in the attempt. deeds, and, in the main, useful lives, Noble, though painful, illustrations of should only result from patient, syste- duty thus bravely done, have recently oc- matic, courageous, and self-denying work, curred by the upsetting of three Life* overcoming disappointment, discourage- boats, one at Wells, on the Norfolk coast, ment, neglect, ingratitude, and even con- on which occasion no less than eleven, tumely ; doing good work, and seeking no out of thirteen of its crew, perished; one other award than that of an approving at Great Yarmouth, when six were conscience and the purest of pleasures, drowned, and one at Harwich, where one that of pleasing and befriending others; died from cold and exhaustion after being in a \?otd, of doing good for its own rescued. sake. The Wells disaster was by far tie most And thus it happens that, in common fatal accident that had ever befallen a with other good work, that of saving Life-boat belonging to the NATIONAL lives from shipwrecks cannot be effected LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, the largest num- without self-denial, physical endurance of ber of lives ever before lost, on any one hardship, severe labour, and risk of life. occasion, having been six. For human skill has'not yet devised, and From time to time these sad accidents in all probability never will devise, any are recorded, yet, jnst as in battle, when description of Life-boat which is abso- the front ranks of our soldiers are thinned LIFE-BOAT JOUENAL.—Voi. XI.—No. 119. 210 THE LIFE-BOAT. [PKBBUABT 1,1881. by the enemy's fire, other brave men 3. The self-righting, or Northumber- instantly spring forward to fill the gaps land Life-boat, so called from its being the shot and shell have made, so, un- the only class of Life-boat which is con- deterred, other brave boatmen spring to structed to right itself if completely the front in the battle with the deadly upset. As is pretty generally known, storm and mighty sea, to incur the same the first of ibis class of boat was de- risk in saving life that their fellows had signed by Mr. James Beeching, ship and done before them. boatbuilder, of Great Yarmouth, in re- All the more, therefore, is the respon- sponse to the offer of a prize of 100?., in sibility which rests on those who invite the year 1850, by Algernon, the then them to incur such risks, that they should Duke of Northumberland, for the best provide them with the safest boats, and model of a Life-boat. every other available means, to lessen the 4. The tubular Life-boat, formed of risk to which they are exposed. two long cylinders placed several feet Since there is more than one recognised apart, with an open or light deck between class of Life-boat, as regards the relative them, which boats were designed by the safety and efficiency of which there is a late Henry Bichardson, Esq., of Bala difference of opinion, and as some adverse Hirnant, North Wales. reflections have been made by writers in 5. Lamb and White's Life-boat, chiefly the local press and others, on the class of in use on shipboard, and in the Coast- boats termed self-righting, to which the guard service on the coast. Wells and Harwich Life-boats pertained, The characteristics' of these several we think it may be of service to dis- boats are as follow:—' passionately consider the question as to 1. The Greathead.—These boats have their relative merits, basing our argument, great width in proportion to length, a however, on the fact that no kind of Life- shallow, short, and very curved keel, boat has ever yet been built which has raking and curved stem and stern-posts, not upset, and retaining the opinion that a water-tight deck, self-relief of all water none ever will be invented which will shipped by seas breaking on board, great not be liable to do so. width of beam, and a carved longitudinal The recognised classes of Life-boats to form corresponding to the curved surface which we have above referred are five in of the water between following waves. number, viz.:— They have neither rudders, nor masts and 1. The old north-country Life-boat, sails, and are therefore only suited for called the "Greathead" Life-boat, after surf-boats, to rescue the crews of vessels "Henry Greathead," who built the first stranded near the shore. These boats have boat of that class in about the year 1790. often done noble service, but several have They are now nearly obsolete, but three been upset from time to time, on which or four boats of that kind are still in use occasion, as they then lie keel up, many on the Northumberland and Yorkshire lives have been almost invariably lost. coasts, and are preferred by the local 2. The Norfolk Life-boat.—These boats boatmen to any others. are essentially different from the preced- 2. The Norfolk Life-boat, so termed ing. They number nineteen in all, of from their use being confined to a portion which eleven are large powerful sailing of the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, where boats, from 42 to 46 feet long, and 11 they are also much appreciated. They to 13 feet wide. They sit very deep in have been in use in the neighbourhoods the water, carrying from 5i to 7 tons of of Yarmouth and Lowestoft for, we be- loose water as ballast, in addition to heavy lieve, more than half a century, but we iron keels. They can only be propelled can find no record of their original de- by sails, being too large and heavy to row. signer. They are very stiff, and sail well, owing FEBBUABY 1, 1881.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 211 to their comparatively deep immersion. these 249 boats, the majority are of They have a very large buoyant belt comparatively small size, requiring to be round their sides from stem to stern, manageable under oars as well as sails, projecting not less than from 16 to and it should be known and remembered 20 inches, and nearly as deep through that not one of them, of the two largest the greater part of its length. These sizes, has ever upset, the largest which belts were formerly made of solid cork, has been so being only 35 feet long by but are now made of wood, hollow and 9 feet wide. covered with cork, and an outer skin of In comparing these boats with those painted canvas, to make them water-tight; of the Norfolk plan, which has been done their interior being divided into numerous to the disparagement of the former since compartments. They undoubtedly add the Wells boat was upset, three circum- greatly to the stiffness or stability of these stances should be borne in mind: 1st. boats, by supporting their lee, or lower That there are 249 of the one in use, and side, on the least inclination of the boat, only nineteen of the other; 2nd. That the their lower sides being close to the water's great majority of the former are small surface when the boat has her water boats; 3rd. That whilst four of the ballast and crew in. They likewise add largest-sized of the Norfolk class of boats to their safety by enabling them to sail have upset, or, strictly speaking, that before a heavy sea without running their three of them have, and one of them a bows under water. Nevertheless, four of second time, none of the self-righting the larger and one of the smaller class ones, of even the second size, have done have upset, with a loss of 48 lives, which so. Indeed, we feel convinced that if loss was, however, no doubt much in- the 249 self-righting boats had all been creased in consequence of some of their of the Norfolk or any other class, a very crews being unprovided with life-belts. much greater number of lives would have The eight boats of smaller size are worked been lost from them, and very many less by oars; they are not, however, brought lives saved by them, since the knowledge so frequently into use as the larger boats.