THE INVENTION AND LAUNCHING OF THE PRIZE LIFE-BOAT.
"In spite of rock and tempest's roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore,
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea,
Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee;
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o'er our fears,
Are all with thee--are all with thee!"
_"The Ship of State."--Longfellow._
In the year 1848, the Admiralty called for returns from the various
coastguard stations which gird the coast, as to the condition of the
life-boat service in their respective neighbourhoods; the results showed
a state of things very far from satisfactory. It appeared that the
number of life-boats was about one hundred, but out of these, only
fifty-five were reported as being in good repair, and a great many of
this number were declared to be of such heavy construction, that very
much of their usefulness was sacrificed.
Twenty boats were reported as being only in fair repair, and twenty-one
boats were declared to be bad and unserviceable. From many stations came
the reports of great loss of life from want of a boat. From Ballycotton,
for instance, where a life-boat could be easily manned, and yet, sad to
state, that within fifteen years no fewer than sixty-seven lives had
been lost, no life-boat being there to effect a rescue.
The evidence for the necessity for further effort was also afforded, by
the long distances which existed between many of the life-boat stations.
Twenty-seven miles, thirty-three, forty-five, ninety-four, one hundred
and forty-one, and one hundred and fifty-one miles being among such
distances; thus in various places the coast was left absolutely
unprotected for many miles together.
Equally sad, and similar to that given by Sir W. Hillary, was the
evidence as to the faulty construction of many of the boats, inasmuch as
although they were a decided improvement upon the ordinary boat, yet
they too often proved incompetent to contend against the rush of seas
and broken water to which they were exposed; from this cause the most
painful tragedies frequently occurred, the loss of brave fellows who
went out to save others from a dreadful death, and who through no lack
of courage, of strength, or of skill, on their part, but from the faulty
construction of the boat they were in, found one common grave with those
whom they sought to rescue from the raging seas.
Thus one life-boat gained a most sad notoriety: on one occasion she
drowned four of her crew; on another occasion twelve; and on a third,
twenty men were drowned out of her. A second, so called, life-boat lost
on one occasion two men, on a second three men, and on a third all her
crew; when she was most properly condemned as too dangerous to be of
use.
A Scarborough life-boat lost sixteen men. At Dunbar, on the occasion of
a man-of-war being wrecked, the life-boat in two trips saved forty-five
men; on her third trip she upset, and nearly all who were in her were
drowned; she was condemned, and for many years no life-boat at all was
stationed there, although from time to time many lives were lost.
Thus we find that in the year 1850 life-boat work was no unknown work.
Life-boat societies had done much, and were doing much. Life-boats had
been stationed in various localities during the preceding half century,
and there were at the date mentioned seventy-five life-boats in England,
eight in Scotland, and eight in Ireland; but nearly one-half of these
were, from one cause or another, more or less unserviceable; and many of
the most exposed parts of the coast were still unprovided with
life-boats. In that year, 1850, there were six hundred and eighty-one
wrecks: the loss of life was about seven hundred and eighty-four,
including a crew of eleven men, whose boat upset one stormy November
night, they having put off to the assistance of a vessel in distress.
It was evident that the life-boat system was not sufficiently developed
or general, and there was, moreover, no universally approved model of a
boat in which all boatmen might have confidence; this latter
consideration was especially brought before the notice of the public by
an accident which occurred to the Newcastle life-boat, the sad
particulars of which are given in the following extracts from a letter
written December 14th, 1849, by the then treasurer of the life-boat
"Friend of the Ports of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and South Shields," Mr. R.
Anderson.
"The life-boats of the Port of Newcastle, stationed at the entrance of
the Tyne in North and South Shields, have been for about sixty years
instrumental in saving the crews of those vessels which have been
unfortunately stranded at the entrance of the port. No correct account
was kept of the exact number so rescued from danger previous to the year
1841, but since then four hundred and sixty-six persons have been
brought ashore from sixty-two vessels.
"On the morning of the fatal accident, the _Betsy_, of Littlehampton,
laden with salt, was stranded on the hard sand; and the receding tide
left her among heavy breakers, with a heavy ebb-tide running past her.
"The life-boat was launched about 9 A.M., and being manned by
twenty-four pilots, immediately proceeded to the vessel; and, having
hailed her, and given instructions to the people on board to prepare two
ropes ready to throw to them, they waited for a little time between the
ship and the shore for the ropes to be got ready, then they again
proceeded to the vessel, and succeeded in getting alongside; the rope
from the after end of the vessel was received into the boat; the rope
from the fore end had just been received and reeved in the ring at the
stern, and a few fathoms hauled into the boat; and the shipwrecked men
were preparing to descend, when a terrific knot of sea recoiling from
the resistance it met at the vessel's bow, threw the bow of the boat up
over end, and the bow-rope not holding, the boat was driven in that
position, with all her crew thrown into the stern, astern of the vessel,
into the rapid ebb-tide, which running into her, caused the boat to
capsize, and all the men were washed into the sea; they were carried
away by the tide.
"The accident was seen from the shore, and immediately the second
life-boat was launched from South Shields, and, with seventeen pilots on
board, proceeded with all possible despatch to the assistance of the
crew of the former boat; they found and rescued three, one had succeeded
in getting on board the brig, and thus only four out of the twenty-four
were saved.
"Nor were the crew of the stranded vessel forgotten; the third life-boat
from North Shields was launched; and notwithstanding the appalling
accident, a crew of seventeen brave fellows manned her instantly, and
proceeded alongside the _Betsy_, and brought all her crew, and the one
pilot who succeeded in getting on board her, safely ashore.
"The first life-boat which had turned end-over-end was washed ashore
bottom up; her great want was the self-righting principle."
Urged by the necessities of the case, which became daily more apparent,
the Duke of Northumberland, President of the National Life-boat
Society, organized a plan by which the intellect and experience of the
world at large should be encouraged to invent a life-boat, which should
be on all points as perfect as possible.
His Grace offered a premium of one hundred guineas for the best model of
a life-boat. The defects of the existing boats were pointed out as a
guide to inventors, they being chiefly:
"1. They do not upright themselves in the event of being upset.
"2. That they are too heavy to be readily launched or transported along
the coast in case of need.
"3. That they do not free themselves from water fast enough.
"4. That they are very expensive."
A committee was formed to examine, and report upon the models.
The offer of His Grace, and the conditions of the competition, were
published in October 1850, and no expense or pains were spared in making
them known.
The interest and excitement produced by the notice were deeply and
widely felt; the challenge was accepted by great numbers of
people--amateurs, to whom to invent a life-boat seemed a laudable and
holy ambition, vied with the boat-builders who had thoughts of
professional reputation to give a spur to their humanity--speedily in
all parts of England, and in many other parts of the world, busy minds
and skilful hands were at work.
In due time models came teeming in upon the committee in almost
overwhelming numbers.
Not content with asking for models of life-boats, the committee also
asked for information upon certain defined points, the models sent in
numbered no fewer than two hundred and eighty, while the answers to
inquiries were sufficient to fill five folio volumes of manuscript. As
for the models, every possible form and every possible principle seemed
to find its illustration.
There were boats designed upon the principle of Pontoons, of Catamarans,
of Rafts, Steamers, Paddle-box Boats, North Country Cobles--every
possible modification of the whaleboat, and of the ordinary boat; boats
made of wood, of tin, of galvanized corrugated iron, boats with cork
linings, with air-boxes, with water-ballast, with no ballast, tubular
boats, boats a series of tubs, a series of boxes; to be propelled by
oars, by sails, by paddle-wheels, by screws, to be worked by hand power,
by steam power, by atmospheric air.
The Committee might well feel overwhelmed at such a perfect rush of
ideas and designs thus suggested for their consideration; and as they
began to go into details, they found it almost impossible to decide
which model was best, where the elements of excellency were so varied
and so numerous, especially as they found that so large a number of the
boats presented such excellent combinations of different good qualities.
The committee therefore deemed it necessary to organize a regular
competitive examination, assigning marks to different necessary
qualifications, that they might thus be able to arrange the boats
presented in an order of merit, dependent upon their respective
combination of good qualities.
The following is the list of qualities that were required in the boats,
with the number of marks apportioned to each.
1st Quality. Rowing boat in all weathers 20
2nd " Sailing boat in all weathers 18
3rd " Sea boat, i.e., stability, safety, buoyancy forward
for launching through surf 10
4th " Means of freeing boat from water readily 8
5th " Extra buoyancy nature, amount, distribution,
mode of application 7
6th " Power of self-righting 9
7th " Suitableness for beaching 4
8th " Room for, and power of carrying passengers 6
9th " Moderate weight for transport along shore 3
10th " Protection from injury to bottom 3
11th " Ballast, as iron 1, water 2, cork 3 6
12th " Access to stem and stern 3
13th " Tumbler heads for securing warps 2
14th " Fenders, life-lines, &c. 1
With their mode of examination thus fully organized, the Committee
patiently and carefully set about their interesting task, and after much
labour it was decided that the model presented by Mr. James Beeching, of
Great Yarmouth, possessed the best combination of necessary
qualifications, and to it was awarded eighty-six out of the one hundred
marks; and the inventor had the gratification of receiving the following
letters from the Duke of Northumberland, and from the Chairman of the
Life-boat Committee:--
_Alnwick Castle,_ _13th August, 1851._
SIR,
It gives me much pleasure to send you a cheque for £105, as the
prize for the best model of a life-boat.
And I must thank you for the assistance you have given me and the
Society for Saving Life from Shipwreck by that model, which will
enable us to establish a better life-boat on the coast than those
at present in use.
Yours, &c.,
NORTHUMBERLAND.
_To Mr. James Beeching._
* * * * *
_Somerset House, London,_ _14th August, 1851._
SIR,
I have the gratification to acquaint you that the Committee
appointed to examine the life-boat models sent to Somerset House,
to compete for the premium offered by His Grace the Duke of
Northumberland for the best model of a life-boat, have awarded the
prize to your model.
I am therefore directed by His Grace to transmit to you the
enclosed cheque for £105, and the report of the Committee upon
which the award was founded.
Yours, &c.,
J. WASHINGTON, R.N.,
Chairman of the Committee.
_To Mr. James Beeching._
A fine boat, called the _Northumberland_, was speedily built by Mr.
Beeching, and she immediately commenced a more memorable career than has
ever fallen to the lot of any other boat--the stormy petrel of the
sea--the pioneer of a work not more glorious than much which had been
attempted, but which crowned almost every brave effort with abundant
success, where science aided sympathy with all the fruits of her skill,
so that the double cry of agony, where on the one hand there was
lamentation for the shipwrecked and lost, and on the other a cry, if
possible, even more piteous still, for those who perished in their
efforts to save the shipwrecked--a cry that had been too often heard,
was soon almost to cease from the land.
The early passage in the history of the _Northumberland_ seemed to
suggest that hers was to be a holiday existence, her career commenced
with a round of triumphant display and popularity. She visited various
parts of the coast, and all her properties were displayed, creating
everywhere confidence in her powers, and enthusiasm at the thought of
the stimulus to be given to the great work of saving life from
shipwreck, by the possession of such a noble and efficient boat.
There was a great gathering at Ramsgate to witness the first public
trial the boat was to be put through; naval officers, elder brethren of
the Trinity House, scientific men of all services were interested deeply
in the series of experiments to which she was to be subjected, for they
all fully realized how the question of life or death to thousands, yea,
in the course of time, to tens of thousands, was involved in the
problem, as to whether any boat could be found competent to resist all
the fury of a raging and broken sea.
The _Northumberland_ was manned, and first her stability was to be
tested; all her crew stood and jumped upon one gunwale, but failed to
upset her; her self-righting property was next to be tried; they brought
her under a crane, and passing a rope from her mast round her bottom,
gradually hauled her over, and she was bottom up; they let go the strain
on the rope, and in five seconds she had righted herself, and in twenty
seconds more she had emptied herself of water. Again she was to be
turned over, and this time fresh interest was to be excited in the
experiment, as Mr. Samuel Beeching, the son of the inventor and builder
of the boat, determined to show his confidence in her powers by being in
her when she was upset: slowly the strain is again put upon the rope
under-running the boat, and she gradually turns over, Mr. Beeching
clinging to the centre thwart the while; a moment's suspense, the boat
is keel up, and the brave man out of sight--scarcely time for a pang of
fear, when the boat comes round with a throb, and the man is seen
standing on the thwart, cheering in answer to the cheers with which the
success of the experiment and his re-appearance are greeted.
Now for a trial at sea, among the bright leaping waves, which seem full
of playfulness and glee, as if ready to greet her merrily, and to
whisper no word of the many deadly conflicts she must wage with them in
coming days, ere she shall snatch the spoil of human life from their
rage and strength.
Strong arms are at the oars, the good ash staves bend, and away she
shoots through the waves, holding her own successfully as other boats
race with her.
Her sailing powers must be tried, and a revenue-cutter accepts her
challenge; both bowl along with a fresh breeze bellying their sails, and
the life-boat behaves well and bravely, and proves also a success under
sail.
The breeze freshens, and there is a great bubble of leaping surf in the
broken water in the angle of the pier; an ordinary boat would speedily
be swamped there; but there the life-boat rides on the tumbling seas
like a thing of life; every experiment increases the confidence that her
crew and the lookers-on feel in the boat.
Seaward now for a sterner trial, and on the field where her numerous
future contests are to be fought, and her numerous victories gained; out
and away where the rolling seas break in upon the Goodwin Sands, and
where they fret into surf as they are checked in their race, and make
the sea white with the foam of their falling crests; away into the
tumbling seas, running the gauntlet of the leaping waves; away, and
away, she speeds round the north end of the Sands, then steers for the
North Foreland, until all her crew are perfectly delighted with her
powers, and return to describe the trip, and how she behaved, and the
confidence they have in her, that they would not hesitate to go in her
into any broken water whatever.
Great is the congratulation and gladness among the naval and scientific
men who are watching the experiments, and many thank God, that at last
the problem is solved--that a boat is found able to defy the broken
surf and raging waves--a fit and safe instrument in the hands of the
brave-hearted boatmen, who are ever ready to do and dare all that is
possible, in their efforts to save life from shipwreck.
The crew that went out in the boat made the following report:--
To the Harbour Commissioners.
"This is to certify that we have this day been to sea in the
_Northumberland_ prize life-boat, and have had every opportunity of
proving her sailing qualities; she has also been through a great
deal of broken water and heavy sea, and we consider her, in the
true sense of the word, perfectly qualified to encounter any bad
weather when occasion might require her services, and we should be
quite willing to go in her to any vessel in distress at any time."
The prize life-boat was purchased in December, 1851, for £250, by the
Trinity Board, for the use of the Royal Harbour at Ramsgate, with the
dread Goodwin Sands for her special cruising ground.
The trial of the life-boat became an especial feature at the various
regattas held round the coast. The interest in her became very general,
and a great move was given to the life-boat cause.
At Teignmouth they determined that the trial should be of a very
practical and somewhat sensational nature--a capsize out at sea! At
eleven o'clock one stormy morning the signal was given to man the
life-boat. In about one quarter of an hour she was making her way out
to sea, and then her crew endeavoured to capsize her; they had tried in
vain to do so in smooth water, would she defy their efforts in a rough
tumble of sea and heavy weather? They set all her sails and manoeuvred
in every way to upset her, but without effect, when, while she was
heeling over almost on her broadside, with all her sails full, the crew,
at a given signal, jumped on her lee-gunwale, and down on her broadside
she went; her sails were let go, and she righted at once, only two of
her crew were thrown out of her, and these, with their cork jackets on,
were bobbing up and down quite happily among the waves; they were soon
picked up, and the boat speedily on her way again, the men more pleased
and confident than ever in her wonderful powers.
But the National Life Boat Institution was not quite contented with the
prize life-boat; she had gained eighty-six marks out of the one hundred
in the competition of models; she was near perfection, but still could
be improved upon; and as the great aim of the Society was to obtain a
perfect boat, they would naturally not be content with anything less
than this desired perfection, a boat that should satisfy the judges to
the full in every particular, and thus merit the whole one hundred
marks, instead of the eighty-six.
Mr. Peake, the then assistant master-shipwright at the Royal Dockyard at
Woolwich, was appealed to. He made the matter his especial study. He
took the prize-boat as his model, and combining with it some of the best
qualities of the other boats, constructed a boat not differing much, or
in any essential point, from the prize one, but yet sufficiently an
improvement upon it to be pronounced as far as possible perfect on all
points; and it was at once adopted by the National Life Boat Institution
as the standard model life-boat.
The life-boat cause was now to know no further stay in its onward
course, the Committee was formed of thoroughly earnest and warm-hearted
men--men full of practical knowledge and warm sympathy. Moreover, the
Institution was blessed with as able and indefatigable a Secretary as an
Institution ever rejoiced in, this in the person of Mr. Richard Lewis,
Barrister-at-Law; the appeal to the public for sympathy and assistance
was general, and generally acknowledged.
The Society told of dangerous headlands, of treacherous sands and tides
all round the coast, of shipwrecks frequent, and deaths often occurring
for want of a life-boat, and of life-boats, faultless in construction,
only waiting the time when the Committee should have the means to place
them where needed; the funds grew as the wants were realized, and the
heart of the nation was warmed to the noble cause; the wreck-chart still
showed a dismal circumference of casualties round the coast, marking
dangerous points where many vessels had been lost; but the inner line of
defence began also to show itself on the map, and the marks of the
life-boat stations began year by year to confront more regularly the
signs of places where danger and shipwreck were most frequent.
But more of this, and the noble Life-boat Society, in the closing
chapter of the book. It is time that we launched our life-boat for its
real work. The waves are roaring on the Goodwin, the life-boat is at her
moorings in the harbour of Ramsgate, the brave boatmen--Storm Warriors
indeed--are on the watch, hour after hour through the stormy night
walking the Pier, and giving keen glances to where the Goodwin Sands are
white with the churning seething waves that leap high, and plunge and
foam amid the treacherous shoals and banks. Look! a flash is seen;
listen, in a few seconds, yes, there is the throb and boom of a distant
gun, a rocket cleaves the darkness; and now the cry--Man the life-boat!
Man the life-boat! Seaward Ho! Seaward Ho! But now in a boat efficient
on all points, whose only career shall be to save, and not to add victim
to victim, as she herself is overcome by the rage of the sea.