Produced by Al Haines.
[Illustration: Cover]
[Illustration: THE LIFEBOAT IN THE STORM]
STORIES
OF
THE LIFEBOAT
BY
FRANK MUNDELL
AUTHOR OF "STORIES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS"
"INTO THE UNKNOWN WEST" ETC
FOURTH EDITION
[Illustration: title page illustration]
LONDON:
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION
57 AND 59 LUDGATE HILL, E.C.
VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES.
BY FRANK MUNDELL,
AUTHOR OF "THE HEROINES' LIBRARY."
_Crown 8vo, cloth boards, 1s. 6d. each._
WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
STORIES OF THE FAR WEST.
STORIES OF THE COAL MINE.
STORIES OF THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.
STORIES OF THE FIRE BRIGADE.
STORIES OF NORTH POLE ADVENTURE.
STORIES OF THE VICTORIA CROSS.
STORIES OF THE LIFEBOAT.
_Of all Booksellers._
LONDON:
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION,
57 AND 59 LUDGATE HILL, E.C.
PREFACE
In sending forth this little work to the public, I desire to acknowledge
my obligations to the following:--The Royal National Lifeboat
Institution for the valuable matter placed at my disposal, also for the
use of the illustrations on pages 20 and 21; to Mr. Clement Scott and
the proprietors of _Punch_ for permission to use the poem, "The Warriors
of the Sea"; to the proprietors of _The Star_ for the poem, "The
Stranding of the _Eider_"; and to the proprietors of the _Kent Argus_
for so freely granting access to the files of their journal. Lastly, my
thanks are due to the publishers--at whose suggestion the work was
undertaken--for the generous manner in which they have illustrated the
book.
F. M.
LONDON, _September_, 1894.
CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. MAN THE LIFEBOAT
II. LIFEBOAT DISASTERS
III. THE WARRIORS OF THE SEA
IV. THE GOODWIN SANDS
V. THE BOATMEN OF THE DOWNS
VI. A GOOD NIGHT'S WORK
VII. THE "BRADFORD" TO THE RESCUE
VIII. THE LAST CHANCE
IX. HARDLY SAVED
X. A WRESTLE WITH DEATH
XI. A DOUBLE RESCUE
XII. DEAL MEN TO THE RESCUE
XIII. THE WRECK OF THE "BENVENUE"
XIV. THE STRANDING OF THE "EIDER"
XV. THE WRECK OF THE "NORTHERN BELLE"
XVI. A GALLANT RESCUE
XVII. A BUSY DAY
XVIII. A RESCUE IN MID-OCEAN
XIX. THE "THREE BELLS"
XX. ON THE CORNISH COAST
XXI. A PLUCKY CAPTAIN
XXII. BY SHEER STRENGTH
XXIII. WRECKED IN PORT
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE LIFEBOAT IN THE STORM . . . . . . Frontispiece
LAUNCHING THE LIFEBOAT
THE LIFEBOAT HOUSE
MEDAL OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION
NEWS OF A WRECK ON THE COAST
A RAMSGATE BOATMAN
AN OLD WRECK
SURVIVORS OF THE "INDIAN CHIEF"
A LIFEBOAT GOING OUT
SAVING THE CAPTAIN
A PERILOUS REFUGE
THEY BENT THEIR BACKS TO THE OARS
SIGHTING THE WRECK
LIVES IN PERIL
COMING ASHORE--"ALL SAVED"
The Lifeboat! oh, the Lifeboat!
We all have known so long,
A refuge for the feeble,
The glory of the strong.
Twice thirty years have vanished,
Since first upon the wave
She housed the drowning mariner,
And snatched him from the grave,
The voices of the rescued,
Their numbers may be read,
The tears of speechless feeling
Our wives and children shed;
The memories of mercy
In man's extremest need.
All for the dear old Lifeboat
Uniting seem to plead.
STORIES
of
THE LIFEBOAT
CHAPTER I.
MAN THE LIFEBOAT!
To Lionel Lukin, a coachbuilder of Long Acre, London, belongs the honour
of inventing the lifeboat. As early as the year 1784 he designed and
fitted a boat, which was intended "to save the lives of mariners wrecked
on the coast." It had a projecting gunwale of cork, and air-tight
lockers or enclosures under the seats. These gave the boat great
buoyancy, but it was liable to be disabled by having the sides stove in.
Though Lukin was encouraged in his efforts by the Prince of
Wales--afterwards George the Fourth--his invention did not meet with the
approval of those in power at the Admiralty, and Lukin's only lifeboat
which came into use was a coble that he fitted up for the Rev. Dr.
Shairp of Bamborough. For many years this was the only lifeboat on the
coast, and it is said to have saved many lives.
In the churchyard of Hythe, in Kent, the following inscription may be
read on the tombstone, which marks the last resting-place of the "Father
of the Lifeboat":--
"This LIONEL LUKIN
was the first who built a lifeboat, and was the
original inventor of that quality of safety, by
which many lives and much property have been
preserved from shipwreck, and he obtained for
it the King's Patent in the year 1785."
The honour of having been the first inventor of the lifeboat is also
claimed by two other men. In the parish church of St. Hilda, South
Shields, there is a stone "Sacred to the Memory of William Wouldhave,
who died September 28, 1821, aged 70 years, Clerk of this Church, and
Inventor of that invaluable blessing to mankind, the Lifeboat." Another
similar record tells us that "Mr. Henry Greathead, a shrewd boatbuilder
at South Shields, has very generally been credited with designing and
building the first lifeboat, about the year 1789." As we have seen,
Lukin had received the king's patent for his invention four years before
Greathead brought forward his plan. This proves conclusively that the
proud distinction belongs by right to Lionel Lukin.
In September 1789 a terrible wreck took place at the mouth of the Tyne.
The ship _Adventure_ of Newcastle went aground on the Herd Sands, within
three hundred yards of the shore. The crew took to the rigging, where
they remained till, benumbed by cold and exhaustion, they dropped one by
one into the midst of the tremendous breakers, and were drowned in the
presence of thousands of spectators, who were powerless to render them
any assistance.
Deeply impressed by this melancholy catastrophe, the gentlemen of South
Shields called a meeting, and offered prizes for the best model of a
lifeboat "calculated to brave the dangers of the sea, particularly of
broken water." From the many plans sent in, those of William Wouldhave
and Henry Greathead were selected, and after due consideration the prize
was awarded to "the shrewd boatbuilder at South Shields." He was
instructed to build a boat on his own plan with several of Wouldhave's
ideas introduced. This boat had five thwarts, or seats for rowers,
double banked, to be manned by ten oars. It was lined with cork, and had
a cork fender or pad outside, 16 inches deep. The chief point about
Greathead's invention was that the keel was curved instead of being
straight. This circumstance, simple as it appears, caused him to be
regarded as the inventor of the first practicable lifeboat, for
experience has proved that a boat with a curved keel is much more easily
launched and beached than one with a straight keel.
Lifeboats on this plan were afterwards placed on different parts of the
coast, and were the means of saving altogether some hundreds of lives.
By the end of the year 1803 Greathead had built no fewer than thirty-one
lifeboats, eight of which were sent to foreign countries. He applied to
Parliament for a national reward, and received the sum of L1200. The
Trinity House and Lloyd's each gave him L105. From the Society of Arts
he received a gold medal and fifty guineas, and a diamond ring from the
Emperor of Russia.
The attention thus drawn to the needs of the shipwrecked mariner might
have been expected to be productive of good results, but, unfortunately,
it was not so. The chief reason for this apathy is probably to be found
in the fact that, though the lifeboats had done much good work, several
serious disasters had befallen them, which caused many people to regard
the remedy as worse than the disease. Of this there was a deplorable
instance in 1810, when one of Greathead's lifeboats, manned by fifteen
men, went out to the rescue of some fishermen who had been caught in a
gale off Tynemouth. They succeeded in taking the men on board, but on
nearing the shore a huge wave swept the lifeboat on to a reef of rocks,
where it was smashed to atoms. Thirty-four poor fellows--the rescued
and the rescuers--were drowned.
It was not until twelve years after this that the subject of the
preservation of life from shipwreck on our coast was successfully taken
up. Sir William Hillary, himself a lifeboat hero, published a striking
appeal to the nation on behalf of the perishing mariner, and as the
result of his exertions the Royal National Institution for the
Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was established in 1824. This
Society still exists under the well-known name of the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution. It commenced its splendid career with about
L10,000, and in its first year built and stationed a dozen lifeboats on
different parts of the coast.
For many years the Society did good work, though sadly crippled for want
of funds. In 1850 the Duke of Northumberland offered the sum of one
hundred guineas for the best model of a lifeboat. Not only from all
parts of Great Britain, but also from America, France, Holland, and
Germany, plans and models were sent in to the number of two hundred and
eighty. After six months' examination, the prize was awarded to James
Beeching of Great Yarmouth, and his was the first self-righting lifeboat
ever built. The committee were not altogether satisfied with Beeching's
boat, and Mr. Peake, of Her Majesty's Dockyard at Woolwich, was
instructed to design a boat embodying all the best features in the plans
which had been sent in. This was accordingly done, and his model,
gradually improved as time went on, was adopted by the Institution for
their boats.
[Illustration: LAUNCHING THE LIFEBOAT]
The lifeboats now in use measure from 30 to 40 feet in length, and 8 in
breadth. Buoyancy is obtained by air-chambers at the ends and on both
sides. The two large air-chambers at the stem and stern, together with
a heavy iron keel, make the boat self-righting, so that should she be
upset she cannot remain bottom up. Between the floor and the outer skin
of the boat there is a space stuffed with cork and light hard wood, so
that even if a hole was made in the outer covering the boat would not
sink. To insure the safety of the crew in the event of a sea being
shipped, the floor is pierced with holes, into which are placed tubes
communicating with the sea, and valves so arranged that the water cannot
come up into the boat, but should she ship a sea the valves open
downwards and drain off the water. A new departure in lifeboat
construction was made in 1890, when a steam lifeboat, named the Duke of
Northumberland, was launched. Since then it has saved many lives, and
has proved itself to be a thoroughly good sea boat. While an ordinary
lifeboat is obliged to beat about and lose valuable time, the steam
lifeboat goes straight to its mark even in the roughest sea, so that
probably before long the use of steam in combating the storm will become
general.
Nearly every lifeboat is provided with a transporting carriage on which
she constantly stands ready to be launched at a moment's notice. By
means of this carriage, which is simply a framework on four wheels, the
lifeboat can be used along a greater extent of coast than would
otherwise be possible. It is quicker and less laborious to convey the
boat by land to the point nearest the wreck, than to proceed by sea,
perhaps in the teeth of a furious gale. In addition to this a carriage
is of great use in launching a boat from the beach, and there are
instances on record when, but for the carriage, it would have been
impossible for the lifeboat to leave the shore on account of the high
surf.
[Illustration: THE LIFEBOAT HOUSE.]
The boats belonging to the National Lifeboat Institution are kept in
roomy and substantial boathouses under lock and key. The coxswain has
full charge of the boat, both when afloat and ashore. He receives a
salary of L8 a year, and his assistant L2 a year. The crew of the
lifeboat consists of a bowman and as many men as the boat pulls oars.
On every occasion of going afloat to save life, each man receives ten
shillings, if by day; and L1, if by night. This money is paid to the
men out of the funds of the Institution, whether they have been
successful or not. During the winter months these payments are now
increased by one half.
[Illustration: MEDAL OF THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION.]
The cost of a boat with its equipment of stores--cork lifebelts,
anchors, lines, lifebuoys, lanterns, and other articles--is upwards of
L700, and the expense of building the boathouse amounts to L300, while
the cost of maintaining it is L70 a year. The Institution also awards
medals to those who have distinguished themselves by their bravery in
saving life from shipwreck. One side of this medal is adorned with a
bust of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, who is the patroness of the
Institution. The other side represents three sailors in a lifeboat, one
of whom is rescuing an exhausted mariner from the waves with the
inscription, "Let not the deep swallow me up." Additional displays of
heroism are rewarded by clasps bearing the number of the service.
"When we think of the vast extent of our dangerous coasts, and of our
immense interest in shipping, averaging arrivals and departures of some
600,000 vessels a year; when we think of the number of lives engaged,
some 200,000 men and boys, besides untold thousands of passengers, and
goods amounting to many millions of pounds in value, the immense
importance of the lifeboat service cannot be over-estimated." Well may
we then, "when the storm howls loudest," pray that God will bless that
noble Society, and the band of humble heroes who man the three hundred
lifeboats stationed around the coasts of the British Isles.