These floating beacons are anchored in the immediate vicinity of the
numerous sand-banks which lie off the mouths of some of the principal
ports of the kingdom, especially in England, and on other parts of our
shores. There are numerous floating lights around our coasts, marking
shoals on which lighthouses could not easily be erected. Their
importance to shipping is inconceivably great. The accompanying
illustration shows a vessel passing the lightship at the Nore. The
impossibility of shipping getting safely into or out of the port of
London without the guiding aid of lightships, as well as of buoys and
beacons, may be made clear by a simple statement of the names of some of
the obstructions which lie in the mouth of the Thames. There are the
_Knock_ Shoals, the East and West _Barrows_, the _John_, the _Sunk_, the
_Girdler_, and the _Long_ Sands, all lying like so many ground sharks
waiting to arrest and swallow up passing vessels, which, unfortunately,
they too often accomplish despite the numerous precautions taken to rob
them of their prey. Most people know the appearance of buoys, but we
dare say few have seen a buoy or beacon resembling the one in our
engraving, which is a sort of cage, fastened to a buoy, with a bell
inside that rings by the action of the waves. It must have been
something of this sort that was used at the famous "Bell Rock" in days
of yore.
Lightships are usually clumsy-looking, red-painted vessels, having one
strong mast amidships, with a ball at the top, about six feet in
diameter, made of light laths. This ball is a very conspicuous object,
and clearly indicates a lightship to the passing vessel during the day.
At night a huge lantern traverses on, and is hoisted to nearly the top
of, the same mast. It is lighted by a number of argand lamps with
powerful reflectors. Some lightships have two masts, and some three,
with a ball and a lantern on each. Some of these lanterns contain
fixed, others revolving lights--these differences being for the purpose
of indicating to seamen the particular light which they happen to be
passing.
Thus, the Goodwin Sands, which are upwards of ten miles in length, are
marked by three lightships. The one on the north has three masts and
three _fixed_ lights. The one on the south has two masts and two
_fixed_ lights. The one that lies between the two--off Ramsgate, and
named the Gull--has one mast and one _revolving_ light.
The crew of a lightship consists of about nine or ten men, each of whom
does duty for two months on board, and one month on shore, taking their
turn by rotation; so that the number of men always on board is about
seven. While on shore, they attend to the buoys, anchors, chain-cables,
and other stores of the Trinity House, which has charge of all the
lights, buoys, and beacons in England. They also assist in laying down
new buoys and sinkers, and removing old ones, etcetera.
Lightships run considerable risk, for besides being exposed at all times
to all the storms that rage on our shores, they are sometimes run into
by ships in foggy weather.
The _Gull_ lightship, above referred to, occupies a peculiar and
interesting position. Being in the very centre of all the shipping
which passes through the Downs, she has frequent narrow escapes, and has
several times been damaged by collisions. The marvel is that,
considering her position, she does not oftener "come to grief." She
also signals for the Ramsgate lifeboat, by means of guns and rockets,
when a ship is observed by her crew to have got upon the dreaded Goodwin
Sands.
We had the pleasure of spending a week on board of the _Gull_ lightship
not long ago, and one night witnessed a very stirring scene of calling
out the lifeboat. We shall conclude this subject by quoting the
following letter, which we wrote at the time, giving a detailed account
of it.
RAMSGATE, MARCH 26, 1870.
The eye-witness of a battle from an unusual point of view may, without
presumption, believe that he has something interesting to tell. I
therefore send you an account of what I saw in the _Gull_ lightship, off
the Goodwin Sands, on the night of Thursday last, when the _Germania_,
of Bremen, was wrecked on the South-Sand-Head. Having been an
inhabitant of the _Gull_ lightship for a week, and cut off from
communication with the shore for several days, I have been unable to
write sooner.
Our never-ending warfare with the storm is well known. Here is one
specimen of the manner in which it is carried on.
A little before midnight on Thursday last (the 24th), while I was
rolling uneasily in my "bunk," contending with sleep and sea-sickness,
and moralising on the madness of those who choose "the sea" for a
profession, I was roused--and sickness instantly cured--by the watch on
deck suddenly shouting down the hatchway to the mate, "_South-Sand-Head_
light is firing, sir, and sending up rockets." The mate sprang from his
"bunk," and was on the cabin floor before the sentence was well
finished. I followed suit, and pulled on coat, nether garments, and
shoes, as if my life depended on my own speed. There was unusual need
for clothing, for the night was bitterly cold. A coat of ice had formed
even on the salt-water spray which had blown into the boats. On gaining
the deck, we found the two men on duty actively at work, the one loading
the lee gun, the other adjusting a rocket to its stick. A few hurried
questions from the mate elicited all that it was needful to know. The
flash of a gun from the _South-Sand-Head_ lightship, about six miles
distant, had been seen, followed by a rocket, indicating that a vessel
had got upon the fatal Goodwins. While the men spoke, I saw the bright
flash of another gun, but heard no report, owing to the gale carrying
the sound to leeward. A rocket followed, and at the same moment we
observed the light of the vessel in distress just on the southern tail
of the Sands. By this time our gun was charged, and the rocket in
position. "Look alive, Jack! get the poker," cried the mate, as he
primed the gun. Jack dived down the companion hatch, and in another
moment returned with a red-hot poker, which the mate had thrust into the
cabin fire at the first alarm. Jack applied it in quick succession to
the gun and the rocket. A blinding flash and deafening crash were
followed by the whiz of the rocket as it sprang with a magnificent curve
far away into the surrounding darkness. This was our answer to the
_South-Sand-Head_ light, which, having fired three guns and three
rockets to attract our attention, now ceased firing. It was also our
note of warning to the look-out on the pier of Ramsgate Harbour.
"That's a beauty," said our mate, referring to the rocket; "get up
another, Jack; sponge her well out. Jacobs, we'll give 'em another shot
in a few minutes." Loud and clear were both our signals; but four and a
half miles of distance and a fresh gale neutralised their influence.
The look-out did not see them. In less than five minutes the gun and
rocket were fired again. Still no answering signal came from Ramsgate.
"Load the weather gun," said the mate. Jacobs obeyed; and I sought
shelter under the lee of the weather bulwarks, for the wind appeared to
be composed of pen-knives and needles. Our third gun thundered forth,
and shook the lightship from stem to stern; but the rocket struck the
rigging, and made a low, wavering flight. Another was therefore sent
up; but it had scarcely cut its bright line across the sky, when we
observed the answering signal--a rocket from Ramsgate Pier.
"That's all right now, sir; our work is done," said the mate, as he went
below, and, divesting himself of his outer garments, quietly turned in;
while the watch, having sponged out and re-covered the gun, resumed
their active perambulation of the deck. I confess that I felt somewhat
disappointed at this sudden termination of the noise and excitement. I
was told that the Ramsgate lifeboat could not well be out in less than
an hour. It seemed to my excited spirit a terrible thing that human
lives should be kept so long in jeopardy; and, of course, I began to
think, "Is it not possible to prevent this delay?" But excited spirits
are not always the best judges of such matters, although they have an
irresistible tendency to judge. There was nothing for it, however, but
patience; so I turned in, "all standing," as sailors have it, with
orders that I should be called when the lights of the tug should come in
sight. It seemed but a few minutes after, when the voice of the watch
was again heard shouting hastily, "Lifeboat close alongside, sir.
Didn't see it till this moment. She carries no lights." I bounced out,
and, minus coat, hat, and shoes, scrambled on deck, just in time to see
the _Broadstairs_ lifeboat rush past us before the gale. She was close
under our stern, and rendered spectrally visible by the light of our
lantern. "What are you firing for?" shouted the coxswain of the boat.
"Ship on the sands, bearing south," replied Jack at the full pitch of
his stentorian voice. The boat did not pause. It passed with a
magnificent rush into darkness. The reply had been heard; and the
lifeboat shot straight as an arrow to the rescue. We often hear and
read of such scenes, but vision is necessary to enable one to realise
the full import of all that goes on. A strange thrill ran through me as
I saw the familiar blue and white boat leaping over the foaming billows.
Often had I seen it in model, and in quiescence in its boat-house--
ponderous and ungainly; but now I saw it, for the first time, endued
with life. So, I fancy, warriors might speak of our heavy cavalry as we
see them in barracks, and as _they_ saw them at Alma. Again all was
silent and unexciting on board of the _Gull_. I went shivering below,
with exalted notions of the courage and endurance of lifeboat men. Soon
after, the watch once more shouted, "Tug's in sight, sir;" and once
again the mate and I went on deck. On this occasion, the tug _Aid_ had
made a mistake. Some one on shore had reported that the guns and
rockets had been seen flashing from the _Gull_ and _North-Sand-Head_
lightships; whereas the report should have been, from the _Gull_ and
_South-Sand-Head_ vessels. The single word was all-important. It
involved an unnecessary run of about twelve miles, and an hour and a
half's loss of time. But we mention this merely as a fact, not as a
complaint. Accidents will happen. The Ramsgate lifeboat service is
admirably regulated, and for once that an error of this kind can be
pointed out, we can point to dozens--ay, hundreds--of cases in which the
steamer and lifeboat have gone straight as the crow flies to the rescue,
and have done good service on occasions when all other lifeboats would
have failed, so great is the value of steam in such matters. On this
occasion, however, the tug appeared late on the scene, and hailed us.
When the true state of the case was ascertained, the course was directed
aright, and full steam let on. The Ramsgate lifeboat, _Bradford_, was
in tow far astern. As she passed us the brief questions and answers
were repeated for the benefit of the coxswain of the boat. I observed
that every man in the boat lay flat on the thwarts except the coxswain.
No wonder. It is not an easy matter to sit up in a gale of wind, with
freezing spray, and sometimes green seas, sweeping over one. They were,
doubtless, wide awake, and listening; but, as far as vision went, that
boat was manned with ten oilskin coats and sou'-westers. A few seconds
took them out of sight; and thus, as far as the _Gull_ lightship was
concerned, the drama ended. There was no possibility of our
ascertaining more, at least during that night; for whatever might be the
result of these efforts, the floating lights had no chance of hearing of
them until the next visit of their tender. I was therefore obliged to
turn in once more, at three a.m. Next forenoon we saw the wreck, bottom
up, high on the Goodwin Sands.
On Friday morning, the _Alert_--tender to the lightships of this
district, under command of the Trinity Superintendent, Captain Vaile--
came off to us, and we learned the name of the vessel, that she was a
total wreck, and that the crew, seven men, had taken to their boat, and
succeeded in reaching the _South-Sand-Head_ lightship, whence they were
almost immediately after taken by the Deal lifeboat, and safely landed
at Deal.
It is to be carefully observed here that, although in this case much
energy was expended unnecessarily, it does not follow that it is often
so expended. Often--too often--all the force of lifeboat service on
this coast is insufficient to meet the demands on it. The crews of the
various boats in the vicinity of the Goodwin Sands are frequently called
out more than once in a night; and they are sometimes out all night,
visiting various wrecks in succession. In all this work the value of
the steam-tug is very conspicuous. For it can tow its boat again and
again to windward, and renew the effort to save life in cases where,
unaided, lifeboats would be compelled to give in. Embarking in the
_Alert_, I sailed round the wreck at low water, and observed that the
Deal luggers were swarming round her like flies; the crews stripping her
bottom of copper, and saving her stores, while, apparently, hundreds of
men were busy upon her deck dismantling her shattered hull.
This, after all, is but an insignificant episode of wreck on the
Goodwins. Many wrecks there are every year much more worthy of record;
but this is sufficient to give a general idea of the manner in which our
great war with the storm is conducted--the promptitude with which relief
is rendered, and the energy with which our brave seamen are ready to
imperil their lives almost every night, all round the coast, and all the
year round.