Saved by the Lifeboat Part 5

Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the boat to overturn.

The operation was slowly accomplished; and all through there appeared to be an unwillingness on the part of the boat to upset!--a symptom which gave much satisfaction to her future crew, who stood ready on her gunwale to leap away from her. At last she was raised completely on one side, then she balanced for a moment, and fell forward, keel up, with a tremendous splash, while the men, not a moment too soon, sprang into the sea, and a wild cheer, mingled with laughter, arose from the spectators.

If the upsetting was slow and difficult, the self-righting was magically quick and easy. The boat went right round, and, almost before one could realise what had occurred, she was again on an even keel. Of course she was nearly full of water at the moment of rising; but, in a few seconds, the discharging holes in her bottom had cleared the water completely away. The whole operation of self-righting and self-emptying, from first to last, occupied only _seventeen seconds_! If there was laughter mingled with the shouts when she overturned and threw her crew into the sea, there was nothing but deep-toned enthusiasm in the prolonged cheer which hailed her on righting, for then it was fully realised, especially by seafaring men, what genuine and valuable qualities the boat possessed, and the cheers became doubly enthusiastic when the crew, grasping the lifelines which were festooned round her sides, clambered on board again, and were reseated at the oars in less than two minutes thereafter.

This done, the boat was hauled up on her carriage, and conveyed to the house near the beach which had been prepared for her reception, there to wait, in constant readiness, until the storm should call her forth to display her peculiar qualities in actual service.

But another, and, if possible, a still more interesting ceremony remained to be performed. This was the presentation of the gold and silver medals of the Inst.i.tution to several men of the town, who, in a recent storm, had rendered signal service in the saving of human life.

The zealous and indefatigable secretary of the Inst.i.tution had himself come down from London to present these.

The presentation took place in the new town hall, a large building capable of containing upwards of a thousand people, which, on the occasion, was filled to overflowing.

The mayor presided, of course, and opened proceedings, as many chairmen do, by taking the wind out of the sails of the princ.i.p.al speaker! That is to say, he touched uninterestingly on each topic that was likely to engage the attention of the meeting, and stated many facts and figures in a loose and careless way, which every one knew the secretary would, as a matter of course, afterwards state much better and more correctly than himself. But the mayor was a respected, well-meaning man, and, although his speech was listened to with manifest impatience, his sitting down was hailed with rapturous applause.

At this point--the mayor having in his excitement forgotten to call upon the secretary to speak--a stout man on the platform took advantage of the oversight and started to his feet, calling from a disgusted auditor the expression, "Oh, there's that bore Dowler!" It was indeed that same Joseph who had, on a memorable occasion long past, signed himself the "humble" friend of Mr Webster. Before a word could escape his lips, however, he was greeted with a storm of yells and obliged to sit down.

But he did so under protest, and remained watchful for another favourable opportunity of breaking in. Dowler never knew when he was "out of order;" he never felt or believed himself to be "out of order!"

In fact, he did not know what "out of order" meant _when applied to himself_. He was morally a rhinoceros. He could not be shamed by disapprobation; could not be cowed by abuse; never was put out by noise--although he frequently was by the police; nor put down by reason--though he sometimes was by force; spoke everywhere, on all subjects, against the opinions (apparently) of everybody; and lived a life of perpetual public martyrdom and protest.

Silence having been obtained, the secretary of the Lifeboat Inst.i.tution rose, and, after a few complimentary remarks on the enthusiasm in the good cause shown by the town, and especially by the lady who had presented the boat, he called Captain Harry Boyns to the platform, and presented him with the gold medal of the Inst.i.tution in an able speech, wherein he related the special act of gallantry for which it was awarded--telling how that, during a terrible gale, on a dark night in December, the gallant young captain, happening to walk homewards along the cliffs, observed a vessel on the rocks, not twenty yards from the land, with the green seas making clean breaches over her; and how that-- knowing the tide was rising, and that before he could run to the town, three miles distant, for a.s.sistance, the vessel would certainly be dashed to pieces--he plunged into the surf, at the imminent risk of his life, swam to the vessel, and returned to the sh.o.r.e with a rope, by which means a hawser was fixed to the cliffs, and thirty-nine lives were rescued from the sea!

Well did every one present know the minute details of the heroic deed referred to, but they were glad to hear the praises of their townsman re-echoed by one who thoroughly understood the merits of the case, and whose comments thereon brought out more clearly to the minds of many the extent of the danger which the gallant captain had run, so that, when Harry stepped forward to receive the medal, he was greeted with the most enthusiastic cheers. Thereafter, the secretary presented silver medals to two fishermen of the Cove, namely, Old Jacobs and Robert Gaston, both of whom had displayed unusual daring at the rescue of the young lady who was the donor of the lifeboat. He then touched on the value of lifeboats in general, and gave an interesting account of the origin of the Society which he represented; but as this subject deserves somewhat special treatment, we shall turn aside from the thread of our tale for a little, to regard the Work and the Boats of the Royal National Lifeboat Inst.i.tution, a.s.suring our reader that the subject is well worthy the earnest consideration of all men.

The first lifeboat ever launched upon the stormy sea was planned and built by a London coach-builder, named Lionel Lukin, who took out a patent for it in November 1785, and launched it at Bamborough, where it was the means of saving many lives the first year. Although Lukin thus demonstrated the possibility of lives being saved by a boat which could live under circ.u.mstances that would have proved fatal to ordinary boats, he was doomed to disappointment. The Prince of Wales (George the Fourth) did indeed befriend him, but the Lords of Admiralty were deaf, and the public were indifferent. Lukin went to his grave unrewarded by man, but stamped with a n.o.bility which can neither be gifted nor inherited, but only won--the n.o.bility which attaches to the character of "national benefactor."

The public were aroused from their apathy in 1789 by the wreck of the _Adventure_ of Newcastle, the crew of which perished in the presence of thousands, who could do nothing to save them. Models of lifeboats were solicited, and premiums offered for the best. Among those who responded, William Wouldhave, a painter, and Henry Greathead, a boat-builder of South s.h.i.+elds, stood pre-eminent. The latter afterwards became a noted builder and improver of lifeboats, and was well and deservedly rewarded for his labours. In 1803 Greathead had built thirty-one boats--eighteen for England, five for Scotland, and eight for other countries. This was, so far, well, but it was a wretchedly inadequate provision for the necessities of the case. It was not until 1822 that a great champion of the lifeboat cause stood forth in the person of Sir William Hillary, Baronet.

Sir William, besides being a philanthropist, was a hero! He not only devised liberal things and carried them into execution, but he personally shared in the danger of rescuing life from the sea. He dwelt on the sh.o.r.es of the Isle of Man, where he established a Sailors' Home at Douglas. He frequently embarked in the boats that went off to rescue lives from the wrecks that were constantly occurring on the island.

Once he had his ribs broken in this service, and was frequently in imminent danger of being drowned. During his career he personally a.s.sisted in the saving of 305 human lives! He was the means of stirring up public men, and the nation generally, to a higher sense of their duty towards those who, professionally and otherwise, risk their lives upon the sea; and eventually, in conjunction with two Members of Parliament-- Mr Thomas Wilson and Mr George Herbert--was the founder of "THE ROYAL NATIONAL INSt.i.tUTION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM s.h.i.+PWRECK." This Inst.i.tution--now named THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSt.i.tUTION--was founded on the 24th of March 1824, and has gone on progressively, doing its n.o.ble work of creating and maintaining a lifeboat fleet, rescuing the s.h.i.+pwrecked, and rewarding the rescuers, from that day to this.

When life does not require to be saved, and when opportunity offers, the Society allows its boats to save _property_, of which we shall have something more to say presently.

At the founding of the Inst.i.tution in 1824, the Archbishop of Canterbury of the day filled the chair; the great Wilberforce, Lord John Russell, and other magnates, were present; the Dukes of Kent, Suss.e.x, and other members of the Royal family, became vice-patrons; the Duke of Northumberland its vice-president, and George the Fourth its patron. In 1850 the much-lamented Prince Albert--whose life was a continual going about doing good--became its vice-patron, and Her Majesty the Queen became, and still continues, a warm supporter and an annual contributor.

Now, this is a splendid array of names and t.i.tles; but it ought ever to be borne in remembrance that the Inst.i.tution is dependent for its continued existence on the public--on you and me, good reader--for it is supported almost entirely by voluntary contributions. That it will always find warm hearts to pray for it, and open hands to give, as long as its boats continue, year by year, to pluck men, women, and children from the jaws of death, and give them back to gladdened hearts on sh.o.r.e, is made very apparent from the records published quarterly in _The Lifeboat Journal_ of the Society, a work full of interesting information. Therein we find that the most exalted contributor is Queen Victoria--the lowliest, a sailor's orphan child!

Here are a few of the gifts to the Inst.i.tution selected very much at random:--One gentleman leaves it a legacy of 10,000 pounds. Some time ago a sum of 5000 pounds was sent anonymously by "a friend." There comes 100 pounds as a second donation from a sailor's daughter, and 50 pounds from a British admiral. Five s.h.i.+llings are sent as "the savings of a child"; 1 s.h.i.+lling, 6 pence from another little child, in postage-stamps; 15 pounds from "three fellow-servants"; 10 pounds from "a s.h.i.+pwrecked pilot," and 10 s.h.i.+llings 6 pence from "an old salt."

Indeed, we can speak from personal experience on this subject, because, among others, we received a letter, one day, in a cramped and peculiar hand, which we perused with deep interest, for it had been written by a _blind_ youth, whose eyes, nevertheless, had been thoroughly opened to see the great importance of the lifeboat cause, for he had collected 100 pounds for the Inst.i.tution! On another occasion, at the close of a lecture on the subject, an old woman, who appeared to be among the poorest of the cla.s.ses who inhabit the old town of Edinburgh, came to us and said, "Hae, there's tippence for the lifeboat!"

It cannot be doubted that these sums, and many, many others that are presented annually, are the result of moral influences which elevate the soul, and which are indirectly caused by the lifeboat service. We therefore hold that the Inst.i.tution ought to be regarded as a prolific cause of moral good to the nation. And, while we are on this subject, it may be observed that our lifeboat influence for good on other nations is very considerable. In proof of this we cite the following facts:-- Finland sends 50 pounds to our Inst.i.tution to testify its appreciation of the good done by us to its sailors and s.h.i.+pping. The late President Lincoln of the United States, while involved in all the anxieties of the great civil war, found time to send 100 pounds to our Lifeboat Inst.i.tution, in acknowledgement of the services rendered to American s.h.i.+ps in distress. Russia and Holland send naval men to inspect our lifeboat management. France, in generous emulation of ourselves, starts a Lifeboat Inst.i.tution of its own; and last, but not least, it has been said, that "foreigners know when they are wrecked on the sh.o.r.es of Britain by the persevering and n.o.ble efforts that are made to save their lives!"

But there are some minds which do not attach much value to moral influence, and to which material benefit is an all-powerful argument.

Well, then, to these we would address ourselves, but, in pa.s.sing, would remark that moral influence goes far to secure for us material advantage. It is just because so many hundreds of human living souls are annually preserved to us that men turn with glowing grat.i.tude to the rescuers and to the Inst.i.tution which organises and utilises the latent philanthropy and pluck of our coast heroes. On an average, 800 lives are saved _every year_; while, despite our utmost efforts, 600 are lost.

Those who know anything about our navy, and our want of British seamen to man our s.h.i.+ps, cannot fail to see that the saving of so many valuable lives is a positive material benefit to the nation. But to descend to the lowest point, we maintain that the value of the lifeboats to the nation, in the mere matter of saving property, is almost incredible. In regard to these things, it is possible to speak definitely.

For instance, during stormy weather, it frequently happens that vessels show signals of distress, either because they are so badly strained as to be in a sinking condition, or so damaged that they are unmanageable, or the crews have become so exhausted as to be no longer capable of working for their own preservation. In such cases, the lifeboat puts off with the intention, _in the first instance_, of saving _life_. It reaches the vessel in distress; the boat's crew spring on board and find, perhaps, that there is some hope of saving the s.h.i.+p. Knowing the locality well, they steer her clear of rocks and shoals. Being fresh and vigorous, they work the pumps with a will, manage to keep her afloat, and finally steer her into port, thus saving s.h.i.+p and cargo as well as crew.

Now, let it be observed that what we have here supposed is not imaginary--it is not even of rare occurrence. It happens every year.

Last year thirty-eight s.h.i.+ps were thus saved by lifeboats. The year before, twenty-eight were saved. The year before that, seventeen.

Before that, twenty-one. As surely and regularly as the year comes round, so surely and regularly are s.h.i.+ps and property thus saved _to the nation_.

It cannot be too well understood that a wrecked s.h.i.+p is not only an individual, but a national loss. Insurance protects the individual, but insurance cannot, in the nature of things, protect the nation. If you drop a thousand sovereigns in the street, that is a loss to _you_, but not to the _nation_. Some lucky individual will find the money and circulate it. But if you drop it in the sea, it is lost, not only to you, but to the nation to which you belong--ay, lost to the world itself for ever! If a lifeboat, therefore, saves a s.h.i.+p worth 1000 pounds from destruction, it literally presents that sum as a free gift to the nation. We say a free gift, because the lifeboats are supported for the purpose of saving life, not property.

A few remarks on the value of loaded s.h.i.+ps will throw additional light on this subject, and make more apparent the value of the Lifeboat Inst.i.tution. Take, first, the case of a s.h.i.+p which was actually saved by a lifeboat. She was a large Spanish s.h.i.+p, which grounded on a bank off the south coast of Ireland. The captain and crew forsook her, and escaped to sh.o.r.e in their boats, but one man was inadvertently left on board. Soon after, the wind moderated and s.h.i.+fted, the s.h.i.+p slipped off the bank into deep water, and drifted to the northward. The crew of the _Cah.o.r.e_ lifeboat were on the look-out, observed the vessel pa.s.sing, launched their boat, and after a long pull against wind and sea, boarded the vessel, and rescued the Spanish sailor. But they did more. Finding seven feet of water in the hold, they rigged the pumps, trimmed the sails, carried the s.h.i.+p into port, and handed her over to an agent for the owners. This vessel and cargo were valued at 20,000 pounds, and we think we are justified in saying that England, through the instrumentality of her Lifeboat Inst.i.tution, presented that handsome sum to Spain upon that occasion!

But many s.h.i.+ps are much more costly than that was. Some time ago a s.h.i.+p named the _Golden Age_ was lost upon our sh.o.r.es; it was valued at 200,000 pounds. If that single s.h.i.+p had been one of the thirty-eight saved last year (and it might have been), the sum thus saved to the nation would have been more than sufficient to buy up all the lifeboats in the kingdom twice over! But that s.h.i.+p was not amongst the saved. It was lost. So was the _Ontario_ of Liverpool, which was wrecked in October 1864, and valued at 100,000 pounds. Also the _a.s.saye_, wrecked on the Irish coast, and valued at 200,000 pounds. Here are 500,000 pounds lost for ever by the wreck of these three s.h.i.+ps alone in one year! Do you know, reader, what such sums represent? Are you aware that the value of the _Ontario_ alone is equal to the income for one year of the London Missionary Society, wherewith it supports its inst.i.tutions at home and abroad, and spreads the blessed knowledge of gospel truth over a vast portion of the globe?

But we have only spoken of three s.h.i.+ps--no doubt three of the largest size--yet only three of the lost. Couple the above figures with the fact that the number of s.h.i.+ps lost, or seriously damaged, _every year_, on the sh.o.r.es of the United Kingdom is above _two thousand_, and you will have some idea of one of the reasons why taxation is so heavy; and if you couple them with the other fact, that, from twenty to thirty s.h.i.+ps, great and small, are saved by lifeboats every year, you will perceive that, whatever amount may be given to the Lifeboat Inst.i.tution, it gives back to the nation _far more_ than it receives in _material wealth_, not to mention human lives at all.

Its receipts in 1868 from all sources were 31,668 pounds, and its expenditure 31,585 pounds. The lives saved by its own boats last year were 603, in addition to which other 259 were saved by sh.o.r.e boats, for which the Inst.i.tution rewarded the crews with thirteen medals, and money to the extent of above 6573 pounds, for all services.

The Lifeboat Inst.i.tution has a little sister, whom it would be unjust, as well as ungracious, not to introduce in pa.s.sing, namely, the s.h.i.+PWRECKED MARINERS' SOCIETY. They do their blessed work hand in hand.

Their relative position may be simply stated thus:--The Lifeboat Inst.i.tution saves life. Having dragged the s.h.i.+pwrecked sailor from the sea, its duty is done. It hands him over to the agent of the s.h.i.+pwrecked Mariners' Society, who takes him by the hand, sees him housed, warmed, clad and fed, and sends him home rejoicing, free of expense, and with a little cash in his pocket. Formerly, s.h.i.+pwrecked sailors had to beg their way to their homes. At first they were sympathised with and well treated. Thereupon uprose a host of counterfeits. The land was overrun by s.h.i.+pwrecked-mariner-beggars, and as people of the interior knew not which was which, poor s.h.i.+pwrecked Jack often suffered because of these vile impostors. But now there is not a port in the kingdom without its agent of the Society. Jack has, therefore, no need to beg his way. "The world" knows this; the deceiver knows it too, therefore his occupation is gone! Apart from its benignant work, the mere fact that the "little sister" has swept such vagrants off the land ent.i.tles her to a strong claim on our grat.i.tude.

She, also, is supported by voluntary contributions.

Turning now to another branch of our subject, let us regard for a little the boats of the Lifeboat Inst.i.tution.

"What is a lifeboat? Wherein does it differ from other boats?" are questions sometimes put. Let us attempt a brief reply.

A lifeboat--that is to say, the present lifeboat--differs from all other boats in four particulars:--1. It is _almost_ indestructible. 2. It is insubmergible. 3. It is self-righting. 4. It is self-emptying. In other words, it can hardly be destroyed; it cannot be sunk; it rights itself if upset; it empties itself if filled. Let us ill.u.s.trate these points in succession. Here is evidence on the first point.

On a terrible night in 1857 a Portuguese brig struck on the Goodwin Sands. The n.o.ble, and now famous, Ramsgate lifeboat was at once towed out when the signal-rocket from the lights.h.i.+p was seen, indicating "a wreck on the sands." A terrific battle with the winds and waves ensued.

At length the boat was cast off to windward of the sands, and bore down on the brig through the shoal water, which tossed her like a cork on its raging surface. They reached the brig and lay by her for some time in the hope of getting her off, but failed. The storm increased, the vessel began to break up, so her crew were taken into the boat, which-- having previously cast anchor to windward of the wreck, and eased off the cable until it got under her lee--now tried to pull back to its anchor. Every effort was fruitless, owing to the s.h.i.+fting nature of the sands and the fury of the storm. At last nothing was left for it but to hoist the sail, cut the cable, and make a desperate effort to beat off the sands. In this also they failed; were caught on the crest of a breaking roller, and borne away to leeward. Water and wind in wildest commotion were comparatively small matters to the lifeboat, but want of water was a serious matter. The tide happened to be out. The sands were only partially covered, and over them the breakers swept in a chaotic seething turmoil that is inconceivable by those who have not witnessed it. Every one has seen the ripples on the seash.o.r.e when the tide is out. On the Goodwins these ripples are great banks, to be measured by yards instead of inches. From one to another of these sand-banks this boat was cast. Each breaker caught her up, hurled her onward a few yards, and let her down with a crash that well-nigh tore every man out of her, leaving her there a few moments, to be caught up again and made sport with by the next billow. The Portuguese sailors, eighteen in number, clung to the thwarts in silent despair, but the crew of the boat did not lose heart. They knew her splendid qualities, and hoped that, if they should only escape being dashed against the portions of wreck which strewed the sands, all might yet be well. Thus, literally fathom by fathom, with a succession of shocks that would have knocked any ordinary boat to pieces, was this magnificent lifeboat driven, during two hours in the dead of night, over two miles of the Goodwin Sands! At last she drove into deep water on the other side; the sails were set, and soon after, through G.o.d's mercy, the rescued men were landed safely in Ramsgate Harbour. So, we repeat, the lifeboat is almost indestructible.

That she is insubmergible has been proved by what has already been written, and our s.p.a.ce forbids giving further ill.u.s.tration, but a word about the cause of this quality is necessary. Her floating power is due to _air-chambers_ fitted round the sides under the seats and in the bow and stern; also to empty s.p.a.ce and light wood or cork ballast under her floor. If thrust forcibly deep under water with as many persons in her as could be stowed away, she would, on being released, rise again to the surface like a cork.

The self-righting principle is one of the most important qualities of the lifeboat. However good it may be in other respects, a boat without this quality is a lifeboat only so long as it maintains its proper position on the water. If upset it is no better than any other boat.

It is true that, great stability being one of the lifeboat's qualities, such boats are not easily overturned. Nevertheless they sometimes are so, and the results have been on several occasions disastrous. Witness the case of the Liverpool boat, which in January 1865 upset, and the crew of seven men were drowned. Also the Point of Ayr lifeboat, which upset when under sail at a distance from the land, and her crew, thirteen in number, were drowned. Two or three of the poor fellows were seen clinging to the keel for twenty minutes, but no a.s.sistance could be rendered. Now, both of these were considered good lifeboats, but they were _not self-righting_. Numerous cases might be cited to prove the inferiority of the non-self-righting boats, but one more will suffice.

In February 1858 the Southwold boat--a large sailing boat, esteemed one of the finest in the kingdom, but _not_ self-righting--went out for exercise, and was running before a heavy surf with all sail set, when she suddenly ran on the top of a sea, broached-to and upset. The crew in this case being near sh.o.r.e, and having on cork lifebelts, were rescued, but three gentlemen who had gone off in her without lifebelts were drowned. This case, and the last, occurred in broad daylight.

In contrast to these we give an instance of the action of the self-righting lifeboat when overturned. It occurred on a dark stormy night in October 1858. On that night a wreck took place off the coast near Dungeness, three miles from sh.o.r.e. The small lifeboat belonging to that place put off to the rescue. Eight stout men of the coastguard composed her crew. She belonged to the National Lifeboat Inst.i.tution-- all the boats of which are now built on the self-righting principle.

The wreck was reached soon after midnight, and found to have been deserted by her crew; the boat therefore returned to the sh.o.r.e. While crossing a deep channel between two shoals she was caught up and struck by three heavy seas in succession. The c.o.xswain lost command of the rudder, and she was carried away before a sea, broached to and upset, throwing the men out of her. Immediately she righted herself, cleared herself of water, and the anchor having fallen out she was brought up by it. The crew, meanwhile, having on lifebelts, regained the boat, got into her by means of the lifelines hung round her sides, cut the cable, and returned to the sh.o.r.e in safety!

The means by which the self-righting is accomplished are--two large air-cases, one in the bow, the other in the stern, and a heavy iron keel. These air-cases are rounded on the top and raised so high that a boat, bottom up, resting on them, would be raised almost quite out of the water. Manifestly, to rest on these pivots is an impossibility; the overturned boat _must_ fall on its side, in which position the heavy iron keel comes into play and drags the bottom down, thus placing the boat violently and quickly in her proper position. The simple plan here described was invented by the Reverend James Bremner, of Orkney, and exhibited at Leith, near Edinburgh, in the year 1800. Mr Bremner's aircases were empty casks in the bow and stern, and his ballast was three hundredweight of iron attached to the keel.

This plan, however, was not made practically useful until upwards of fifty years later, when twenty out of twenty-four men were lost by the upsetting of the _non-self-righting_ lifeboat of South s.h.i.+elds. After the occurrence of that melancholy event, the late Duke of Northumberland--who for many years was one of the warmest supporters and patrons of the Lifeboat Inst.i.tution--offered a prize of 100 pounds for the best self-righting lifeboat. It was gained by Mr Beeching, whose boat was afterwards considerably altered and improved by Mr Peak.

The self-emptying principle is of almost equal importance with the self-righting, for, in every case of putting off to a wreck, a lifeboat is necessarily filled again and again with water--sometimes overwhelmed by tons of it; and a boat full of water, however safe it may be, is necessarily useless. Six large holes in the bottom of the boat effect the discharge of water. There is an air-tight floor to the lifeboat, which is so placed that when the boat is fully manned and loaded with pa.s.sengers it is _a very little above the level of the sea_. On this fact the acting of the principle depends. Between this floor and the bottom of the boat, a s.p.a.ce of upwards of a foot in depth, there is some light ballast of cork or wood, and some parts of the s.p.a.ce are left empty. The six holes above mentioned are tubes of six inches diameter, which extend from the floor through the bottom of the boat. Now, it is one of nature's laws that water _must_ find its level. For instance, take any boat and bore large holes in its bottom, and suppose it to be held up in its _ordinary_ floating position, so that it cannot sink, then fill it suddenly quite full of water, it will be found that the water _inside_ will run out until it is on a level with the water _outside_. Water poured into a lifeboat will of course act in the same way, but when that which has been poured into it reaches the level of the water outside, _it has also reached the floor_: in other words, there is no more water left to run out.

Such are the princ.i.p.al qualities of the splendid lifeboat now used on our coasts, and of which it may be said that it has almost reached the state of absolute perfection.

The Lifeboat Inst.i.tution, which has been the means in G.o.d's hands of saving so many thousands of human lives, is now in a high state of efficiency and of well-deserved prosperity; both of which conditions are due very largely to the untiring exertions and zeal of its present secretary, Richard Lewis, Esquire, of the Inner Temple. Success is not dependent on merit alone. Good though the lifeboat cause unquestionably is, we doubt whether the Inst.i.tution would have attained its present high position so soon, had it not been guided thereto by the judicious management of its committee--the members of which bestow laborious and gratuitous service on its great and national work--aided by the able and learned secretary and an experienced inspector of lifeboats (Captain J.R. Ward, R.N.) both whose judgement and discretion have often been the themes of deserved praise by the public.

That the claims of the Inst.i.tution are very strong must be admitted by all who reflect that during upwards of forty years it has been engaged in the grand work of saving human lives. Up to the present date, it has plucked 18,225 human beings from the waves, besides an incalculable amount of valuable property. It is a truly national blessing, and as such deserves the support of every man and woman in the kingdom. (See footnote.)

But, to return from this prolonged yet by no means unnecessary digression,--let us remind the reader that we left him at the meeting in the town-hall of Covelly, of which, however, we will only say further, that it was very enthusiastic and most successful. That the mayor, having been stirred in spirit by the secretary's speech, redeemed himself by giving vent to a truly eloquent oration, and laying on the table a handsome contribution towards the funds of the Society. That many of the people present gladly followed his lead, and that the only interruption to the general harmony was the repeated attempts made by Mr Joseph Dowler--always out of order--to inflict himself upon the meeting; an infliction which the meeting persistently declined to permit!

Thereafter the new lifeboat was conveyed to its house on the sh.o.r.e, where, however, it had not rested many weeks before it was called into vigorous action.