Additional Stations and New Life-Boats
BLAKENEY, NORFOLK.—The NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION has recently stationed a life-boat at Blakeney, at the north extremity of Norfolk, at which place a crew of fishermen perished last year in attempting to rescue a shipwrecked crew. This is one of the smaller class of the self-righting boats, being 30 feet long and rowing 6 oars, single-banked. Her cost was presented to the Institution by Miss BRIGHTWELL, of Norwich. The station was completed and the boat publicly launched on the 6th October last, a local Committee of management having been organized, consisting of the clergy and gentry resident in the neighbourhood.
TYNEMOUTH, NORTHUMBERLAND. — In consequence of the erection of the extensive piers at the mouth of the Tyne, it had become requisite to have an additional station there, and the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION decided to supply the deficiency by placing a first-class self-righting life-boat at Prior's Haven, on the north shore, where it had already the site of an old boat-house.
The cost of the life-boat was presented to the Institution by G. J. FES-WICK, Esq., late of Seaton Burn, Northumberland, and a considerable collection made in the neighbourhood for the erection of a new boat-house, evincing a local interest in the undertaking.
The boat selected to be sent was one which, through the late summer, had been exhibited in the Gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, contiguous to the International Exhibition, and which will, no doubt, have been seen there by many of our readers.
She is a remarkably fine and handsome boat, and contains all the latest improvements that have been introduced. On her arrival at her station she was publicly exhibited and launched, and has elicited the entire approbation of her crew. As the neighbouring life-boats, at North and South Shields, provided and supported by a local life-boat society, are on the old north country, or "Greathead" plan, an opportunity will no doubt ere long be afforded for testing the comparative qualities of the two descriptions of boats, as no winter passes by without the occurrence of wrecks on the Herd Sand and the shore contiguous to our great coal port.
(For a full account of the interesting exhibition and reception of this boat, vide page 188.) New life-boats to supersede others which have needed to be replaced have also been sent by the Institution to Appledore, in North Devon; St. Sampson's, Guernsey; Drogheda, in Ireland; and to Fleetwood, in Lancashire.