LIFEBOAT MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

Advanced search

Services of the Life-Boats of the National Life-Boat Institution

HOLY ISLAND.—On the 29th April, 1867, j the Grace Darling life-boat went off and assisted safely into harbour two fishing- smacks, which were observed in distress during very stormy weather. Had it not! been for the services of the life-boat, one of the boats would have had to remain outside the harbour all night, at great risk to the lives of her crew.

On 24th January following the life-boat again went out, during a hurricane from the S., to the assistance of the schooner Mischief, of Carnarvon, which had gone ashore on the Parten Stiel Rocks, about a mile and a half to the south of the island, and had hoisted a flag of distress. After an hour and a half of great exertion, the life-boat behaving admirably, the vessel was reached, and five men and a boy were safely | taken to land. A fishing-coble, which also • went out to assist the Mischief, was unable to reach the wreck.

ORME'S HEAD, LLANDUNDO.— On the 20th September information was received j here, that the smack Jane, of Carnarvon,! was riding outside the Orme's Head dis- j masted, and with signals of distress flying.

The wind was blowing strong from the j north. The Sisters' Memorial life-boat was quickly manned and launched, and on ar- riving alongside, found the vessel fast drift- ing towards the rocks with her mast and all the gear overboard. They took off the captain, his wife, and 2 men. The life- boat was afterwards taken in tow by the steamer, Prince Arthur, to Beaumaris.

HOWTH, IRELAND.—On the 12th Sept., during a strong gale of wind, the schooner Splendid, of Dublin, was seen making for Howth harbour in a disabled condition, with her mainsail blown to pieces. She afterwards anchored in a dangerous position near the Baldoyle Sand. The life-boat sta- tioned at Howth put off and brought the vessel and her crew of 6 men safely into harbour.

This life-boat again went out on the 3rd January, 1868, under the following circumstances:— About midnight, the wind blowing a fresh gale from the S.E., and heavy sleet falling, signals of distress were observed from a vessel on shore on the Baldoyle Sand. The life-boat was. manned with most praiseworthy celerity, and after con- siderable difficulty got alongside the vessel, which proved to be the schooner Seven Brothers, of Wicklow. The master and 2 men were then rescued and brought to shore through a heavy surf and broken water. WHITBY, YORKSHIRE. — On the 30th September, whilst the schooner Commot, of Whitby, bound from Lowestoft to Sea- ham, in ballast, was riding at anchor in Sandsend Roads, the wind suddenly changed from N.W. to N. by E., causing the vessel to part from one anchor. The master, fear- ing the vessel would drift on to the rock, slipped the remaining cable, and bore away for Whitby, where she was stranded on the sands. As soon as the danger was ob- served from the shore, the Lucy life-boat, stationed at Whitby, was launched in a heavy sea, and fortunately succeeded in taking off the vessel's crew of 4 men, and afterwards in landing them in safety.

The same life-boat, on the 2nd January, 1868, was again called into requisition:— About 7 P.M. of that day, the steam-tug Swan, which was towing the sloop Industry and the schooner Mulgrave into Whitby harbour, struck against the pier, in conse- quence of a heavy sea on the bar, and be- came disabled, the tow-ropes being also broken. The vessels drove ashore on the beach north of the West Pier, and ulti- mately the Industry was sunk and the Mulgrave stranded. The life-boat was promptly got out, and in one journey took off the crews of both vessels, 2 men from each. The Industry was full of water when her crew were rescued. The wind blew strong at the time from E.S.E.

SCARBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE. — On the 30th September, the brigantine Sybil, of Yarmouth, was run into by another vessel, whilst riding at anchor during a gate of wind in Scarborough Roads, and seriously damaged. The crew made signals of dis- tress and a coble went off; but on account of the very heavy sea running, she could not venture alongside, and the life-boat at Scar- borough was therefore launched, and suc- ceeded in rescuing the shipwrecked crew of 4 men.

Mrs. COCKROFT, the benevolent donor of this life-boat, died some months ago. It replaced the life-boat which had become unmanageable, and was destroyed, during a gale of wind on the 2nd November, 1861, when, nobly aiding the crew of the boat, LORD CHARLES BEAUCLERCK and other brave men lost their lives at Scar- borough. In 1867, his lordship's daughter, Miss LAURA THERESA BEAUCLERCK, mar- ried LORD MILTON, the eldest son of the EARL FITZWILLIAM, E.G. On the first occasion, after her marriage, of LADY MILTON'S visiting, with her husband, the noble Earl's Irish tenantry, they feelingly alluded, in their congratulatory address, to her beloved father, who had so nobly perished while attempting, on the occasion in ques- tion, to save the lives of others.

It may be added, that soon after the dis- tressing occurrence, the Institution presented, in memoriam, its silver medal to the head of his Lordship's family, his Grace the DUKE OF ST. ALBAN'S, who gratefully ac- cepted it, and stated that it would be pre- served in his family with their most cherished heirlooms.

BRAUNTON, DEVON.—On the 17th Octo- ber, the brig Ruth, of London, went ashore on Saunton Sands during squally weather.

The George and Catherine life-boat put off and rescued the crew of 9 men. The cap- tain of the vessel communicated to the Chair- man of the Local Committee his thanks in the following terms:—"I feel bound to state my great satisfaction and thankfulness at the prompt and smart manner in which the life-boat put off to our assistance and rescue, and which, in all probability, was the means of saving myself and crew of 8 men from the immediate danger of being lost." ARKLOW, IRELAND.—On the 11th Sep- tember, the smack Kate and Mary, of Ark- low, was observed riding at anchor in a dangerous position during a fierce gale of wind from the S.E., a boy only having been left on board. The Arundel Vendbles life-boat, stationed at Arklow, was quickly launched, but had only got a short distance when she was filled with the heavy seas, took sternway, and got broadside on the North Pier Head. At this juncture Capt.

EDWARD KEARON jumped off the pier into the boat, and encouraged the crew to perse- vere in their efforts, and the boat attempted a second time to get through the broken water, but was again driven hack, and would have struck against the Pier Head, had not a cross sea taken her on her starboard bow and canted her to the north. A third at- tempt was made, and this time she succeeded in getting through the surf and in reaching the smack. The master of the smack, who had been taken off from the shore in the life-boat, was then put on board his vessel, which subsequently got away in safety.

MULLION, CORNWALL. — About ten o'clock on the night of the 21st October, during foul weather and in a thick fog, an alarm was given that a vessel was in dis- tress off Polurrian Cove, about a mile and a half from the life-boat station. The Daniel J. Draper life-boat was immediately launched, and was fortunately the means of rescuing three of the crew of the stranded vessel, which proved to be the barque Achilles, of Glasgow, bound from Mi- ramichi to London with a cargo of timber.

The Coastguardmen, who were the first to see the distressed vessel, had before the arrival of the life-boat been able to save the remainder of the crew by means of the rocket apparatus.

LLANDDWYN, ANGLESEY.—On the 21st October, the John Gray Bell life-boat, sta- tioned at this place, put off and rescued the crew of 11 men from a small boat belonging to the barque James Campbell, of Shelburne, N.S., which had stranded on the North Bank, about 2 miles E.S.E. of Llanddwyn Point, during a strong S.W. wind and heavy rain.