IN 1889 Mr. EGBERT BAYLY, of Torr Grove, Ply month, a member of the Local Committee of the Port of Plymouth Branch of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- TUTION, published, with the sanction of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, of which he was also a member, a pamphlet (issued by White Stevens, "Parade" Printing Works, Plymouth), to which was attached plans showing the absence of telegraphic and telephonic communication around the coast of the United Kingdom as compared with other countries. The plans showed portions of our coast, viz., Portland Bill, round the Land's End to Ilfracombe, also the Tyne to the Humber, and in juxta- position was shown the west coast of Jutland. Comparing the plans, it was seen that on our seaboard we were well provided with life-boat, coast-guard, and rocket stations but that our telegraph and telephone lines, except in a few cases, did not reach the coast; whereas in Den- mark they were brought up to, and put into direct communication with, the light- houses and the life-boat and rocket stations, to enable them to communicate with each other and with the country at large.

The Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom at two spring meetings in London unanimously passed resolutions calling upon the Government to undertake a scheme of coast communication; but it was not until the subject had been taken up by the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION that the assent of Parliament was ultimately secured.

The Port of Plymouth Branch of the Institution prepared a memorial to the Committee of Management, which was forwarded to the various other branches, and in February, 1890, Admiral H. D. HICKLEY, Chairman of the Plymouth Branch, attended at the offices of the Institution in London to present the memorial, which was supported by 183 other branches, asking that the Institution should endeavour to induce the Govern- ment to establish a system of telegraphic and telephonic communication between coast-guard stations, shore lighthouses and life-boat stations. At the March meeting of the Committee of Management of the same year a special sub-committee was appointed to inquire into and report on the whole subject. On the 12th March, 1891, the report of the sub-committee was presented and it was resolved that communications be addressed to the Board of Trade, Admiralty, Post Office,and the Committee of Lloyd's, asking their co-operation. The Chairman of the Institution, Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK, Bart., M.P., undertook to endeavour to secure a night for bringing the matter as soon as possible before the House of Commons; but " owing to the press of public busi- ness " no opportunity was afforded until April 1892, when at last Sir Edward Birkbeck was able to move his resolution.

It was to the effect that it was desirable with the view of decreasing the loss of life from shipwrecks on the coast that the Government should provide either tele- phonic or telegraphic communication between all the coastguard and signal stations, and that on such parts of the coast where there were no coastguard stations the post offices nearest the Life- boat stations should be connected, so as | to be in a position to give the Life-boat authorities the earliest possible informa- tion at all times, day and night; and, further, that a Royal Commission be ap- pointed to consider the desirability or otherwise of electrically connecting the rock lighthouses, light-vessels, &e., with the shore. The resolution was agreed to without a division.

Such is a brief history of the manner in which this most important measure was obtained. The work was instantly begun by the Post Office, the most impor- tant parts of the coast, as recommended by the officers of the Institution, being first taken in hand, and very soon there obtained a state of affairs totally different from that to which Mr. Bayly had so ably drawn attention, and now, the communi- cation scheme, so far as the land wires are concerned, is approaching completion.

Great difficulty has been experienced in connecting the light-vessels, and although several are now in electrical communica- tion with the shore, it is probable that until a perfect system of electrical com- munication, without the necessity o: carrying the cable on board the light- vessel, is available, no very great strides will be made in this direction.

A system of coast communication being established, the object of this article is o point out the very great importance of making the fullest possible use of it br life-saving purposes. The two great organisations in this country for saving ife from shipwreck on our coasts are, as is well known, under the Board of Trade and the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION ; the former are responsible for the working of the rocket apparatus, which, with few exceptions, are placed entirely in the hands of her Majesty's coastguard, whose duty it also is to watch the coast and give the earliest possible information to those in charge of both organisations should there be any reason to think the services of either or both are required.

In most instances, the electric instruments are placed under the charge of the coast- guard, and since their establishment, the Admiralty have issued the following instructions:— COPY OP STANDING ORDER, No. 130, ISSUED TO HER MAJESTY'S COAST GUARD.

1. "When a telephonic or telegraphic message is received at a Coast Guard Station, reporting a vessel in distress and that help is needed, the Coast Guard man receiving the message will, with a view to prevent subsequent doubt as to the terms of the message, at once enter it on the prescribed form (the ordinary telegraph form to be obtained at all Postal Telegraph Offices), and cause it to be conveyed immedi- ately to one of the Coxswains or other Life- boat authority of the nearest Life-boat. The responsibility of launching or not launching the Life-boat will rest entirely with the Life- boat authorities and not with the Coast Guard.

2. If a telephonic or telegraphic message be received reporting that the neighbouring Life- boat has been launched, and that the nearest Life-boat is, or is not required, he will, in the same way, at once transfer the message to the Life-boat authorities connected with the Life- boat nearest to the Coast Guard Station.

3. Should the nearest Life-boat be launched on service and the Life-boat authorities request that the launch be reported to the Life-boat Station or Stations on either side, the message must be at once transmitted as desired, whether the object be to prevent another, or other boats, launching or otherwise.

4. In the event of a Coast Guard Officer or man observing a vessel in distress (including vessels ashore), or signals of distress, or hearing guns denoting a vessel in distress, he will a once take the necessary steps to inform the Life-boat authorities connected with the wind ward Life-boat, either by telephone or telegraph as the case may be, unless he should consider the circumstances require the launch of another Life-boat or other Life-boats, in which case he will advise the authorities of such Life-boat or Life-boats accordingly.

The Life-boat Institution has framed the following rules, which are published in their " Green Book of Regulations/ viz., General Regulations, page 2, para- graph 11:— Electrical Communication.

11. Wherever telephonic or telegraphic com- munication, has been established for life-saving purposes every possible use is to be made o: this means of communication for acquainting neighbouring Stations with the nature of the casualty and the action being taken by the Life-boat.

Instructions for Honorary Secretaries, page 5, paragraph 2 :— Telephonic and Telegraphic Communication.

2. On all occasions of the Life-boat's Crew being assembled for service and of the boat being launched for service, or from any circum- stances being unable to launch when called for, the Honorary Secretary will be most careful to provide that every advantage is taken of the telephonic or telegraphic system which has been established for life-saving purposes either in connection with the Coast Guard, Post Office, Lighthouses or Light- vessels, either for the purpose of obtaining information from neighbouring Stations or giving information to such Stations and with the view of preventing the Life-boat or neigh- bouring Life-boats being unnecessarily launched- Instructions for Coxswains, page 11, paragraph 22:— Telephonic or Telegraphic Communication.

22. He is to be careful to avail himself of the telephonic or telegraphic communication, as arranged by the Honorary Secretary, with the Station Officer of Coast Guard or Postmaster for the purpose of obtaining information from neighbouring Stations or giving information to such Stations with a view of preventing the Life-boat or neighbouring Life-boats being unnecessarily launched.

A perusal of these instructions shows that their aims are directed (1st) to ensure that the Life-boat station in the most favourable position for launching shall receive the earliest possible information, (2nd) that full advantage be taken to avoid unnecessary launches, and (3rd) that all available use be made of the electrical communication, so that each station may be made acquainted with the action being taken by its neighbours.

In most new things connected with Life- boat work, the full advantages are not at first seen, prejudices have to be overcome and local interests considered, and it can- not be said that the system of coast communication for life-saving purposes is an exception, for hitherto its working has left much to be desired. In some instances the actual arrangements for com- municating by day and night have not been thoroughly understood and in many others have not been made proper use of.

It rarely happens that neighbouring Life-boat stations are in precisely similar conditions for launching at the same instant.

One station may have a better beach from which to put off, or the configuration of the land may give it a little shelter, or the tide may be more favourable for one than at the other. When information of a vessel in distress is received at a Life-boat station, all these points must be considered, and even if it is decided to launch, full particulars should be sent to the adjoining stations, so that they may be on the alert in case of failure. If the casualty takes place on any part of the coast in the vicinity of a harbour where there may be a tug and a Life-boat or a steam Life-boat, all available informa- tion should be sent to them, even if it has to be passed through several Life-boat stations e» route, for it must always be borne in mind that there are occasions when it is an impossibility for a Life-boat in an exposed position to get to sea, and many in which the aid of steam will ensure a neighbouring Life-boat reach- ing the distressed vessel sooner than i pulling or sailing Life-boat, although ;he latter may be nearer the casualty.

Again, the various types of boats in the neighbourhood must be considered in relation to the description of work re- quired and information conveyed accord- ingly.

It is hardly to be expected that un- necessary launches can be altogether avoided. The spirit of emulation be- tween neighbouring stations is too strong to justify the supposition that when the position of the wrecked vessel is such that there is no apparent advantage for one station over the other, one will wait to see if the other is going to launch, and it would be a great pity if friendly rivalry did not exist; but, by a judicious use of the electrical communication, there is no doubt that many unnecessary launches— and there are a great many—might be prevented. Especially is this to be looked for on the parts of the coast adjacent to outlying sand-banks, where light-vessels are stationed provided with codes of signals for indicating the position of the ship requiring help. The telephone can be used to consult with the adjoining stations to verify the exact signal being made, and in most cases accurate infor- mation can be obtained before the life-boat is ready to be launched, especially if it be night.

The prevention of unnecessary launches is of course of much less importance than the primary object of the coast communi- cation scheme in its relation to Life-boat work; and it is more for the purpose of ex- pediting the despatch of the Life-boat and to keep neighbouring stations in touch with each other, by affording them full information of what is being done when a wreck occurs, that local organisations should pay special attention. The coast- guard have repeatedly shown their willing- ness to assist in every way; and if there have been occasional failures to make the best use' of the electrical communications provided, the cause has always been trace- able to ignorance of the exact instructions under which the coast-guard and the local Life-boat organisations have to work. These regulations cannot be too widely circulated, and it is for that reason they have been printed in extenso in this article, with a hope that any readers of this journal connected with local branches may put themselves in possession of this most necessary and important information, and use the best means in their power to en- sure their being thoroughly and efficiently carried out.