BUTTON, LINCOLNSHIRE. — A message by telephone was received on the 21st May, 1898, stating that a steamer was aground about two hundred yards south of Huttoft. The Life-boat Sir John was launched at 12.45 p.m., and found the vessel was the Thelma, of Christiania, bound from Hamburg for Grimsby, in ballast. She had stranded in the foggy weather which prevailed at the time.

The Life-boat stood by her until she was afloat, the coxswain explaining to the master his exact position and giving him his course. No further assistance being needed, the Life-boat sailed back to the station, arriving there at 4 p.m.

ST. AGNES, ISLES OF SCILLY.—Signals having been fired by the Bishop Bock Lighthouse, on the 26th May, the Life- boat James and Caroline was launched at 12.15 p.m., and found the lugger Nyanza, of Penzance, engaged in the mackerel fishery, at Crebawethan, where she had been run ashore, having been damaged by striking on rocks. One of her crew was taken off by an island fishing-boat, and the remainder, four in number, were landed by the Life-boat at St. Mary's.

The Life-boat also saved some of the gear of the vessel which was expected to become a total wreck.

WHITBURN.—The Life-boat William and Charles was launched at 11.30 p.m.

on the 1st June and landed a man from the coble Guiding Star. Whilst he was out attending to his crab-pots, a heavy sea rose and he was in considerable peril; the surf was breaking so heavily that it would have been impossible for him to have landed in the coble.

HILBRE ISLAND.—Having received in- telligence that a yawl was in a very dangerous position close to the rocks on the west side of the island, on the 24th June, the Life-boat Admiral Briggs was launched at 12.40 p.m., and proceeded through a rough sea to the spot where the yawl Conovium, of Beaumaris, was stranded. The master requested that some of the Life-boat men might board the vessel and try to get her off. With some difficulty she was got afloat, and the Life-boat then returned to her station, arriving at 2.55 p.m.

WINTERTON. — The full - rigged ship Galatea, of Greenock, bound from Ham- burg to Sydney with a general cargo, stranded on Hammond's Knoll, in a fresh N.E. breeze, a rough sea and thick weather, on the 27th June. The look- out man at Winterton, having observed her, at once gave an alarm, and at 8.30 a.m. the No. 2 Life-boat Margaret was launched, and proceeded to the vessel in tow of a steam-tug. The master having engaged the Life-boat men to try to get the ship off, the tug was despatched to Winterton to fetch more help, and re- turned with the No. 1 Life-boat Edward Birkbeck. The wind and sea, however, increased, the ship was fast filling with water, and ultimately all efforts to save her had to be abandoned, and she became a total wreck, her crew of twenty-five men being rescued by the Life-boats.

WALMER.—Guns were heard in the direction of the Middle Light Vessel during hazy weather at about 10.15 a.m.

on the 29th June, and shortly afterwards a barque was discerned stranded close to the Light Vessel. The Life-boat Civil Service No. 4 was launched, proceeded to the sand, and found the stranded vessel was the barque River Thames. She belonged to Flekkefjord, and was on a voyage from Hamburg for Pensacola, in ballast. The ebbing tide had left her dry on the sands, and the Life-boat was unable to get alongside until half-past one. The master stated that he had engaged a boat to go to Dover for a tug, and he requested that the Life-boat would remain by him until high water. Two tugs arrived, and at six o'clock succeeded in towing the vessel off, and took her to the Downs. The Life-boat left her at 7.30, and half an hour later returned to her station.

WHITHORN.—On the evening of the 12th July several small boats were fishing for mackerel while a moderate breeze was blowing from W. The wind suddenly shifted to N., and increased to a strong gale. One of the boats contained the coxswain of the Life-boat, and on board others were the. assistant coxswain and other Life-boat men. They managed with considerable difficulty to get into port, but another member of the crew, whose boat was farther out in the offing, was seen drifting fast to sea. The Acting Honorary Secretary had the keys of the Life-boat house ready, and a few minutes after landing in their own boats the men were off in the Life-boat Henry and John Leighton, proceeding to the assistance of their endangered comrade. They came up with him about five miles distant from the laud, took him into the Life-boat, and towed his boat home. When the gale came on he let go his anchor, but the rope parted, and in trying to pull to the shore he broke one of his oars, and was therefore in a helpless condition when rescued.

POINT OF AIR.—The dandy Thomas Stratton, of Maldon, bound from Swansea for Mostyn, laden with burnt ore, stranded on the West Hoyle Bank in a strong breeze from N.W., and a choppy, breaking sea on the 23rd July. She commenced to leak, and hoisted a signal of distress, in response to which the Life-boat H. G.

Powell was launched at 8.45 a.m., and proceeded to her assistance. A steam- tug took the boat to windward of the vessel; she was then cast off and con- tinued her journey under sail and oars.

Some of the Life-boat men boarded her to assist at the pumps, as by that time she was leaking very badly, and with the aid of a tug the vessel was taken to Mostyn, the Life-boat men continuing pumping until she arrived there.

NEW BRIGHTON.—The chief officer of coastguard at Blundell Sands reported by telegraph that a steam flat was stranded on Seaforth Beach, on the 5th August.

The vessel was also observed from New Brighton. The steam Life-boat Queen left her moorings at 12.7 p.m., and pro- ceeded to the assistance of the vessel, over which heavy seas were breaking, but her crew refused to leave her, and were anxious that the Life-boat should remain by them until they were out of danger.

The Life-boat remained near until the men were able to walk ashore and then returned to her moorings; the vessel, which was the Bessie, of and from Liver- pool for Runcorn, in ballast, being left on the beach full of water.

POLPEAR, LIZARD.—On the 6th August, the Life-boat Edmund and Fanny was launched at 9 a.m., and proceeded to the four-masted barque Vortigern, of and from London, bound for Calcutta with a cargo of jute. She was found to be safely anchored ia Pentreath Bay, having narrowly escaped stranding in the fog, but as she'was embayed the Life-boat, at the master's request, remained by her until the .arrival of a steam-tug which took her in tow for Falmouth.

PALLING, NORFOLK.—A message by telephone was received on the 14th August, reporting that a large barque was aground on the Hasborough Sand. The Life-boat Hearts of Oak was launched at 8.15 a.m., and found the barque Helena Mena, of London, bound from Hull for South Africa, stranded on the middle part of the sand. The proffered services of the Life- boat men were at once accepted by the master, and with the aid of the crew of a yawl and two steam-tugs, the vessel was got afloat at 6 p.m. The Life-boat accom- panied her to Yarmouth roads, and arrived back at her station at 2.30 p.m.

on August 16th.

KlNQSDOWNE AND NORTH DEAL.----On 16th August the Life-boat Charles Har- grave, stationed at Kingsdowne, and the Mary Somerville, of North Deal, were launched early in the morning, signal guns having been fired by the East Goodwin and Gull Light Vessels. A thick fog prevailed at the time. The barque Unione, of Naples, bound from Savannah for Antwerp, was found stranded on the south part of the Goodwin Sands, and the Life-boat men offered to render what help they could to get the vessel afloat. Their services being accepted, they assisted in jettisoning the cargo, which consisted of turpentine and resin, and also helped to man the pumps. On the following day the barque floated, and was taken to the Downs with the assist- ance of a steam-tug.

GREENORE, Co. LOUTH.—The schooner yacht Colleen, of Leith, lost one of her anchors and had the other disabled in a very heavy squall on the 27th August, and stranded about fifty yards W. of the Earl Rock, in Carlingford Lough. In response to her signals of distress, the Life-boat Sir Arthur Blackwood was launched at 1.29 p.m., and put two men on board to assist the crew. The Life- boat's anchor was laid out, and by means of this the yacht was got off into deep water, and was enabled to proceed to Warrenpoint. Mr. Basil Hall, who was at the station on his periodical visit of inspection, went in the Life-boat on this occasion.

ABERSOCH, CARNARVONSHIRE.—Signals of distress were shown by the yacht Atalanta, of Abersoch, which was dragging her anchors in St. Tadwall's Roads, while a moderate gale was blowing from S.W., accompanied by a rough sea and thick weather, on the 30th August. The Life- boat Oldham put off to her assistance at 8 p.m., and landed the crew, consisting of eight men, at Penrhyn Point. The wind afterwards veered suddenly to N.W., and thus enabled the vessel to ride out the gale.

HOYLAKE, CHESHIRE.—On the afternoon of the 30th August the lightkeeper ob- served a yacht apparently capsized, with the crew clinging to her side. He at once reported the circumstance to the coxswain of the Life-boat Coard William Squarey, who decided to take out the Life-boat, as the weather was very threatening. The boat was launched at 4.30, and half an hour later arrived at the scene of the casualty. The yacht, which was the Queen, of New Brighton, on a pleasure trip, was on her beam ends on the North Bank, the tide being low.

Her crew of six persons were taken on board the Life-boat, which stood by the vessel until she floated and was able to make for New Brighton.

SWANAGE AND POOLE.—The Life-boats at these well-known places on the south coast were instrumental in rendering excellent service to vessels in great distress during the severe gales of Novem- ber last. On the 23rd of that month the former boat, named William Erie, in memory of the late Lord Justice, was launched while the wind was blowing a whole gale from the South and a very heavy sea was running, a telephonic j message having been received from Stud- land stating that a vessel was in a critical condition in that Bay between the Old Harry Rocks and Poole Bar and was signalling for assistance. The Life-boat very promptly reached the vessel, which proved to be a three-masted schooner, the Velocity, of Leith, bound to Poole from Shields with a cargo of coal, and found that she was riding heavily at her anchors and was in a leaky condition. The Captain was naturally loth to leave while there was a chance of saving the ship, but on account of the severity of the gale the Coxswain could not spare any of the crew of the boat to go on board to help at the pumps, and knowing that as the tide fell the schooner would bump heavily and probably become a wreck, he decided to go into the smooth water under the cliffs and stay there at anchor in readiness to rescue the crew. The Poole Life-boat, City Masonic Club, also arrived at this time, having been towed out over the bar by a steamer, but finding that the other boat was remaining in attend- ance she returned to her station. Some hours later, about 10 p.m., signals of distress were shown from the vessel, which had parted one of her cables and was dragging into shallower water. With much difficulty the Life-boat men rescued the master and his crew of five men, after which they made for Poole, which was reached at 3 a.m., by which time the Life- boat men had been afloat between 11 and 12 hours. The Poole Life-boat also went out again, but found that the Swanage boat had accomplished the rescue before her arrival. The schooner ultimately became a total wreck.

A few hours later the Poole Life-boat j went out a third time in response to a I telephone message from the Sandbanks : Coastguard Station, that a vessel was in distress off Flag Head, near Bournemouth Bay, and very shortly afterwards the Coastguard at Southbourne, near Bourne- mouth, sent word that another ship was signalling for provisions and help. As the Swanage men were too exhausted to go out again, a fresh crew was mustered at Poole and took out their Life-boat with a supply of provisions. The wind wasstill blowing a strong gale, and there was a heavy sea in the Bay. The Poole boat was eventually successful in saving the crew of eight men from the vessel to which she was launched, the barquentine Frier, of Porsgrund, which afterwards stranded on the beach and became a total wreck. The other Life-boat discovered the barque Bonne Mere, of Havre, in a very dangerous position; her master re- quested the Life-boat would obtain a steam-tug and twelve men to try to get the vessel off, which she did, and the Poole Life-boat also went out in company with her in tow of the steamer. After rendering all the assistance they could, and the crew not wishing to leave the vessel, the two boats returned to Poole about nine o'clock at night. The follow- ing morning the Poole boat went out again, making her fifth launch in three days, and passed a hawser to the steam- tug, which then took the barque to Southampton, the Life-boat towing astern in case of need.

GORLESTON, SUFFOLK.—In response to signals, the Life-boat Mark Lane was launched at 2.40 a.m. on the 16th Sep- tember, and found the fishing-smack Boy Nicholas, of Lowestoft, aground on the East Cross Sand, where she had stranded in a thick fog. The Life-boat stood by her until she floated and got out of danger.

POUT EBROLL, ABERDEENSHIRE.—The Life-boat Frances Camilla Howard was launched at 11 o'clock on the night of the 16th September and proceeded to the s.s. Milwaukee, of Liverpool, which had shown signals of distress, having stranded on Ctuderi Scars, in thick hazy weather, a strong S. breeze and a rough, choppy sea. At the request of the master the Life-boat remained by the ship, and at 5.30 on the following morning twenty-one men of the crew got into the boat and were taken to Port Brroll, where they were landed at 6.30 ; the remainder of the crew, numbering twenty all told, had, with the exception of the master and chief officer, been taken off by a tug and a fishing-boat.

PORTHOUSTOCK, CORNWALL. — A dis- aslrous shipwreck occurred on the Manacle rocks, near the Lizard, on the night of the 14th October, involving the lamentable loss of 106 lives. The s.s.

Mohegan, of Hull, a large four-masted vessel, bound for New York, with 1280 tons of general cargo, in addition to which she carried coal and water ballast to the extent of 3170 tons, left London on the previous day. She had a crew of 97 men.

There were seven cattlemen on board, and at Gravesend 53 passengers were taken in. All seems to have gone right on her way down the Channel, and at 2.40 p.m. on the 14th, at Prawle Point, she signalled " All well, report me." She was then about three miles off. She was afterwards-seen off Bame Head, and again at about 5 p.m. some ten or twelve miles distant from the Eddystone Lighthouse.

Later on, between six and seven o'clock, her lights were noticed from Falmouth ; some coloured lights were also observed.

Shortly before seven o'clock the coxswain of the Life-boat Charlotte, stationed at Porthoustock, saw a masthead light, and as it was evident to him from the posi- tion that the vessel must be in danger, he summoned the boat's crew and put off to render assistance. A moderate gale was then blowing from E.S.E., and there was a heavy sea. Proceeding in the direction of the Manacle rocks a white light was burnt, but no response was received. Shortly afterwards an over- turned boat was found, and two men who were clinging to it were rescued. Cries being then heard from beneath the boat a grapnel was thrown from the Life-boat; this caught the boat's gunwale and righted her. The dead body of a child was found in the boat, also two ladies who were still alive. One of these was taken into the Life-boat but died from exhaus- tion shortly after being landed; the other was jammed under the thwart. At once the bow-man of the Life-boat jumped into the boat, cut away the thwart by means of an axe and liberated the im- prisoned passenger. Signals were then burnt by the Life-boat denoting that further help was required. More cries being heard the boat pulled in the direc- tion they proceeded from and met a ship's Life-boat with twenty-four persons in her. The boat was much damaged and nearly full of water, and had the occupants tried to land in her they would probably have perished. They weie transferred to the Life-boat, which then made for the shore, reaching it at 10 p.m.

Having landed the rescued people the Life-boat again pat off and palled in the direction of the Manacle rocks. On this occasion the second coxswain was in the boat. He was not in her the first time, but went out in a shore-boat with other men to the scene of the casualty. They ascertained the exact position of the wreck and returned to the shore, the information they were able to afford being of great value on the second trip of the boat, and saving time which, would other- wise have been occupied in searching for the wreck. Hearing shrieks and cries the boat anchored as near to the wreck as could be done with safety. Quarter- master Juddery, one of the vessel's crew, who was in the main rigging, seeing that the boat could not approach any nearer owing to the heavy tide, swam off to the Life-boat, and taking a line swam back again to the ship; by this prompt, brave action materially helping to save the whole of the people in the rigging. The boat's anchor was then lifted and she was allowed to drop down so as to enable her to take off the rest of the people who were in the rigging and on the funnel.

The rocks all round were afterwards searched but no other persons were found, and the Life-boat men continued to burn lights at intervals until reaching the shore between four and five o'clock on the following morning. Forty-four lives were saved by the Life-boat.

An investigation into the circumstances attending this disaster was instituted by the Board of Trade, and the Court, after an exhaustive enquiry, occupying six days, were enabled to form the opinion that the cause of the vessel stranding was that a wrong course, W. by N., was steered after passing the Eddystone at 4.17 p.m. on the 14th October, and that the deplorable loss of so many lives was in consequence of the vessel taking a very sudden and serious list to port, of her going down in not more than a quarter of an hour from, the time of striking, and of there being no light to indicate her position, the electric light having gone out, and it being impossible to exhibit other lamps, as the lamp-room was inaccessible, being under water.

Only a few signals of distress could be fired from the ship, as the socket for the signal was on the port side, on which she had listed, making it very difficult to discharge them.

The captain and all the officers being drowned, the Court was utterly unable to arrive at any conclusion as to why the course was set and steered. It is worthy of notice that none of the officers were saved, proving without doubt the bravery and unselfishness displayed by the master, officers and crew.

The Court expressed their great appro- bation of the conduct of Mr. Juddery, who has since been awarded a Silver Medal by the Board of Trade, and spoke with approval of the promptness and skill of Mr. James Hill, the coxswain of the Forthoustock Lifeboat and the crew of the boat. In recognition of the ser- vices rendered on this occasion, the Institution presented its Silver Medal to Mr. Hill, together with an extra reward to him and to the crew of the boat, a further sum being awarded to the bow- man for his special services already mentioned. The thanks of the Institu- tion were also tendered to Mr. E. P. Boskruge, the Hon. Sec. of the Port- honstock Branch for his valuable co- operation.

Further, the Court found that the Institution's Life-boats at Falmouth, Cadgwith and Polpear (Lizard), were promptly launched when summoned, but failed to rescue any of the passengers and j crew, as there were no lights to indicate I the vessel's position, which caused much j loss of time in searching for her, and because before their arrival at the wreck all the survivors had been taken off by the Porthoustock Life-boat. One person j was picked up by the tug which had the | Falmouth Life-boat in tow, and others were picked up on the rocks by a coast- guard boatman.

I POET ERIN, ISLE OF MAN.—While a gale was blowing from N.W., accompanied by a high sea, on the 30th September, signals of distress •were shown by the lugger Jenny Lind, of Castletown, which while returning from the herring fishery stranded inside the breakwater in Port i Erin Bay. The crew of the Life-boat William Sugden were immediately sum- moned, the Life-boat was launched at 5 a.m. and rescued the boat's crew con- sisting of three men..