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 November last. On the 23rd of that month the former boat, named William Erie, inmemory 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 message having been received from Studland stating that a vessel was in a critical condition in that Bay between the Old | Harry Bocks 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 attendance 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 Lifeboat 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 went out a third time in response to a 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 Bournemouth, 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 requested 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 following morning the Poole boat went out again, making her fifth launch in three days, and passed a hawser to the steamtug, which then took the barque to Southampton, the Life-boat towing astern in case of need..