IN the last number of the Life-boat Journal (August, 1900) this sketch was taken up to 1840, when the Liverpool type of Life-boat came into use, and the improvements in that type were traced up to the present date.

About December, 1841, there was a competition for Life-boat models held at South Shields. As not much reference is to be found to this "competition," it is probably right to assume that it was almost confined to the builders and designers of the North Country type.

George Farrow, boatbuilder, South Shields, and William Greener, of- Aston New Town, Birmingham, both appear to have sent models to this competition, and also to that for the Northumberland prize in 1850, showing, in each instance, arrangements for carrying water-ballast in tanks. They eadi claimed to be the original inventors of the closed tank for water-ballast;, a point on which the committee appointed to adjudicate on the merits of the various competing Life- boats declined to offer an opinion. At any rate, it is clear that the principle of carrying water-ballast in Life-boats in enclosed tanks, in contradistinction to carrying it in bulk, as was done in the Norfolk and Suffolk Life-boats, came into vogue in the early forties, and continues to the present time.

The following describes the manner in which the above two competitors arranged for carrying water-ballast in their Life- boats :— Mr. George Farrow's model represented a North Country type Life-boat of the usual paddle-box boat form, 30 feet long by 10 feet beam, and 3£ feet depth, and for ballast she had a tank amidships- 15 inches deep, 14 feet long, extending across the boat, capable of holding 3 tons of water. This tank was divided by transverse partitions to prevent the water ranging in a seaway, with limber holes near the keel to keep up the communi- cation, and others near the platform, in case of the boat upsetting. The tank could be closed when full, and escape tubes for the air were provided.

Mr. Greener, in his model, which repre- sented a boat 37 feet long, 12 feet beam, and 2jj feet deep, carried the water-ballast in a copper trunk placed fore and aft just above the keelson, the contents of which were about 10 cwt.

The next Life-boat to attract attention is that which was known as "Messrs.Lamb & White's patent Life-boat," and now as Messrs. White's. A pamphlet published in 1870 (Gutch & Cox, 150 High Street, Southampton) has mnch useful information concerning these Life-boats. The original boats were built by Messrs. Thomas & John White, of Medina Bocks, Cowes, Isle of Wight, as far back as 1846, and up to 1848 many had been supplied to the large shipping companies to be used on board their vessels, but none for coast use. In 1848 one of this type of Life-boat was built and stationed at Cardigan, where she won golden opinions. This boat was but 27 ft. long, 8 ft. beam, and 3 ft. deep, and was replaced by one 3 ft. longer, after the following experience. Extract from a letter from George Bowan," master of the Cardigan Life-boat/' dated 15th February, 1850: "I beg to say we were visited on the 6th of this month with a tremendous storm from N.N.W., and about 10 in the morning the brig Thetis, of Limerick, 296 tons register, in a sunken condition, came on our bar. We immediately manned the boat with a picked crew and got very near the vessel, when a tremendous sea broke on the boat and overpowered us. After making several other attempts the boat was manned with a fresh crew, which again failed. Again •we got a fresh crew, but before we reached the brig she went to pieces; we, however, succeeded in saving two of the crew whom we found floating on the water. The remainder of the crew— eleven persons—were drowned." Although this letter chronicles a sad disaster, any- one experienced in Life-boat work will see that it was in no way the fault of the boat or the crews who manned her. A larger boat might possibly have done the work, and so the Cardigan men seemed to think, for they sailed their little boat to Cowes, and brought one back 3 ft.

longer, " experiencing heavy weather, the boat behaving admirably." In 1850 a White's Life-boat was placed at Broadstairs (30 ft. long), and another at Ilfracombe (32 ft. long, 8 ft. beam).

The Broadstairs Life-boat, which was named the Mary White, was, with her excellent crew, the means of saying a large number of lives, and an account— given in the above-quoted pamphlet—of a magnificent service done by her and another Broadstairs Life-boat on the same principle called the Culmer White, is well worth reading. On the occasion referred to, the two boats sared the crew, number- ing twenty-three, of the American ship Northern Belle, which was at anchor in a heavy gale on a lee shore off Kingsgate.

The crew of the second boat were partly drawn from Margate, and it is no doubt that in consequence of the experience these men had in this boat that an order was placed with Messrs. White by the watermen of Margate for a boat 32 ft.

long a few months afterwards.

In 1850 Messrs. White sent in designs and a model to compete for the Northumber- land prize; the designs are reproduced (see p. 799). Messrs. White have practically never departed from the details as shown, and although the boats have not been adopted by the Life-boat Institution as coast Life-boats (the Institution has only one under its management, namely, the Eyde Life-boat, 28 ft. long, 6 ft. 3 in. • beam), nevertheless their popularity has been so great that, in addition to their being carried by many of the great ocean steamers and innumerable private yacht?, they were adopted by the Admiralty and supplied to the royal yachts and many war-vessels; and, what is more to the point in this article, they were largely employed in the Coastguard Service.

Many have also been supplied to foreign governments. Under these circumstances, no apology is needed for quoting at considerable length the description given in the Northumberland Report and the remarks of the jurors.

Description.—The general form of this boat is that of a whale-boat; slightly rising floor amidships, sides straight in a fore and aft direction, moderate rake of stem and stern post, carvel built and copper fastened. Length extreme, 32 ft.;of keel, 27 ft.; beam, 8 ft.; depth, 3 ft.; sheer of gunwale, 12 in.; rake of stem and stern post, 6 in. in a foot; straight keel, 4 in. deep. The boat has six thwart?, 30 in. apart, 10 in. below the gunwale, and 17 in. above the flooring; pulls six oars single-banked.

Extra buoyancy is obtained by air- cases round the sides, 12 in. wide at the thwarts, and sloping off to the gunwale and floor, and in the head and stern in her, 21 in.; weight of boat and fittings, 30 cwt.

Remarks.—This boat, from her form, would pull well in all weathers, would sail fairly well, and be a good sea-boat.

Her moderate weight would make her easy to transport. The boat has much less extra buoyancy than is usually given to Life-boats, yet it is ample for all common purposes; but the air-cases being built into the sides renders them LIFEBOAT, BY MESS"-8 WHITE, COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.

SUBMITTED TO COMPETE FOR THE NORTHUMBERLAND PREMIUM .

SHEER PLAN.

PLAN.

BODY PLAN MIDSHIP SECTION.

AIR.

sheets for a length of 5 ft. up to gunwale height, the whole divided into compart- ments' and built into the boat. Effective extra buoyancy, 70 cubic ft., equal to 2 tons. No ballast. Internal capacity up to the level of the thwarts, 105 cubic ft, equivalent to 3 tons. No means of freeing the boat of water. The provision for righting the boat consists in raised air-cases at the extremes for a length of 5 ft. Draught of water with thirty men liable to be stove in approaching a wreck.

The internal capacity for holding water is not large, but the boat has no means of freeing herself except by rolling a portion of the water out over the gun- wales, a measure which is facilitated by the sloping form of the air-cases. It is not probable that a boat of this form would be upset; but should that accident occur, there is no sufficient provision for righting herself, as, owing to the smallsheer given, the raised air-cases, without any ballast or iron keel, would not effect it. The boat has rather less beam than is usual for the common purposes of a Life-boat.

The Northumberland Committee, in the body of their report, also remark as follows:—" Another class of boats offering, in form, a strong contrast to the Shields boats before mentioned, require notice, as they seem to be intended by their builders for contending with rapid tides and smoother water rather than the ordinary heavy open sea to which Life-boats are commonly exposed. Their dimensions are more those of a Deal galley, with breadth one-fourth their length; the models of Messrs. White, the well-known builders at Cowes, of Tredwen of Padstow, of Seumens & Thomas of Penzance, of Lieut.

Sharpe, K.N., of Hanwell Park, of Sparke of Exeter, and of Bromley of Sheerness, belong to this group. As a rowing-boat in moderate weather, a boat after the model of the Messrs. White would distance many of those sent in for competition, and it is known that in very heavy weather such a boat has been the means of saving life; but if the Committee have formed a right judgment as to the qualities essential in a Life- boat, it will be found on an inspection of the drawing and description that this boat is not adapted for that purpose. As a safety galley for the Coastguard service, the boat would be a great improvement upon those galleys now in use." As already shown, the Admiralty adopted' this type of boat for the Coast- guard service, and they were widely distributed round the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, so that most fishing and boating communities had good oppor- tunities of seeing their power. However, there has never been any general desire expressed or application made to the Life-boat Institution in favour of these boats being supplied for Life-boat work; and if Life-boat men take an idea into their heads, they are anything but back- ward in pressing it.

(To be continued.).