AMONG the numerous models sent in for competition for the Northumberland Prize in 1850 there were no less than twenty-one varieties of Life-rafts, some supported by one cylinder, but more by two; some by closed canoes; some by a boat divided lengthways and con- nected together by a grating; some made of wood, some of iron, and others of gutta-percha; but out of this number only one has survived as one of the types of Life-boats used by the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and that is the Tubular Life-boat, the model of which was submitted by Messrs. Richardson, of Aber Hirnant, Bala, North "Wales. Only one of this type is at present in use, and that one is at Rhyl, which place ever since 1856 has favoured this particular description of Life-boat.

Beyond giving Messrs. Richardson's name and the dimensions of the pro- posed Life-raft, the Northumberland Report makes no further allusion to it; but it gives an account of a somewhat similar Life-boat or raft, a model of which was submitted by Messrs. "Russell & Oswald, of Douglas, Isle of Man.

It appears that in 1850 a life-raft of this description was in actual use at Douglas and was reported favourably on by the pilots and others. It was in the form of two closed canoes placed parallel to each other at 3 ft. apart and connected by an open platform. The extreme length was 30 ft., and the platform 15 ft.; each canoe was 3 ft.

broad, and the total breadth of the vessel was 8 feet, depth 2 ft. She ' had five thwarts 10 in. below the gun- [ wale and 14 in. above the platform, pulled 10 oars, was fitted with a fender made of rushes, and had a ridge-rope with stanchions 24 in. high. Each canoe was divided into ten compart- ments. There was no ballast; she 1 weighed with her gear 18 cwt. and had a draught of 18 in.

The inventors of the tubular Life- boat—or perhaps it would be better to say the adapters of the pontoon system to a Life-boat — were two military ! officers, father and son, viz., Mr. Henry Richardson (formerly a lieutenant in the 67th Regiment, also 2nd Dragoon Guards), and Mr. Henry Thomas Richardson (formerly . a lieutenant in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards).

In a letter to the Manchester Courier dated 22nd January, 1852, Mr. H.

Richardson mentioned that he first invented this description of boat at Weymouth; he had in his possession one built twenty years before the date of his letter. The award of the North- umberland Prize was not to their minds satisfactory, and the Messrs. Richardson set to work to build a Life-boat on their own principle, which boat was afterwards sold to the Portuguese Government and stationed at Oporto.

The accidents to the Lytham and Rhyl Life-boats (referred to in No. 4 of these articles) brought forth a challenge to all the Life-boats in the kingdom to compete with the Tubular Life-boat, and sub- sequently a somewhat bitter newspaper correspondence took place between Messrs. Richardson and Mr. Beeching, the winner of the Northumberland prize, Messrs. Richardson attacking the self- righting principle in very strong terms.

These gentlemen were actuated wholly by a public spirit, and anxious that the Life-boat men should have the best boat to risk their lives in; and so convinced were they of the advantages of their system, that they had a tubular Life- boat constructed by Mr. William Lees, of Manchester, and navigated her from Liverpool to London. She consisted of two iron tubes,40ft. long, 2£ft. diameter, placed side by side at a distance of 3 ft.

apart, the ends tapered, curved and turned inwards so as to meet at head and stern. The tubes were divided into watertight compartments, and well stayed and braced together so as to form a «gid vessel. On the top narrow beams were laid athwartships, and battens about 1 in. apart laid length- ways (to allow the water to pass through them), and thus a platform was made 30 feet long. The head and stern sheets had a rope net-work, to prevent any of the crew or ropes and gear from being washed out. Above the platform, sides 8 in. high extended fore and aft, on which the thwarts were placed, and again above these was a gunwale 12 in. high, in which the rowlocks were placed. The width of the platform was 6 ft. 8 in., and the total beam 8 ft.

The weight of the boat was 55 cwt., and load draught only 11 in. The thickness of the iron plating was - th in.

The four end compartments were fitted with air-tight bladders, and the two middle ones with cork shavings.

An account of the voyage from Liver- pool to London was written by the indefatigable designer and called " The cruise of the Challenger Life-boat," pub- lished by William Pickering, London, 1853, and dedicated to the Life-boatmen of Great Britain and Ireland. The tubular Life-boat seems to have given great satisfaction to her designers and their crew, and the narrative is worth reading, if only for its humour. The designer's wishes, viz., to have a trial with the Ramsgate Life-boat, which was the Northumberland Prize boat, built by Messrs. Beaching,were never gratified, for Messrs. Beeching had sold their Life-boat to the Ramsgate Dock Trustees, who would not undertake the responsi- bilities of the trial.

Life-boats of this type have never come into general use on the coast, although every opportunity has been given the Life-boat men to see them, and latterly the deputations of Life- boat's crews which are allowed to visit the various types of Life-boats before deciding as to the description of boat they wish to replace their old one, have with one exception, namely, Ray], chosen others.

When the New Brighton Life-boat Station was established in 1863 the men expressed a wish to be supplied with a tubular Life-boat, and one of 42 ft. long,pulling 14 oars, was accordingly built for them by Mr. Hamilton, of the Windsor Ironworks at Liverpool. This station remained faithful to this class of boat until 1898, when their tubular Life-boat was, at their own request, replaced by a sailing one designed by Mr. G. L. Watson.

The New Brighton Life-boat men had taken off the wrecked vessel which the Harbour Board Life-boat had gone to ' succour.

! At the competitive trials of sailing Life-boats which took place at Lowestoft in 1892, the New Brighton tubular i Life-boat was a participant; her dimen- | sions were 43 ft. long, 12 ft. 6 in. broad, and she weighed about 8 tons. She TUBULAR LIFEBOAT.

PLAN.

Fig.4.

MIDSHIP SECTION.

A.—Deck.

E.—Wale or fender.

H.—Drop-keel.

performed many gallant services in their tubular- boat, notably one •. when the Liverpool Harbour Board Life-boat (also a tubular) capsized on the 27th September, 1875, on which occasion the New Brighton Life-boat rescued the survivors, 19 in all, while 12 perished, three of whom were Life- boat men, and the remainder, those was found to be quite unsuitable for launching off an open exposed beach, and after the first attempt had to be moored afloat in Lowestoft Harbour.

However, she proved herself a very good, steady and stable boat in the breakers on the outlying sands, but as she was entirely dependent on a tug to get her to windward, she was quite out-classed by the other competitors. At Montrose, where the competitive trials of pulling Life-boats were held in 1893, the tubular type was also represented, and made a far better impression than in the previous year. The boat employed was 35ft. 6in. long, 10 ft. beam, weighing 5 tons 3 cwt., and was mounted on a transporting carriage. She was found to pull off the beach against a heavy surf quite as well as the other Life-boats •—in fact, it was claimed on one occasion when none of the Life-boats were successful in pulling out to sea, that the tubular boat got further than the others.

Out of the seven competing Life-boats this boat was placed third in order of merit by the judges. In spite of the good opinions of the judges this descrip- tion of Life-boat has, as before stated, not gained popularity with the Life-boat men. Very possibly the great departure from the recognised form of a boat may be the chief objection, and certainly the undoubted exposure to which the crew is subjected acts adversely to the type.

The transporting carriage for these Life-boats has to be of a special pattern so that the boat may rest on the two keels, one of which is under the centre of each tube, as they are not provided with a keel amidships, and although the carriage is as easy to launch off as those for the other Life-boats, it is by no means so easy to replace the boat on it after she has returned to shore.

On page 267 is shown the profile, plan, and midship section of the Tubular Life- boat built by the Thames Ironworks Co.

from the Institution's specification and plans in 1896, and now stationed at Rhyl. In general appearance she hardly differs from the original Tubular Life- boats designed by Messrs. Richardson, but is built of wood instead of iron or steel. The chief dimensions are as follows :—Length, 34 ft.; breadth, 8 ft.

10 in.; greatest diameter of tubes, 2ft.

9i in.; depth amidships, 4 ft. 4 in.; weight, 1 ton 18 cwt. This Life-boat pulls 12 oars double banked, is fitted with 2 masts, and carries 2 standing lugs and a jib. With the crew and all gear in her, her extreme draught is only 1 ft. 7£ in.

Each of the tubes is divided into 10 watertight compartments, and the skin plank is J in. mahogany, carvel built, with ribands or strips of Honduras mahogany, If in. X J in., covering the plank edges.

The deck, which is in reality an open grating, is also of Honduras mahogany battens, 1 in. wide and 2 in. deep, with a space of 1 in. between each batten.

It will easily be recognised that with a so-called deck of this description no water shipped can possibly remain in the boat, especially as the deck is 11 in.

above the water. The tubes are con- nected at each end, and to obtain the necessary rigidity they are tied together by iron rod stays below water (repre- sented by the line below the deck shown in Fig. 4, midship section), one under each thwart and one at the third bulk- head from forward, making 7 in all.

There is no doubt that this type of Life-boat possesses lateral stability to a very great degree, and with the light weight and light draught of the Rhyl life-boat a very efficient boat is obtained, and much good service has been done at that station. It will also be easily seen that the defects of such a boat must be that she cannot work to windward under sail, and that the crew have not anything like the same protection as. is afforded them in the other types of Life-boats.