THESE remains but one type of Life-boat to which reference is necessary to com- plete the description of those boats which are propelled either by sail or oars. The Cromer type bears so strong a resemblance to the Liverpool Life- boats that only a short account of it is desirable. The Cromer men from 1858 to 1884 had been supplied with self- righting life-boats ; in the latter year it became necessary to build a new Life- boat for the station. The Cromer fishermen resolutely refused to have another of this type and requested the Committee to build them a boat very similar to one which they used prior to 1858, and to which they were very much attached; the boat in question was 32 ft. 3 in. long, 10 ft. 6 in. beam, 3 ft. 7 in. deep, pulled twelve oars, and was not self-righting.

The boat which was built in 1884 at the crew's request was of very much the same description, but was 35 ft. long, 10 ft. beam, and pulled fourteen oars.

This boat gave the name to the type; only two others have, up to the present, been asked for and built, and these are stationed at Blakeney and Wells in Norfolk. The general features of these Life-boats can be seen from the accompanying diagrams, and further description is unnecessary. One of these Life-boats competed in the Life-boat trials held at Montrose in 1893, but found little favour—in fact was placed last by the coxswain judges, out of the seven competitors. The Liverpool type, which has been very much improved, and which is so very similar to the Cromer type, finds many adherents on the coast and consequently it is improb- able that any more Life-boats of this latter type will be built.

Steam Life-boats are of such com- paratively recent introduction, and have been so fully described in the Life-boat Journal from time to time that it is not proposed to enter exhaustively into their details on the present occasion.

The problem of designing a mechanic- ally propelled Life-boat had engaged the thoughts of the Committee of Manage- ment and Officers of the Institution for a great number of years. Reference has been made in No. 4 of this series of articles to the model of a steam life-boat submitted for competition for the Northumberland Prize by Mr. G. Remington, C.E., of Warkworth, and between that period (1850) and 1886 the subject of steam the Liverpool Exhibition, and were examined by this sub-Committee, but they were unable to recommend the adoption of any of them. The coxswains of various Life-boats were interrogated, chiefly those accustomed to work their boats in conjunction with a tug, and BODY PLAN.

MIDSHIP SECTION.

A.—The deck.

B.—Relieving valves for automatic discharge of water off the deck.

C.—Side air-cases above deck.

JE.—Wale or fender.

G.—Water-ballast tanks.

it was not until 1886 that any attempt was really made to grapple with it in earnest. The Committee of Manage- ment then appointed a sub-Committee to enquire into the practicability of applying steam to Life-boats. Various models and drawings were shown at that the system then in vogue was much better than having steam applied to the Life-boat itself. In 1887 the Committee resolved to offer a gold and a silver medal for drawings or models of a mechanically propelled Life-boat best adapted to meet the conditions underwhich Life-boats are called upon to do their work. Also a gold and a silver medal for models or drawings of a pro- pelling power suitable for self-righting boats. Competitors were given five months to prepare their designs, and at the end of that time the drawings and models were submitted to three judges chosen outside the Life-boat Institution, viz.: Sir Digby Murray, Bart., Sir Frederick Bramwell, and Mr. John I.

Thornycroft. These gentlemen reported that they had carefully considered all that was submitted to them and were of the opinion that none of the designs was suited to the requirements of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and that therefore they were unable to award the medals.

It was not until June 1888 that the Committee of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION were in a position to take practical action with regard to the subject which had received so much earnest thought and had been under discussion for so many years. In the early part of the year a model of a steam Life-boat was submitted to the Institution by Messrs. R. & H. Green, the well-known shipbuilders at Black- wall. To thoroughly adapt the pro- posed vessel to the requirements of a Life-boat it was necessary to modify the original model, and after consultations with the Committee and their pro- fessional officers a satisfactory settle- ment as to details was arrived at, and on the 14th June Messrs. R. and H. Green were instructed to build the first steam Life-boat.

The principal dimensions of this boat are: length, 50 ft.; extreme breadth, 14-3 ft.; and depth, 3 ft. Gin. The material of which she is constructed is the very best steel that could be procured, and one-third more rivets were used than is customary in torpedo- boats ; that is to say, a seam that would have been double riveted in a torpedo- boat was treble riveted in the Life- boat. The vessel is divided into fifteen compartments, and although not a self- righting boat she has modified end-boxes, and in fact it is not until she has reached an angle of 110° from the perpendicular that her stability vanishes.

The chief feature of the Life-boat is of course her method of propulsion, viz., a turbine wheel driven by engines develop- ing 170 horse-power, the steam being supplied by a water - tube boiler of Messrs. Thornycroft's design. The vessel was put through very exhaustive trials, and it was not until September 1890 that she was sent to her station at Harwich. A full description of the Duke of Northumberland, for such is her name, is to be found in the Life-boat Journal, November 1890. The accompanying illustration (page 523) will however serve as a reminder of her general appearance.

After two years' service at Harwich the Duke of Northumberland was trans- ferred, first to Holyhead and then to New Brighton, and it is interesting to note that when at Cowes on her way round, His Majesty the King (then Prince of Wales) and also H.I.M. the German Emperor visited the Life-boat and went for a run in her. In 1897 a new steam Life-boat was sent to New Brighton and the Duke of Northumber- land was transferred back to Holyhead, where she is at present, and is very much appreciated. Since her first being stationed at Harwich she is credited with having saved 127 lives, and saved or assisted to save eight vessels.

A second steam Life-boat was- ordered in June 1893, to take the place of the Duke of Northumberland at Harwich.

Some departures in the original design were made in this boat, the length was 52 ft. and beam 15 ft., and her designer (Mr. Watson) gave her a different form of bow. Her engines and boiler were likewise of a different type, and were designed by Messrs. Perm, the hull was built by Messrs. R. & H. Green. Instead of a single horizontal turbine for pro-polling the boat two vertical ones were fitted, and driven by engines indicating 200 horse-power, but the result did not come up to expectations. A description of this boat will be found in the Life- boat Journal for February 1894. She is given in the Life-boat Journal for February, 1898. In this boat the horizontal turbine was reverted to, and her lines considerably improved, so as to get a better speed than had been attained by the City of Glasgow. The STEAM LIFE-BOAT.

PROFILE.

Fig.2.

Fig.3.

DECK PLAN.

Fig.4.

BODY PLAN MIDSHIP SECTION.

A.—Cockpit.

a.—Deck.

b.—Propeller hatch.

c.—Relief valves.

JB.—Engine room.

C.—Boiler room.

was named the City of Glasgow, and was placed at Harwich in November 1894, but was* ultimately sold out of the service in 1901.

The next Steam Life-boat built was the Queen, a full description of which D.—Water-tight compartments.

E.—Coal bunkers.

F.—Capstan.

G.—Hatches to engine and boiler rooms.

H.—Cable reel.

I.—Anchor davit.

Committee decided to make the experi- ment of using liquid fuel in the Queen, and the matter engaged the attention of Messrs. Thornycroft and others, who made exhaustive trials before the boiler was placed in the boat. Much difficultywas however encountered in obtaining perfect combustion, but ultimately a fairly satisfactory system was adopted which entailed the introduction of an air- compressing engine for spraying the oil into the furnace. The results however could not be called successful, and after four years' experience it was decided to remove the liquid fuel arrangements from the Life-boat and revert to the use of coal only, the boat having been fitted so that either or both could be used. The Queen was stationed at New Brighton in October 1897, and is very popular there with her crew.

On it becoming necessary to build two more Steam Life-boats in 1898, the Committee and technical officers of the Institution decided to make a departure from the previously-employed method of propulsion. The turbine, although satisfactory in many respects, had not altogether fulfilled its promise (see description of the Steam Life-boats for Grimsby and Padstow in the Lifeboat Journal, February 1899), and it was decided that the new vessels should be propelled by a single screw fitted into a cavity formed in the vessel's structure under the cockpit, about half way between the after end of the engine room and the stern post. The position will be readily seenin the plans (page525).

The two boats, which were destined for Padstow and Grimsby, were built and engined by Messrs. J. S. White & Co., of East Cowes, and provided with water- tube boilers of Messrs. White & Foster's design. They attained a speed of a little over 9£ knots with ease, or | knot faster than the Queen. The accom- panying reproduction of a photograph shows the first of these Life-boats run- ning a trial trip on the measured mile.

A third boat of this description has been built and stationed at Harwich to take the place of the City of Glasgow, which name she also bears.

(To be continued.).