Two Life-boats, the Martha, of Cresswell, and the Edward and Eliza, of Holy Island, celebrated Harvest Festival by answering the call of vessels in distress. In both cases the crews were actually in church, and the Harvest Festival service was in progress when I the alarm was given.

Just after seven in the evening of the 21st October, during a heavy fog, flares were reported burning two miles north of the Cresswell Station. The crew were summoned from the church, which is close by the Boat-house, and, within ten minutes of the flares being seen, the Boat was launched. When she reached the wreck she found that it was a steam trawler—the C.S.D., of North Shields, which had stranded on a sand bank 200 yards from the shore.

A very heavy swell was running, and the waves were breaking right over the trawler, so that the Coxswain felt it would be too dangerous to go right alongside the wreck. He lay to lee- ward, a line'was passed to the trawler, and all her crew of eight were drawn safely to the Life-boat. Two hours after the launch she reached shore again, and the crew of the trawler, who were much exhausted, were divided among the houses of the Life-boat crew for the night.

The Committee of Management con- sidering it to be a skilful service, in circumstances requiring care and very ! good judgment, gave increased rewards, and sent a special Letter of Appreciation to the Station.

The Harvest Festival had been cele- brated at Holy Island a week be'fore.

On the 15th October, shortly after eight in the evening, when all the | people of the Island were in church, the Coast-guard came with the news that he had seen lights on the Goswick Sands, and thought a vessel had gone ashore. It was decided at once to launch the No. 2 Life-boat, and the crew were summoned from the church.

The congregation had just finished the special Harvest Festival hymn, each, verse ending with the refrain— " Thou mayest not join the reapers Upon the harvest plain, But he who helps a brother, Binds sheaves of richest grain," and the preacher had announced his text, " There go the ships," when the alarm was given. The exact position of the vessel in. distress was unknown, and in thick drizzling rain the Life-boat was drawn by the horses on a wide detour of the sands for over two miles.

The scene of the wreck was reached at 10 o'clock, and it was then found that two vessels had stranded, but that their crews had got ashore in their own boats. The two vessels were steam drifters of Stornoway, the Sure and the Result,, and they both became total wrecks. They lie on the treacherous Goswick Sands beside the remains of two other vessels, wrecked on the same ; spot..