Johnshaven.

During a whole S.S.E. gale and a very heavy sea the Johnshaven Lifeboat James Marsh was called out at about 11.45 A.M., on the 21st December, to the help of the Danish schooner Fredensborg, which was in distress about five and three-quarter miles S.W.

of Johnshaven. The vessel at the time was bound from Copenhagen to Grangemouth with a cargo of scrap iron, and carried a crew of nine hands. All her canvas had been blown away, and when the Life-boat arrived she was riding to both anchors, with a trawler standing by. Four of the trawler's crew were on board the Fredensbonj, and they called to the Life-boat to come alongside. The four men were taken back to the trawler, and the Danish captain, finding that his port anchor would not hold—the starboard cable having already carried away—decided to cut the port cable and let his vessel go ashore, as he felt it would be less risk to ground with no cable than to drag ashore.

As soon as the four men had been placed on their vessel the Life - boat I'eturned to the schooner, and with considerable difficulty, owing to the heavy seas running, succeeded in taking off the nine men on board. A courseCoxswain was then set to return to harbour.

The entrance to it is at any time dangerous. A reef of rocks runs for about two or three hundred yards on each side of the entrance channel, and the breadth of this channel is only about thirty feet at the widest part. It was, at this time, low water with a heavy confused sea breaking over the rocks, and as the Life-boat was rounding up to enter the channel a huge sea struck her on the starboard quarter, and she heeled over so far that all hands were thrown into the water. The Boat righted herself at once. Some of the men. managed to hold on to the lines and scrambled back into her, while the remainder struck out for the shore, which was quite close. A few minutes later the Boat was thrown on to the beach to the northward of the harbour.

The men who swam ashore were helped by onlookers from the beach, but James McBay, although he was a very strong swimmer, succumbed, and all efforts to restore him failed, and two of the crew of the schooner were not seen again.

At the inquiry which was held it was stated that the Life-boat behaved magnificently, that the accident was not due to any defect in the Boat's gear, and that the crew showed great courage, returning to save others in the water when they had themselves been rescued.

After their severe and exhausting experience they were unable to carry out their ordinary duties for several days.

The Life-boat herself was considerably damaged when she was thrown on shore, and was sent to London for complete overhaul and repair, a Reserve Lifeboat being sent to the Station.

It was decided to present the Coxswain with the Thanks of the Committee inscribed on Vellum, and to give each member of the crew an extra monetary reward, in addition to the double reward under the Institution's scale, which each had already received. John McBay, who lost his life, had been connected with the Life-boat Service for fifteen years, had served in the war, and been taken a prisoner. The Committee decided to give her a pension according to the Institution's scale, plus a bonus of 50 per cent, on account of the present high cost of living..