Soon after mid- night on the 24th-25th February the coastguard at Portland Bill telephoned that a vessel was burning flares about three- and a half miles south-west of the Bill. A moderate S.S.E. gale was blowing, a heavy sea was running, and it was snowing. The motor life-boat William and Clara Ryland was launched at 1 A.M., and found the s.s. Engineer, of Newcastle, at anchor about two hundred yards off Chesil Beach. She was bound with a cargo of stone from Newlyn to London, but had fouled her propeller and become unmanageable.

She carried a crew of eight. The life- boat stood by her and at 7 A.M. an Admiralty tug and two H.M. ships arrived and towed the Engineer into Portland. The life-boat arrived back at her station at 2.30 P.M., having been on service for over thirteen hours.— Rewards, £19 18s..