SILVER MEDAL SERVICE AT THE HUMBER OCT. 10TH.- THE HUMBER, YORKSHIRE. At 4.20 in the morning the watchman saw a vessel heading for the beach. He gave the alarm and the motor life-boat City of Bradford II was launched at 4.55. A gale had been blowing. It had dropped to a fresh wind, from the south-south-west, but it had left a very heavy sea running.

Twenty minutes after she launched the life-boat found the steam trawler Saltaire, of Grimsby, aground on the Inner Binks. She was rolling, her gunwales right under, and the seas were breaking over her. The trawler was lying head off shore, so the coxswain anchored to windward, and dropped down on his cable. By the light of his searchlight, he came alongside and held the lifeboat there while the nine men of the trawler’s crew jumped aboard. One of the men fell between the trawler and the life-boat, but he was pulled aboard before the seas had flung them together again. At 6.30 the rescued men were landed.IN PERIL A SECOND TIME At low water it was possible to walk out to the Saltaire, and by now the wind had dropped. Her crew, with the owner’s agent, returned to her, and a wire was run out, to seaward for a tug to pick up. It was hoped to tow her off at high tide, but as the tide rose the wind went round to the eastward and freshened. The sea got up rapidly and the Saltaire was swung broadside on to the seas and fell over to seaward. She lay at an angle of 40 degrees, with seas breaking right over her. Her crew took shelter in the wheelhouse. The life-boat crew had been watching and they launched at once. It was then two in the afternoon.

There was not enough water between the Saltaire and the shore for the lifeboat to get to leeward of her, and on the windward side it was impossible to approach because, lying at an angle as she was, her masts were in the way.

The only way to rescue her crew was to haul them through the water in a breeches buoy. The coxswain anchored to windward ; paid out a little cable ; made fast another rope to the cable from the starboard quarter ; and then, by going ahead and astern on his engines, he kept the ropes taut and held life-boat steady while a line was fired over the wreck. Ropes, a tail block and a lifebuoy from the life-boat were then hauled across by the trawler’s crew, but they had very great. difficulty in finding a point sufficiently high for fastening the block.

A DIFFICULT RESCUE In the end, with the seas breaking over them, they succeeded in making it fast to the top of the wheelhouse.

Then came another great. difficulty, to get into the buoy with the deck at so sharp an angle and seas smashing over it,. Three of the men had succeeded, and had been hauled through the surf to the life-boat, when some nets and other gear were washed out of the trawler and fouled the ropes and buoy. Another line had to be fired ; another block sent. over to the wreck and made fast ; then the work of rescue began again, and another fourmen were hauled into the life-boat.

Three were still on the wreck.

It was now over an hour since the life-boat had anchored. The strong flood tide, the wind blowing across the tide, the shallow water, the heavy seas -all this had made it. extraordinarily difficult to keep the life-boat. close enough to the wreck for the buoy. to be drawn backwards and forwards, and at the same time to prevent the life-boat. from being flung on to her.

At times they were thirty yards apart, at times nearly touching. But the coxswain was most skilful in handling the life-boat, and his crew most skilful in working the buoy through the breaking seas, and hauling the rescued men aboard. It was the proof of their skill that not one of the seven men was hurt. But the other three, who for over an hour had watched their comrades being hauled through the seas, could not face it themselves.

They preferred to be rescued from the shore, and a party of soldiers hauled them through the surf. Two of them were badly hurt. At 3.30 the life-boat left the wreck and twenty minutes later was landing the rescued men.

The Institution made the following awards : To COXSWAIN ROBERT CROSS, a second clasp to his silver medal for gallantry, a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum, and £5 ; To JOHN S. MAJOR, the motormechanic, the bronze medal for gallantry, a copy of the vote inscribed on vellum, and £5 ; To each of the other six members of the crew, SECOND-COXSWAIN WILLIAM R. JENKINSON, WILLIAM J. T. HOOD, bowman, SAMUEL CROSS, assistant motor-mechanic, SAMUEL F. HOOPELL, GEORGE F. HOOPER and WALTER BIGLIN, the thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum, and £5. Permanent paid crew : Standard rewards, £1 7s. ; special rewards £40 ; total rewards, £41 7s..