history of the lifeboat.
we pause at this point in our story, good reader, to treat you to a little of what mankind is prone to consider “dry,” namely, a chapter of information and statistics. we dislike sailing under false colours, therefore we warn you at the outset of the nature of what is to follow.
and yet our subject ought not to be considered dry, for it is indissolubly connected with salt water, and if human hearts were suitably affected by the simple statement of facts, drops of salt water would frequently moisten these pages!
please, do not skip. multum in parvo shall be our motto.
lionel lukin, a coach-builder in london, was the inventor of the lifeboat. he took out a patent for it on the 2nd november, 1785, and wrote a pamphlet on lifeboats, entitled “the invention, principles, and construction of insubmergible boats.” his boat was rendered buoyant by means of a projecting gunwale of cork, and hollow air-cases within it; one of these being at the head, the other at the stern. it was ballasted by means of a false iron keel. in these respects this boat possessed, in rudimentary form, the essentials of the lifeboat of the present day. a coble was converted into a lifeboat on these principles by lukin, and launched at bamborough, where, in the course of the first year, it was the means of saving many lives. this was the first lifeboat ever brought into action.
lukin, though a man of energy and perseverance, was doomed to disappointment. the prince of wales (george the fourth), to his credit be it said, was his warm and liberal patron, but even the prince’s influence failed to awaken the sympathy of the public, or of the men in high places who alone could bring this great invention into general use. people in those days appeared to think that the annual drowning of thousands of their countrymen was an unavoidable necessity,—the price we had to pay, as it were, for our maritime prosperity. lukin appealed in vain to the first lord of the admiralty, and to many other influential men, but a deaf ear was invariably turned to him. with the exception of the bamborough coble, not a single lifeboat was placed at any of the dangerous localities on the east coast of england for several years. wrecked men and women and children were (as far as the naval boards were concerned) graciously permitted to swim ashore if they could, or to go to the bottom if they couldn’t! ultimately, the inventor of the lifeboat went to his grave unrewarded and unacknowledged—at least by the nation; though the lives saved through his invention were undoubtedly a reward beyond all price. the high honour of having constructed and set in motion a species of boat which has saved hundreds and thousands of human lives, and perchance prevented the breaking of many human hearts, is certainly due to lionel lukin.
in 1789, the public were roused from their state of apathy in regard to shipwrecked seamen by the wreck of the “adventure” of newcastle, the crew of which perished in the presence of thousands who could do nothing to save them. under the excitement of this disaster the inhabitants of south shields met to deplore and to consult. a committee was appointed, and premiums were offered for the best models of lifeboats. men came forward, and two stood pre-eminent—mr william wouldhave, a painter, and mr henry greathead, a boat-builder, of south shields. the former seems to have been the first who had a glimmering idea of the self-righting principle, but he never brought it to anything. cork was the buoyant principle in his boat. greathead suggested a curved keel. the chairman of the committee modelled a boat in clay which combined several of the good qualities of each, and this was given to greathead as the type of the boat he was to build.
from this time forward lifeboats gradually multiplied. greathead became a noted improver and builder of them. he was handsomely rewarded for his useful labours by government and others, and his name became so intimately and deservedly associated with the lifeboat, that people erroneously gave him the credit of being its inventor.
the duke of northumberland took a deep interest in the subject of lifeboats, and expended money liberally in constructing and supporting them. before the close of 1863, greathead had built 31 boats, 18 for england, 5 for scotland, and 8 for foreign countries. this was so far well; but it was a wretchedly inadequate provision for the necessities of the case. interest had indeed been awakened in the public, but the public cannot act as a united body; and the trinity house seemed to fall back into the sleep from which it had been partially aroused.
it was not till 1822 that the great (because successful) champion of the lifeboat stood forth,—in the person of sir william hillary, baronet.
sir william, besides being a philanthropist, was a hero! he not only devised liberal things, and carried them into execution, but he personally shared in the danger of rescuing life from the raging sea. our space forbids a memoir, but this much may be said briefly. he dwelt on the coast of the isle of man, and established a sailors’ home at douglas. he constantly witnessed the horrors of shipwreck, and seemed to make it his favourite occupation to act as one of the crew of boats that put off to wrecks. he was of course frequently in imminent danger; once had his ribs broken, and was nearly drowned oftentimes. during his career he personally assisted in saving 305 lives! he was the means of stirring up public men, and the nation generally, to a higher sense of their duty to those who risk their lives upon the sea; and eventually—in conjunction with two members of parliament, mr thomas wilson and mr george hibbert—was the founder of “the royal national institution for the preservation of life from shipwreck.”
this noble institution—now named the royal national lifeboat institution—was founded on the 4th of march, 1824. from that date to the present time it has unremittingly carried out the great ends for which it was instituted.
let us glance at these in detail, as given in their publication, the lifeboat journal.
the objects of the institution are effected—
“1st, by the stationing of lifeboats, fully equipped, with all necessary gear and means of security to those who man them, and with transporting carriages on which they can be drawn by land to the neighbourhood of distant wrecks, and by the erection of suitable houses in which the same are kept.
“2nd, by the appointment of paid coxswains, who have charge of, and are held responsible for, the good order and efficiency of the boats, and by a quarterly exercise of the crew of each boat.
“3rd, by a liberal remuneration of all those who risk their lives in going to the aid of wrecked persons, whether in lifeboats or otherwise; and by the rewarding with the gold or silver medal of the institution such persons as encounter great personal risk in the saving of life.
“4th, by the superintendence of an honorary committee of residents in each locality, who, on their part, undertake to collect locally what amount they are able of donations towards the first cost, and of annual contributions towards the permanent expenses of their several establishments.”
in order to see how this work is, and has been, carried out, let us look at the results, as stated in the last annual report, that for 1864.
the lifeboats of the institution now number 132, and some of them were the means of saving no fewer than 417 lives during the past year; nearly the whole of them in dangerous circumstances, amidst high surfs, when no other description of boats could have been launched with safety. they also took into port, or materially assisted, 17 vessels, which might otherwise have been lost. the number of persons afloat in the boats on occasions of their being launched was 6,000. in other words, our army of coast-heroes amounts, apparently, to that number. but in reality it is much larger, for there are hundreds of willing volunteers all round the coast ready to man lifeboats, if there were lifeboats to man. although nearly every man of this 6000 risked his life again and again during the year, not a single life was lost.
nearly all these boats have been supplied with transporting carriages and boat-houses by the institution. the cost in detail is as follows:—
lifeboat and her equipments 300 pounds
transporting carriage 100 pounds
boat-house (average cost) 150 pounds
total 550 pounds
the sums granted last year for the saving of 714 lives by lifeboats, shore-boats, etcetera, amounted to nearly 1,300 pounds (about 1 pound 16 shillings 6 pence each life!) fifteen silver medals and twenty-six votes of thanks, inscribed on vellum and parchment, were also awarded for acts of extraordinary gallantry.
the income of the institution in 1863 amounted to 21,100 pounds. fifteen new lifeboats were sent to various parts of the coast in that year.
it is interesting to observe in the report the persons by whom donations are sometimes given to the institution. we read of “100 pounds from a sailor’s daughter”; and “100 pounds as a thank-offering for preservation at sea, during the storm of 31st october last.” another thank-offering of 20 pounds, “for preservation from imminent danger at sea,” appears in the list. “100 pounds from ‘a friend,’ in gratitude to god for the preservation of his wife for another year”; and “20 pounds from a seaman’s daughter, the produce of her needle-work.” among smaller sums we find 1 pound, 6 shillings, 9 pence collected in a sunday school; 3 pounds, 18 shillings, 8 pence collected in a parish church, as a new year’s offering. last, and least in one sense, though by no means least in another, 1 shilling, 6 pence in stamps, from a sailor’s orphan child!
the prayer naturally springs to one’s lips, god bless that dear orphan child! but it has been already blessed with two of god’s choicest gifts,—a sympathetic heart and an open hand.
small sums like this are not in any sense to be despised. if the population of london alone—taking it at two millions—were individually to contribute 1 shilling, 6 pence, the sum would amount to 150,000 pounds! why, if everyone whose eye falls on this page—to descend to smaller numbers—were to give a shilling, it is not improbable that a sum would be raised sufficient to establish two lifeboats! (see note 1.)
but there are those who, besides being blessed with generous hearts, are fortunate in possessing heavy purses. we find in the same report donations of from two hundred to two thousand pounds, and legacies ranging from ten to a thousand pounds. the largest legacy that seems ever to have been bequeathed to the institution was that of 10,000 pounds, left in 1856 by captain hamilton fitzgerald, r.n., one of the vice-presidents of the society.
the mere mention of such sums may induce some to imagine that the coffers of the institution are in a very flourishing state. this would indeed be the case if the society had reached its culminating point—if everything were done that can be done for the preservation of life from shipwreck; but this is by no means the case. it must be borne in mind that the institution is national. the entire coasts of the united kingdom are its field of operations, and the drain upon its resources is apparently quite equal to its income. its chief means of support are voluntary contributions.
since the society was instituted, in 1824, to the present time, it has been the means of saving 13,570 lives!—many, if not most, of these being lives of the utmost consequence to the commerce and defence of the country. during the same period, it has granted 82 gold medals, 736 silver medals, and 17,830 pounds in cash; besides expending 82,550 pounds on boats, carriages, and boat-houses.
considering, then, the magnitude and unavoidable costliness of the operations of this institution, it is evident that a large annual income is indispensable, if it is to continue its noble career efficiently.
closely allied to this is another society which merits brief notice here. it is the “shipwrecked fishermen’s and mariners’ royal benevolent society.” originally this society, which was instituted in 1839, maintained lifeboats on various parts of the coast. it eventually, however, made these over to the lifeboat institution, and confined itself to its own special and truly philanthropic work, which is—
to board, lodge, and convey to their homes, all destitute, shipwrecked persons, to whatever country they may belong, through the instrumentality of its agents. to afford temporary assistance to the widows, parents, and children of all mariners and fishermen who may have been drowned, and who were members of the society; and to give a gratuity to mariners and fishermen, who are members, for the loss or damage of their clothes or boats. membership is obtained by an annual subscription of three shillings.
assuredly every mariner and fisherman in the kingdom ought to be a member of this society, for it is pre-eminently useful, and no one can tell when he may require its assistance.
the lifeboat institution and the shipwrecked fishermen’s and mariners’ society are distinct bodies, but they do their benevolent work in harmonious concert. the one saves life, or tries to save it; the other cherishes the life so saved, or comforts and affords timely aid to broken-hearted mourners for the dead.
both institutions are national blessings, and as such have the strongest possible claim on the sympathies of the nation.
note 1. in case any reader should sympathise with us, and desire to act on the above hint, we subjoin the following address, to which money may be sent: the secretary of the royal national lifeboat institution, 22 charing cross road, london, w.
