ON IIFE BOAT9. 21 



any projecting part of the wreck, the whole length would 

 fill with water. Besides, they do not open at top like mine, 

 nor, if they did, are they large enough to afford cabin room. 

 Cork, if used in sufficient quantity to be serviceable, occu- 

 pies considerable space, and likewise affords no room. The 

 iron keel, though safe for sailing, is a very great incum- 

 brance in rowing, particularly against a high wind and heavy 

 sea, so that the boat could not move very fast. My boat, 

 being large and wide, could never be upset, unless the men 

 did it purposely; yet would answer briskly and steadily to 

 the oars. 



I now come to the Shields boat, improperly called Great- Shields, or 

 head's. This is sharp at both ends, like the funny-boats 5 ^ t atheads 

 about Westminster bridge, to row with either end foremost. 

 The wings are of cork, of which there are two layers, or 

 belts, on each side, one without the gunwale, the other 

 within. The history of the Shield's boat in brief is this. 

 Some gentlemen of Shields, seeing the frequent occurrence 

 of the dreadful accident of shipwreck, offered a premium of 

 two guineas to the person, who should produce the best mo- 

 del of a life^boat ; and a committee was appointed, to exa- 

 mine and decide on the models. 



A painter of Newcastle, of the name of Wouldhave, made Wouldhave's 

 a model of copper, sharp and high at both ends, and belted inTenti <> n « 

 with cork. This, being tried in a tub of water, would not 

 sink when full ; and when upset, it righted again. 



Mr. Greathead, a shipbuilder of Shields, gave in a model Greathead's, 

 of a boat he had seen in America, in shape much resembling 

 a butcher's tray. This had a singular property for a life 

 boat , it soon upset, and they could not get it back again, 

 but it whold keep its bottom uppermost. 



The committee however rejected Wouldhave's, because 

 copper would not swim ; and gave the prize to Greathead, 

 because his model was made of wood. Two gentlemen of 

 the committee went into a brickmaker's, moulded a model 

 in clay, nearly the same shape as Wouldhave's, and floated 

 with cork like his, and gave orders to Greathead to build a 

 boat from this model. Greathead suggested a curved keel 

 jnstead of a straight one, which was adopted. Thus his 



claim 



