THE LIFE-BOAT AND ITS HISTORY. 



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about a quarter of a mile off of this place, was on the sudden knocked down and lay 

 upon the place till some people came by and brought him home; and he is not yet quite 

 recovered/' An earthquake is also said to have followed the great storm. 



Enough has now been written to show how universal were the effects of this terrible 

 gale. The details, as recorded by Defoe and others, would fill several chapters like the 

 present. The author of " llobiuson Crusoe " puts, as we have seen, the loss of life partly 

 on laud but principally by sea, at 8,000, but a French authority places it at the enormous 

 number of 30,000 ! It can well be believed that a large proportion of the casualties were 

 never reported or recorded. 



GREATHEAD S LIFE-BOAT. 



CHAPTER XV. 



" MAN THE LIFE-BOAT ! " 



The Englishman's direct interest in the Sea The History of the Life-boat and its Work Its Origin A Coach-builder the 

 First Inventor -Lionel Lukin's Boat Royal Encouragement Wreck of the Adventure The Poor Crew Drowned in 

 Sight of Thousands Good out of Evil The South Shields Committee and their Prize Boat Wouldhave and Greathead 

 The latter Rewarded by Government, &c. Slow Progress of the Life-boat Movement The Old Boat at Redcar 

 Organisation of the National Life-boat Institution Sir William Hillary's Brave Deeds -Terrible Losses at the Isle of 

 Man Loss of Three Life-boats Reorganisation of the Society Immense Competition for a Prize Beeching's "Self- 

 righting" Boats Buoyancy and Ballast Dangers of the Service A Year's Wrecks. 



THE history of the life-boat is one that concerns every Englishman. In this isle of the 

 sea, our own beloved Britain, our sympathies are constantly excited on behalf of those who 

 suffer from shipwreck. It would not be too much to say that one-half the population of 

 the United Kingdom have some direct interest in this matter. Let us not be misunderstood. 

 Pecuniary interests in shipping are held here more largely than in any other country, but 

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