620 



BOAT. 



I jfe Boat, proved of infinitely greater utility, in this island at 

 *"~"V ' least, is a vessel of a particular construction, called 

 the Life Boat. 



It is well known, and has long been familiar to 

 seamen, that some vessels of a certain form are better 

 adapted either to keep the sea, to resist the violence 

 of storms, or the pressure of ice ; and it has repeat- 

 edly been found, that- where others sunk, or were 

 overset, the accident was partly owing to then- 

 structure. Examples are commonly given of the 

 Deal boats, and those employed at Madras, of the 

 construction which is best suited to come through 

 the heavy surf beating on an extensive shore ; and in 

 different places, the nature of the service to be per- 

 formed is studied in the structure of the vessel. The 

 wonderful voyages accomplished in open boats, such 

 as those of the Centaur man of war, the Bounty store- 

 ship, and the Pandora frigate, proved that safety did 

 not invariably depend on the size of a vessel ; and it 

 was thence conceived, that a boat sufficient to extri- 

 cate shipwrecked mariners from perilous situations, 

 might be navigated by an adventurous crew. But the 

 more immediate origin of the life boat, which we are 

 about to describe, resulted from a dreadful shipwreck 

 in September 1789- A vessel struck on the Herd sands 

 of Tynemouth during a storm ; though within 300 

 yards of the shore, and notwithstanding high rewards 

 were offered, the imminent danger deterred every sea- 

 man from going to her relief, and the unfortunate 

 crew dropped one after another from the shrouds in- 

 to the waves in sight of thousands of spectators. 

 Deeply impressed by this melancholy catastrophe, 

 the gentlemen of South Shields immediately formed 

 themselves into a committee, and offered a premium 

 to any one who should invent a life boat, on such a 

 construction as would be beneficial in situations of 

 danger. Different models were accordingly framed, 

 which were submitted to the committee ; and after 

 due consideration, one invented by Mr Henry Great- 

 head of South Shields received the preference. A 

 boat was soon built on the plan of this model, which 

 first made an attempt in January 1790, that proved 

 completely successful; and 6ince that period thou- 

 sands of useful lives have been preserved, both in this 

 kingdom and abroad, by others of a similar construc- 

 tion. 



This is not the only life boat that has been propo- 

 sed, nor can we affirm that it is not susceptible of es- 

 sential improvements ; yet, having met with more ge- 

 neral approbation, and having been more frequently 

 put to practical use, we shall treat of it in preference 

 to others. 



The inventor's attention was originally attracted to 

 the principle on which the life boat is constructed, 

 by observing, as he himself expresses it, " that each 

 part of a spheroid divided into quarters, nearly re- 

 sembles a wooden bowl having projecting ends. If 

 this be thrown into the sea, or broken waters, it can- 

 not be upset, or lie with the bottom upwards." With 

 these remarks in view, Mr Greathead formed his life 

 boat, the keel being a curved beam, and both the 

 stem and stern raking towards each other. 



The size of the life boat is arbitrary, depending on 

 the different service it has to perform ; and if certain 

 definite dimensions, such as we are about to describe, 



be adopted, it is from conceiving them sufficient for Life B *- 

 the intended purpose, and not by a comparison of * 



the advantages attending life boats of various sizes. 

 The life boat is thirty feet in length, ten in breadth, 

 and in depth, from the top of the gunwale to the 

 lower part of the keel in midships, three feet four 

 inches, from the gunwale to the platform within 

 two feet four inches, from the top of the sterns to 

 the bottom of the keel five feet nine inches. Both 

 ends of the boat are alike, the sterns being segments 

 of a circle, with a considerable rake towards each 

 other. The keel consists of a beam three inches 

 thick, of a proportionate breadth in midships, nar- 

 rowing gradually towards the ends to the breadth of 

 the sterns at the bottom, and bending with a great 

 convexity downward. The bottom section to the 

 floor heads is a curve fore and aft with the sweep of 

 the keel ; the floor timber has a small rise, curving 

 from the keel to the floor heads ; a bilge plank rs 

 wrought in on each side next the floor heads, with 

 a double rabbit or groove of the same thickness as 

 the keel ; on the outside of this are fixed two bilge 

 trees, nearly corresponding with the level of the 

 keel. The ends of the bottom section resemble the 

 lower part of a kind of fishing boat which in Scot- 

 land is called a coble ; from whence to the top of 

 the stern it becomes more elliptical, and forms a 

 considerable projection. The sides, from the floor 

 heads to the top of the gunwale, flaunch off on each 

 side, in proportion to about half the breadth of the 

 floor. The breadth continues far forward towards 

 the ends, leaving a sufficient length of straight side at 

 the top. The sheer is regular along the straight 

 side, and more elevated towards the ends ; the gun- 

 wale, fixed on the outside, is three inches thick. 

 From the under part of the gunwale, extending 

 21 feet 6 inches along the whole length of the regu- 

 lar sheer, the sides are cased with layers of cork, 

 sixteen inches downward, and four inches thick ; 

 whence the casing projects a little without the gun- 

 wale at the top. The boat is fastened with copper 

 nails, and the cork on the outside secured with thin 

 plates or slips of copper. There are five 6eats, or 

 thwarts, double banked, therefore the boat may be 

 rowed with ten oars, and these thwarts are firmly 

 stanchioned. The oars are short, and made of fir of 

 the best quality, which is preferable to any other 

 wood ; for experience has proved, that an ash oar, 

 dressed clean and light, is too flexible among break- 

 ers, and if strong and heavy the rower becomes soon 

 exhausted. The oars are slung over an iron thole, 

 provided with a grommet, which enables the rowers, 

 merely by facing about, to row either way without 

 turning the boat ; a circumstance of infinite import- 

 ance in broken water. The boat is steered by an 

 oar at each end, one-third longer than the rowing 

 oars ; and, for the convenience of the steersman, a 

 platform within, at the bottom of the boat, is hori- 

 zontal the length of the midships, and elevated at 

 the ends. From the under part of the thwarts down 

 to the platform, the inside of the boat is cased with 

 cork ; on the quantity of which, indeed, the chief pro- 



Eerties of the life boat, in our opinion, depend. No 

 M than 7 cwt. of cork being used in the construction 

 of the life boat now described, the great specific levi- 



