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and have been drowned by the bonts' upfetting ; whilft the 

 remainder of t'le crews that continued on board have been 

 faved by the lite-boat. And the witncfs declared his con- 

 • viftion, that no other boat that ever he faw could have 

 gone from the fliore, and favcd the crews, at the times the 

 life-boat went. 



" He ttattd, that in the event of the life-boat filling with 

 water, fhe would continue ftill upright, and would not 

 founder, as boats of a common conltrudion do. That about 

 two months ago, he faw her come on (hore with a fhip's 

 crew, bcfides her own crew, fo full of water, that it ran 

 over each lide ; the fca had broken fi/veral of her oars ; and 

 he believes, that no boat of any other conllruftion could 

 have brought the crew on iliore fo filled with water, 



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been invented ? he anfwered, the curvature of tlie keel, and 

 the flaunchiiig fides, which render it almoll impoffible to be 

 upfet. When this boat was afloat and full of water, the 

 men ;ill went to one fide of the boat, in order to try the 

 poffibility of upfetting her, which they could not effcci. 



" Mr. Thomas Htnderwell, of Scarborough, (hip-owner, 

 ft-ited, that the peculiar nature of the curvature of the keel 

 of this boat is the fo',:ndi'tion and balis of its excell-jnce. it 

 regulates, in a great mtafure, the flieer with elevation to- 

 wards the ends. Tliis conftruftion fpieiids and repels the 

 water in every direftion, and enables her to afcend and de- 

 fcend with great facility over the breakers. The ends being 

 reduced regularly from the centre to lefs than one-third 

 proportion of the midrtiips, both ends are lighter than the 



the Velocity of 59 tons, riding at anchor on Tynemouth 

 bar, amongft the broken water, when the fhip Planter was 

 driven on fhore by the violence of the gale, about one hun- 

 dred yards from the Velocity ; the life-boat came off and 



the convejiity of the keel and the flreer at the top, leaves fo 

 fmall a fpace for the water to occupy, that the boat, 

 though filled wirit water, is in no danger of finking or up- 

 fetting. Tht? buoyancy of the boat, when tilled with water. 



took fifteen perfons out of the Planter; and they had is alfo aflilled by the cork being placed above the water, 

 fcarcely quitted the fliip, when (he went to pieces; they line. 



muil all othervvife have inevitably periflied, as the wreck " Mr. Samuel Plumb, of Lower Shadwell, defcribed him- 



came on (hore almoft as foon as the life-boat. He con- felf to have been bred to the fea, and to have afted in the 

 ccived, that no boat of a common conftruftion could have capacity of mafter of a fhip from 1777 until within thefe 

 given relief at that time. There were feveral other vefTels in eighteen months ; that he had been chiefly employed in the 

 the fame fituation with the Planter, namely, the Gatelhead, coal and Baltic trades, and had rcfided at Shields the whole 

 the Mary, and the Beaver, befides a (loop, whofe name the of his life till within the lall five years. He is acquainted 

 witnefs does not know. The crew of the Gatefliead, being with the Shields' life-boats ; and from every information he 

 nine in number, took to their own boat, which funk, and had received, Mr. Greathead has been univerfally confidered 

 feven of them were loft ; the other two faved themfelves by as the inventor of them. 



ropes thrown from the Mary. After the life-boat had " He went out in one of them to the relief of a fliip, 

 landed the crew of the Planter, (lie went off fucceffively to which was wrecked on the coaft near the mouth of the 

 the other veffels, and brought the whole of their crews fafe Tyne. The firft time they reached the wreck, the rope, 

 on lliore, together with the two perfons who had efcaped which they threw from the wreck to the life-boat, broke, 

 from the boat of the Gatelhead. He has feen the life-boat and the boat was drifted to the northward by the violence 

 go to the affiftance of other vefl'cis at different times, and llie of the wind and ftrong current of the tide ; they then landed, 

 always fucceeded in bringing the clews on {hore. _ and by two horfes dragged the boat along the fand to the 



" The witnefs has ftveral times obferved her to come on foathward, and then launched her again through the break- 

 (hore full of water, and always fafe. ers to the veffcl. In the fecond attempt they fucceeded in 



" Captain Gilfred Lawfon Reed, an elder brother of bringing the crew on (hore. The witnefs never faw any 

 the Trinity-houfe, ftated, that he had been bred to the fea, other boat in which he would have ventured to the relief of 

 and had been a member of the Trinity-houfe feventeen years, the crew, or which he thinks could have executed the pur- 

 He had the management of the life-boat at LoweftofFe, par- pofe of faving them. 



ticularly laft year, where he was requcfted by the fubfcribers " Mr. WiUiam Mafterman, of South Shields, (hip-owner, 

 to make any improvement he thought necefTary. She was was one of the original committee that ordered the life- 

 built exadly upon Mr. Greathead's plan, correfponding boat at South Shields in 17S9. He corroborated the 

 with the model before the committee. Havmg fitted her evidence given by captain William Carter ; and ftated, that 

 for fervice as far as he thought proper, he was requefted by from the fituation of his refidence, he has feen the perform- 

 a number of the fubfcribers to launch this life-boat ; he ance of the life-boat more frequently than probably any 

 took an opportunity, when the fea fell very heavy on the other of the committee at South Shields, and has frequently 

 beach, and launched her in the prefenee of at lead two hun- feen and afTifted in the launching of the life -boat from the 

 dred fpeiftators. Twenty-four men jumped into her ; and beach into the fea during a llorm. That this is done with 

 when (he firft mounted the waves, the fpeftators with one the affiftance of low wlicds, or what may be called rollers, 

 voice exprelfed their aftonifliment. He had given the men upon which fhe is dragged to the water's edge, and by 

 orders to crofs a (hoal, that lay about a mile and a half from means of hands proportioned to the weight of the boat, 

 the (hore, upon which the fea broke very heavily ; by fome fhe can be launched with as much eafe as any other boat, 

 miftake one of the plugs was left out of the bottom, and (lie He remembers the inflance ftated by Mr. Samuel Plumb, in 

 filled with water before (lie got to the (lioai, which obliged which the life-boat, being drifted to the northward by a 

 the men to return immediately, and (he brought the tv/enty- rt.-ong tide, was landed, and again launched to the fouth- 

 four men fafe to (hore, though when (he gained the (hore, (lie ward, oppofite to the wreck, and in the' face of a very heavy 

 was full of water to the gun-wale and midfliips ; yet by her fea. When the Gatelhead, Planter, and other (hips were 

 ftieer one-third of her at each end was out of the water. wrecked, it was firft difeovered that the life-boat could att 



" Being allied, wherein he confidered the fupcriority of with perfeft fafcty athzuart the fea ; and fince that time, the 

 the life-boat coufifts over any other boat that has hitherto boat has beefi rowed athwart fea, or otherwife, indillercntlv, 



3 ' as 



