LIFE-PRESERVER, 657 
q-fired to render them pra£Ucally ufeful.” Montucla's edit, 
of Ozanam's Recreations, vol.ii. 
Such however, we are proud to fay, is not the cafe in 
England. The moment that a life-boat, upon evidently 
juft principles, was ftarted, it met with general patronage 
from the merchants, the (hip-owners, the nobility, and the 
government, of this country ; not only fo, but it is equally 
well known, that premiums are annually offered, particu¬ 
larly by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manu¬ 
factures, and Commerce, to incite ingenious men to make 
difcoveries for the benefit of the community. 
The following circumftance gave rife to the life-boat 
conftrudted by Mr. Henry Greathead of South Shields, 
for the pnrpofe of preferving the lives of fliipwrecked per- 
fons. In September 1789, the Ad venture of Newcaftle was 
Itranded on the Herd-fand, on the fouth fide of Tynemouth 
haven, in themidft of tremendous breakers; and thegreateft 
part of the crew perifhed within three hundred yards of 
the fliore, and in the prefence of thoufands of fpeClators, 
not one of whom could be prevailed upon, by any reward, 
to venture out to her aftiliance, in any boat or coble of 
the common conftruftion. On this occafion, the gentle¬ 
men of South Shields called a meeting of the inhabitants, 
at which a committee was appointed, and premiums were 
offered for plans of a boat which ftiould be the heft cal¬ 
culated to brave the dangers of the lea, particularly of 
broken water. Many propofals were offered ; but the pre¬ 
ference was unanimoully given to that of Mr. Greathead, 
who was immediately directed to build a boat at the ex- 
penfe of the committee. Other claimants to the invention 
have fince appeared, who aflert that Mr. Greathead was 
merely the builder (under the direflion of the commit¬ 
tee), not the contriver, of this molt ufeful life-boat. The 
general voice has however decided (juftly we think) in 
favour of Mr. Greathead. 
Grealhcad's life-boat, then, was firft tried on the 30th of 
January, 1790; and fo well has it anfwered, and indeed ex¬ 
ceeded every expectation, in the molt tremendous broken 
fea, that lince that time hundreds of lives have been faved 
at the entrance of the Tyne alone, which otherwife mult 
have been loft; and in no inftance has it ever failed. 
The principle of this boat appears to have been fug- 
gefted to Mr. Greathead by the following limple faft : 
Take a fpheroid, and divide it into quarters; each quar¬ 
ter is elliptical, and nearly refembles the half of a wooden 
bowl, having a curvature with projecting ends; this, 
thrown into the fea or broken water, cannot be upfet, or 
lie with the bottom upwards. Such then is the (hape of the 
boat. Its length is thirty feet; breadth, ten feet; depth, 
from the top of the gunwale to the lower part of the keel 
in midlhips, three feet three inches ; from the gunwale 
to the platform (within), two feet four; from the top of 
the Items (both ends being limilar) to the horizontal line 
of the bottom of the keel, live feet nine. The keel is a 
plank of three inches thick, of a proportionate breadth in 
midlhips, narrowing gradually towards the ends, to the 
breadth of the Items at the bottom, and forming a great 
convexity downwards. The (terns are fegments of a cir¬ 
cle, with confuierable rakes. The bottom feftion, to the 
door-heads, is a curve fore and aft, with the lweep of 
the keel. The door-timber has a (mail rife, curving from 
the keel to the floor-heads. A bilge-plank is wrought in 
on each fide next the floor-heads, with a double rabbit or 
groove of a fimilav thicknefs with the keel; and on the 
outfide of this.are fixed two bilge-trees, correfponding 
nearly with the level of the keel. The ends of the bot¬ 
tom feCfion form that fine kind of entrance oblervable in 
the lower part of the bow of the fi'.hing-boat called a coble, 
much ufed in the. north. Front this part to the top of the 
Item it is more elliptical, forming a confiderable projec¬ 
tion. The fides, from the floor-heads to the top of the 
gunwale, (launch off on each lide, in proportion to above 
half the .breadth of the floor. The breadth is continued 
far forwards towards the ends, leaving a fuflicient length 
wf ftraight fide at the top. The flieer is regular along the 
. Voi.. XII. No. 860. 
ftraight fide, and more elevated towards the ends. The 
gunwale fixed to the outfide is three inches thick. The' 
fides, from the#inder part of the gunwale, along the whole 
length of the regular flieer, extending twenty-one feet fix 
inches, are cafed with layers of cork, to the depth of fix- 
teen inches, downwards; and, the thicknefs of this cafing 
of cork being four inches, it projects at the top a little 
without the gunwale. The cork, on the outfide, is f'ecured 
with thin plates or flips of copper, and the boat is fattened 
with copper nails. The thwarts, or feats, are five in num¬ 
ber, double-banked ; confequently the boat may be rowed, 
with ten oars. The thwarts are firmly (tanchioned. The 
fide-oars are ftiort, with iron tholes and rope-grommets, 
fo that the rower can pull either way. The boat is fleered 
with an oar at each end; and the fteering-oar is one-third 
longer than the rowing-oar. The platform placed at the 
bottom, within the boat, is horizontal, the length of the 
midlhips, and elevated at the ends, for the convenience of 
the tteerfman, to give him a greater power with the oar.' 
The internal part of the boat next the fides, froth the un¬ 
der part of the thwarts down to the platform, is cafed 
with cork; the whole quantity of which, affixed to the 
life-boat, i3 nearly feven hundred weight. The cork in- 
difputably contributes much to the buoyancy of the boat, 
is a good defence in going along-fide a veflel, and is of 
principal ufe in keeping the boat in an ereft pofition in 
the fea, or rather for giving her a very lively and quick 
difpofition to recover from any bidden cant or lurch, 
which file may receive from the (broke of a heavy wave'. 
But, excluiively of the cork, the admirable.conftruftion 
of this boat gives it a decided pre-eminence. The ends 
being limilar, the boat can be rowed either way; and this 
peculiarity of form alleviates her in riling over the waves. 
The curvature of the keel and bottom facilitates her 
movement in turning, and contributes to the eafe of the 
fteerage, as a lingle broke of the (teering-oar has an im¬ 
mediate effeft, the boat moving as it were upon a centre. 
The fine entrance below is of ufe in dividing the waves, 
when rowing againft them; and, combined with the con¬ 
vexity of the bottom, and the elliptical form of the item, 
admits her to rife with wonderful buoyancy in a high fea, 
and to launch forward with rapidity, without fhipping 
any water, when a common boat would be in danger of 
being filled. The (launching or fpreading form of the 
boat, from her floor-heads to the gunwale, gives her a 
confiderable bearing; and the continuation of the breadth, 
well forward, is a great fupport to her in the fea; and it 
has been found by experience, that boats of this conftruc- 
tion are the beft fea-boats for rowing againft turbulent 
waves. The internal (hallownefs of the boat from the 
gunwale down to the platform, the convexity of the form, 
and the bulk.of cork within, leave a very diminiffied (pace 
for the water to occupy ; fo that the life-boat, when filled 
with water, contains a confiderable lefs quantity than the 
common boat, and is in no danger either of linking or 
overturning. 
It may be prefumed by fome, that in cafes of high wind, 
agitated fea, and broken waves, a boat of fuch a buik 
could not prevail againft them by the force of oars; but 
the life-boat, from her peculiar form, may be rowed a-head, 
when the attempt in other boats would fail. Boats of the 
common form, adapted for fpeed, are of coiiffe put in 
motion with a fmall power; but, for want of buoyancy 
and beating, are over-run by the waves, and funk, when 
impelled againft them; and boats conftrufted for burthen 
meet with too much reliftance from the wind and fea, when 
oppofed to them, and cannot in fuch cafes be rowed from 
the (bore to a (hip in diftrefs. 
“ An idea has been entertained (fays Mr. Greathead) 
that the fuperior advantages of the life-boat are to be af- 
cribed folely to the quantity of cork affixed ; but this is 
a very erroneous opinion, and I trufl has been amply re¬ 
futed by the preceding obfeVvatiops on the conftriffition 
of this boat. It muft beadmifted that the application of 
cork to common boats would add to their- buoyancy and 
