Practically, all Beeching's boats retain the water at a level of 4 or 5 inches above the platform for three-fifths of the breadth, as shown on the diagram, and thus, when under sail, or laid over by a sea, this water, shifting to leeward, acts as a counter-ballast; and, as seen in the diagram, the Teignmouth boat, with an inclination of 17°, would have her lee gunwale immersed, and of some three tons of water above the platform four-fifths would be on the lee side; and should the compartments under the platform not be perfectly tight, the water ballast would also shift to the lee side, leaving air or vacuum on the weather side, the alternate pressure of which and the water on the platform actually draws the oakum from the seams.

The self-righting power of Beeching's boats was obtained in the Prizemodel by very large air-compartments in the bow and stern, occupying twofifths of the length and as high as the stem above the gunwales, as shown in the midship section; these compartments containing 30 to 60 feet of air or buoyancy, forced the boat to right herself when turned over or upset; but experience proves that when often repeated, or in a sea way, its efficiency was neutralized by leakage, the increased weight of the boats rendering assistance necessary to right them. This is illustrated by the diagram, where the curved line shows the position of the end air-cases from stem to gunwale, which, when the boat is turned over, would be immersed to the level of the thwarts.

SPECIAL COAST LIFE-BOAT.

The Coast-Guard Life-boats include Hink's, Plenty, and Howden's model, the modification of the Admiralty boat, built also by Mr. Peake, and the many boats since built for the National Life-Boat Institution.

The result of Mr. Peake's experiments is shown by his last boat being four times as long as she is broad, with a flat floor and straight sides, but fine lines in bow and stern, with a considerable sheer of gunwale. The planking is of diagonal pine, and there is a water-tight platform or deck, one-third the depth, resting on four stout pine bulkheads athwart the boat, secured to the bottom to form air-tight compartments in bow and stern, the bilge spaces being filled with blocks of light pine, instead of cork or boxes as heretofore. In the midship part of the platform is a covered well, containing anchor, cable and stores, with air-boxes at the sides under the thwarts, and air-compartments in bow and stern up to height of gunwale. These assist in giving the power of "self-righting," and are aided by a thick cast-iron false keel, bolted to keel bottom and keelson, and weighing about 1 cwt. to every 3 feet of length. The boat frees itself of water by six tubes through the bottom fitted with self-acting relieving valves at the height of the platform. She is fitted to steer with oars, and to pull eight to twelve oars double-banked, to carry a small lug sail, and is provided with improved life-belts, waterproof coats and boots, and everything requisite for the special service of a life-boat at most of the

stations on our coasts.

Thus it will be seen that the repeated experiments of Mr. Peake and myself have led to the adoption by both of a model very similar in its details, the only difference being, that whereas Mr. Peake's is intended for a coast life-boat only, useful for no other purposes, mine is for giving to a fisherman's boat the properties of a life-boat when requisite.

The annexed diagrams show the general form and the nature of the fittings and air-chambers of one of Mr. Peake's Life-boats, 30 ft. in length, and 7 ft. 6 in. in breadth.

In Figs. 1 and 2, corresponding to the elevation and deck plans, the general exterior form of the boat is seen, showing the sheer of gunwale, length of keel, and rake or slope of stem and stern-posts. The dark dotted

lines in Fig. 1 also show the position and dimensions of the air-chambers within-board and of the relieving tubes.

A represents the deck. B, the relieving tubes (6 in. diameter). c, the side air-cases. D, the end air-chambers.

In Fig. 3, the exterior form of transverse sections at different distances from stem to stern is shown. Fig. 4 represents a midship transverse section.

A represents sections of the side air-cases already described.

B, the relieving tubes, bored through solid massive chocks of wood, of the same depth as the space between the deck and the boat's floor.

c, spaces beneath the deck, filled up over 6 ft. in length at the midship part of the boat with solid chocks of light wood, or boxes of cork, forming a portion of the ballast, as before described.

D, a section of a tier below the deck, having a moveable hatch or lid, in which the boat's cable is stowed, and into which all leakage beneath the deck is drained through small holes, with valves fixed in them. In some of the latter boats, a small draining tier only is placed, having a pump in it, by which any leakage can be pumped out by one of the crew whilst afloat. The proportions of one of these boats are as follows:

Length, 30 ft. Beam, 7 ft. 6 in. Depth amidships, 3 ft. 4 in., exclusive of keel. Depth from boat's floor to deck, 1 ft. 3 in. Depth from deck to thwarts, 1 ft. 3 in. Depth from thwarts to gunwale, 10 in. Length of endcases (D), 4 ft. Width of side-cases (c), extreme, 1 ft. 6 in.

The festooned lines in Fig. 1 represent exterior life-lines attached round the entire length of the boat, to which persons in the water might cling until they could be got into the boat: the two central life-lines are festooned lower than the others to be used as stirrups, so that a person in the water could more readily, by stepping on them, get into the boat, which is a very difficult operation for even a strong man to effect, with heavy, wet clothes about him.

It may be observed, that several lighter boats have been lately constructed on Mr. Peake's design, of the dimensions and proportions of the Coast-guard

galley; and there can be no doubt that if every coast-guard station were provided with boats built and fitted on this principle, a very great advantage would accrue, in the more safe and effective boats for the use of the coastguard, while the number of efficient life-boats on the coasts of England, Ireland and Scotland would be at once doubled.

FISHERMEN'S LIFE-BOATS.

These are proposed to be formed by the addition of moveable corks and casks to the fittings of the various fishing-boats in use on different parts of the coast, the practicability of which is shown by the model of the boat built at Liverpool in 1852, which is a modification of the Life-boats of that port, of the Shetland Fishing-boat, and the Yorkshire Cobble.

In order to carry out this object, and to test the usefulness of the principles and alterations I advocated, I designed a boat in which the properties of a life-boat could be applied to the fishing-boats in use on our coast, without impairing their utility for the purposes of each locality, or much increasing their cost. In March 1852 the boat was building at Liverpool, and I took for her type the life-boats of that port, the fishing-boats of the Shetlands, and the North-country cobble, so as to obtain a light draft of water, and facilities in landing on a beach.

Her dimensions are-length, 28 feet; breadth, 7 feet; depth, 3 feet 6 in.; sheer of gunwale, 26 inches; external bulk to gunwale, 568 cubic feet; displacement when loaded to two-thirds of her depth, 7 tons. Clinch built of larch planks, on eight-angle-iron frames, having bulkheads athwart the boat to one-third of the depth. The annexed diagrams show this, and also exhibit the form and outside planking, angle-iron bilge, and false keel with iron drop or sliding-keel, and also the internal fittings of platform over bulkhead, wells, and tanks, the latter one-third the breadth and onefourth the depth amidships. The diagrams also show the disposition of extra buoyancy of fishermen's cork life-buoys in bilge, and the position of the air-casks under the thwarts, with self-acting valves to relieve the water to the level of flotation, and pumps to discharge the water below.

The peculiarities of construction are the substitution for numerous small timbers of seven or more angle-iron frames, with bulkheads one-third the depth, which give strength, and divide the length into water-tight compartments, admitting fore-and-aft partitions. These divide the breadth of the boat into side-bilge and bottom compartments, the latter only being water-tight, with two water-ballast tanks of 29 cubic feet amidships, onethird the breadth at bottom and one-fourth at top, as shown in diagram. When empty they would have an extra buoyancy of 16 cwt. While full they would act as water-ballast, or be used as fish-wells by fishing-boats. Three smaller open wells collect the water, the centre one containing two relieving valves and two pumps, that clear both boat and ballast-tanks of

water.

Self-righting power was attained by four air-casks, secured above the thwarts in bow and stern, weighing 50 lbs. each, and displacing 30 cubic feet or 17 cwt. of water, when the boat is turned over by the sea. The annexed sheer plan of stern of boat exhibits the disposition of air-casks and iron false keel above and below the water-line, which, when the boat is bottom up, displace half the weight of the boat before the gunwale is immersed, and counterbalanced by the ballast, cause the boat to right herself.

To test the combination of fishing- and life-boat fittings, the boat was placed at the disposal of four fishermen experienced in the estuary off the

Mersey and the Dee, and employed in trawling off Hoylake, in company with numerous fishing-boats, which were made shorter and of greater breadth, drawing 2 to 3 feet more water, and having three to five tons of stone ballast. On trial, the "Life-boat" held good way with the fishing-boats while dragging the trawl, but when beating to windward, the deep-keel fishing-boats were more weatherly; and the fishermen stated that the lifeboat was too buoyant or floaty, and that there was difficulty in keeping the fish-wells water-tight.

To obviate these objections, the bulkheads and partitions of wells were secured to bottom, the angle-iron false keel and drop keel being substituted for the flat false keel, increasing the weight 3 cwt. These have been found

to answer the purpose intended, the boat retaining her self-righting power, while at the same time the sliding keel makes her more weatherly and stiff when down, and admits of the boat being sailed into shoal water. She was allowed to take the ground on a rocky bottom without injury in a close reef breeze.

Henderson's Fishermen's Life-boat, built at Liverpool.-Midship section. Scale, inch to a foot.

The advantage of the sliding keel, both to fishing- and life-boats, was exemplified last year by the unfortunate loss of one of the crew of the Liverpool Life-boat, near Formby, who had gone out fishing in one of the small, but deep draft fishing-boats with his son, and was obliged to attempt to land on a sandbank, the boat drawing so much water when she took the ground, that the sea turned her over and drowned him. With the sliding keel up, the "Fishermen's Life-boat" would have taken the ground in about two feet of water, where the sea would hardly have depth to turn the boat over, or prevent the crew landing. With the sliding keel down, the "Fishermen's Lifeboat"would have crossed Rhyl bar, under sail, without upsetting, as Beeching's Prize Life-boat did, on the 22nd of January, 1853, by rolling over to windward and remaining bottom up till six of the crew were drowned.

From investigation on the spot, and from the survivors, the upsetting is clearly traceable to the weight of water above the platform, and water-ballast

1857.

Y