HE the BOAT

The inventor of high among those

who have deferved well of their country; and his memory will be revered by lateft pofterity, as one of the most valuable benefactors to mankind.

Mr. Greathead was born at Rich. mond, in Yorkshire, on the 27th of January 1757.

His father, Mr. John Greathead, was Supervisor and Comptroller of the Salt Duties in South Shields and the circumjacent district, and was held in great esteem by the Board of Commi fioners for his strict integrity and diligence during forty-fix years that he continued in the fituation; at the end of which time the Salt Duties were blended with thofe under the manage ment of the Excife.-His mother was daughter of Henry Rainfden, Eiq. merchant, formerly of York-buildings,

London.

Henry, the fubject of our prefent attention, was one of a large family of children; and, indicating a mechanical turn, was at a proper age apprenticed to an eminent boat-builder in South Shields. At the expiration of his indentures, his difpofition inclined him to a feafaring life, and he embarked in the Coal and Eaft Country Trades; the restricted limits of which, however, were little fuited to fatisfy a mind ardent in the purfuit of nautical know. ledge.

During the American war, he was fix years in the Royal Navy; and in the year 1788 was thipwrecked on the French Coaft while on a voyage to the West Indies. To this circumstance, probably, the world are indebted for

first idea of

there existe not the Life boat, of which

Mr. Greathead is entitled to be confi dered as the sole inventor.

In September 1789, the fhip Adventure, of Newcastle, was ftranded on the Herd Sand, on the fouth fide of Tynemouth Haven, in the midst of tremendous breakers; and all her crew dropped off her rigging one by one, in the prefence of thousands of fpectators, not one of whom could be prevailed upon, by any reward, to venture out to her afliftance, in any boat or coble of the common construction.

On this occafion, the Gentlemen 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 should be the best calculated to brave the dangers of the fea, particularly of broken water.

Many propofals were offered, but the preference was unanimously given to Mr. Greathead's, who was immediately directed to build a boat at the expenfe of the Committee.

This boat first went off on the 30th of January 1790; and fo well has it anfwered, and indeed exceeded every expectation, in the molt tremendous broken fea, that fince that time not fewer than two hundred lives have been faved at the entrance of the Tyne alone, which otherwife must have been loft; and in no one inftance has it ever failed *.

The principle of this boat appears to

Mr. Greathead's Petition to the House of Commons B 2

have

have been fuggefted to Mr. G. by the following fimple fact:

Take a spheroid, and divide it into quarters; each quarter is elliptical, and nearly resembles the half of a wooden bowl, having a curvature with projecting ends this, thrown into the fea or broken water, cannot be upset, or lie with the bottom upwards.

Of the Conftruction and Management of the Life Boat, we have before given fo particular an account *, as to render it unneceffary to revert to them here. It is a pleafing part of our duty, however, to obferve, (after remarking with what candour and difinterestedness Mr. Greathead (like Dr. Jenner with his Vaccine Inoculation) has at all times communicated his invention, its plans and principles, for the public good †,) that he at length became an object of parliamentary confideration.

After having fubmitted his invention to a teft of twelve years' experience, during which he had facrificed a very confiderable portion of his time in furnishing plans, and otherwife rendering the invention as extenfively useful as he could, Mr. Greathead, on the 25th of February 1802, prefented a Petition to the House of Commons, the prayer of which was as follows:

"Your Petitioner having thus been inftrumental in faving the lives of fo many perfons; the utility of the boat being now established; and your Petitioner having derived little or no pecuniary advantage whatever from the invention, his models having been made public: humbly hopes that this Honourable Houfe will take his cafe into their confideration, and grant your Petitioner fuch reward as to this Honourable Houfe fhall feem meet," &c.

The Petition (having been recommended by his Majefty) was referred to the confideration of a Committee; from whofe ample Report we make the following brief abftract:

"It appeared to your Committee to be neceffary to direct their inquiries particularly to the three following fubjects:

To illuftrate an Engraving in Vol. XLIII, p. 325.

He has never attempted to take out a patent, or in any manner to obftruct its adoption by others; but has promptly given all requifite information and directions to fuch as have applied to him.

"First, The utility of the Life-boat. "Secondly, The originality of the invention claimed by Mr. Greathead. "Thirdly, Whether he had received any, and what, remuneration.

"And, in order to afcertain these facts, your Committee proceeded to examine

"Ralph Hillery, a feaman, who stated, that he has been forty-five years at fea, in the Greenland and coal trade, and has refided always at Shields. About three years ago he was in the Northu:nberland Life-boat (which was prefented to North Shields by the Duke of Northumberland) the first time the went off; the went to the relief of the floop Edinburgh. This vellel was feen to go upon the Herd Sands, about a mile and half from thore; the was brought to an anchor before the Life-boat got to her, and the continued ftriking the ground to heavily, that she would not have held together ten minutes longer, had they not got to her; they made her cut her cable, and then took feven men out of her, and brought them on thore. The fea at that time was monftrously high, fo high that no other boat whatever could have lived in it.

"He was then asked, whether he had been out in the Life-boat on any other occafion? to which he replied, that he had been five times out in her, to the relief of different thips; from one fhip they faved fifteen men, and in every inftance when he (the witness) was in the boat, they faved the whole of the crews of the wrecked thips. Befides the times he has been himself in the boat, he has feen her go off fcores of times, and never faw her fail in bringing off fuch of the crews as flayed by their fhips. But many times part of the crews of the veffels wrecked have taken to their own boats, and have been drowned by the boats upfetting; whilft the remainder of the crews that continued on board have been faved by the Life-boat. And the witness declared his conviction, that no other boat that he ever faw could have gone from the fhore, and faved the crews, at the times the Life-boat went.

"He ftated, that in the event of the Life-boat filling with water, he would continue till upright, and would not founder as boats of a common conftruction do. That about two months ago he faw her come on fhore with a fhip's crew, (befides her own crew,) fo full of water, that it ran over each side; the

fea

fea had broken feveral of her oars; and he believes that no boat of any other conftruction could have brought the crew on hore fo filled with water.

"Captain William Carter, of the hip Providence, of Newcaitle, ftated, that he had refided at South Shields twentyfive years, and been fifteen years in the

coal and Baltic trades.

"That on the 28th of November 1797, he commanded the Velocity, of 59 tons. riding at anchor on Tynemouth Bar, amongst the broken water, when the thip Planter was driven on hore by the violence of the gale, about one hundred yards from the Velocity; the Life-boat came off and took fifteen perfons out of the Planter, and they had fcarcely quitted the fhip when the went to pieces; they mult all otherwife have inevitably perished, as the wreck came on fhore almost as foon as the Life-boat. He conceived that no boat of a common conftruction could have given relief at that time. There were leveral other veffels in the fame fitua tion with the Planter, namely, the Gateshead, the Mary, and the Beaver, befides a floop whofe name the witnefs does not know. The crew of the Gateshead (being nine in number) took to their own boat, which funk, and feven of them were loft; the other two faved themselves by ropes thrown from the Mary. After the Life-boat had landed the crew of the Planter, fhe went off fucceffively to the other veffels, and brought the whole of their crews fafe to thore, together with the two perfons who had escaped from the boat of the Gateshead. He has feen the Lifeboat go to the affiftance of other veffels at different times, and the always fucceeded in bringing the crews on fhore. "The witness has feveral times obferved her to come on shore full of water, and always fafe.

"Captain Gilfred Lawfen Reed, an elder brother of the Trinity Houfe, ftated, that he had been bred to the fea, and had been a member of the Trinity House feventeen years. He had the management of the Life-boat at Loweftoffe, particularly last year, where he was requested by the fubfcribers to make any improvement he thought neceffary. She was built exactly upon Mr. Greathead's plan, correfponding with the model before the Committee. Having fitted her for fervice as far as he thought proper, he was requested by a number of the fubfcribers to

launch this Life-boat; he took an opportunity when the fea fell very heavy on the beach, and launched her in the prefence of at least two hundred fpectators. Twenty-four men jumped into her, and when the first mounted the waves, the fpetators with one voice exprefled their attonithment. He had given the men orders to cross a shoal that lay about a mile and a half from the fhore, upon which the sea broke very heavily; by fome mistake one of the plugs was left out of the bottom, and the filled with water before the got to the thoal, which obliged the men to return immediately, and the brought the twenty-four men fafe to fhore; though when the gained the shore, the was full of water to the gunwale amidhips; yet by her thear, one third of her at each end was out of the water.

Being afked, wherein he confidered the fuperiority of the Life boat confits over any other boat that has hitherto been invented? he answered, the curvature of the keel and the flaunching fides, which render it almost impoflible to be upfet; when this boat was afloat and full of water, the men all went to one fide of the boat, in order to try the poffibility of upfetting her, which they could not effect.

"Mr. Thomas Hinderwell, of Scarborough, flip-owner, ftated, that the peculiar nature of the curvature of the keel of this boat is the foundation and balis of its excellence. It regulates in a great meature the fhear with the elevation towards the ends. This conftruction fpreads and repels the water in every direction, and enables her to afcend and defcend with great facility over the breakers. The ends being reduced regularly from the centre to leis than one third proportion of the midships, both ends are lighter than the body fection. By means of the curved keel and the centre of gravity being placed in the centre of the boat, the preserves equilibrium in the midit of the breakers. The internal thallownefs of the boat in the body section, occafioned by the convexity of the keel and the fhear at the top, leaves to fall a fpace for the water to occupy, that the boat, though filled with water, is in no danger of finking or upfetting. The buoyancy of the boat when filled with water is alfo allifted by the cork being placed above the water line.

"Mr. Samuel Plumb, of Lower Shadwell, defcribed himfelf to have been

bred

bred to the fea, and to have acted in the capacity of mafter of a fhip from 1777 until within thefe eighteen months; that he had been chiefly employed in the coal and Baltic trades, and had refided at Shields the whole of his life, till within the last five years. He is acquainted with the Shields Life boats; and from every information he had received, Mr. Greathead has been univerfally confidered as the inventor of them.

He went out in one of them to the relief of a fhip which was wrecked on the coat near the mouth of the Tyne. The first time they reached the wreck, the rope which they threw from the wreck to the Life-boat broke, and the boat was drifted to the northward by the violence of the wind and frong current of the tide; they then landed, and by two horfes dragged the boat along the fand to the fouthward, and then launched her through the break ers to the veifel. In the fecond attempt they fucceeded in bringing the crew on there. The witne's never faw any other boat in which he would have ventured to the relief of the crew, or which he thinks could have executed the purpose of faving them.

“Mr. William Masterman, of South Shields, fhip-owner, was one of the original Committee that ordered the Life boat at South Shields in 1789. He corroborated the evidence given by Captain William Carter; and ftated, that from the fituation of his refidence, he has feen the performance of the Life boat more frequently than, probably, any other of the Committee at South Shields, and has frequently feen and afted in the launching the Life-boat from the beach into the fea during a fterin. That this is done with the affiftance of low wheels, or what may be called rollers, upon which the is dragged to the water's edge, and by means of hands proportioned to the weight of the boat, fhe can be launched with as much eale as any other boat. He remembers the inftauce ftated by Mr. Samuel Plumb, in which the Lifeboat being drifted to the northward by a ftrong tide, was landed, and again launched to the fouthward, oppofite to the wreck, and in the face of a very heavy lea. When the Gateshead, Planter, and other fhips were wrecked, it was firft difcovered that the Life-boat could act with perfect fafety athwart the fea; and fince that time the boat

has been rowed athwart fea, or otherwife, indifferently, as the object to be relieved required it; and that he goes with the fame fafety from one object to another, in a broken jea, as an ordinary boat' would pass from one ship to another in a month fea. He is confident, fince the eltablishment of the Life-boat, there have been at least three hundred perfons brought on fhore from thips in diftrefs, and wrecks off Shields, the greatelt part of whom muft otherwife inevitably have perifhed. And the witnefs added, that it was his opinion, founded upon experience and the ob. fervations he had been enabled to make, that no fea, however high, could overfet or fink the Life boat.'

"

The originality of Mr. Greathead's invention is then proved by proper certificates and atteftations; and the remuneration that he had received over and above a profit of from 10l. to 15. each, upon building a few boats, are ftated to he,

From the Literary and Philofophical Society of Newcastle, 5 guineas. Royal Humane Society, a medallion. Corporation of the Trinity House, 100 guineas

Society of Arts, a gold medallion and 50 guineas.

The Vote of Parliament, on the 3d of June, in confequence of the foregoing Report, was,

"That a fum not exceeding twelve hundred pounds be granted to his Majefty, to be paid to Henry Greathead, of South Shields in the county of Durham, boat-builder, as a reward for his invention of the Life-boat, whereby many lives have already been faved, and great fecurity is afforded to seamen and property in cafes of fhipwreck."

In the mean time, the Subfcribers at Lloyds' generously fhewed their fenfe of Mr. Greathead's patriotifm, and of the utility of his invention, by voting on the 20th of May,

To Mr. G. 100 guineas, << as an acknowledgment of his talents and exertions, in inventing and building a Lifeboat :" and,

"As a reward for his ingenuity in conftructing the Life-boat, and in teftimony of the grateful fenfe this Corporation entertain of the eflential benefit rendered to the fea faring world in general, by this valuable invention, which affords fuch efficacious means of fafety to dif treffed mariners in cafe of fhipwreck."

Two

Two thousand pounds "for the purpole of encouraging the building of Life-boats on different parts of the coats of these kingdoms."

At the beginning of the prefent year, Mr. G. received a very valuable diamond ring from the Emperor of Ruffia, whofe munificence to ingenious men of all countries is well known.

We shall close this account with the following

Extra from the Tyne Mercury of the

29th November 1803. "Extraordinary Escape from Shipwreck. South Shields, Nov. 22. "Having yesterday witneffed the moft extraordinary escape of the crew of the brig Bee from hipwreck that was perhaps ever known, by means of the Northumberland Life-boat, I take the most early opportunity of giving you a correct statement of the whole circumstances.

"The Bee of Shields, John Houston, Mafter, having put to fea in an eafterly wind, had not proceeded far when it began to blow ftrong from the foutheat, which obliged him a few hours after to put back. In taking Tynemouth Bar at the last quarter ebb, in a very heavy fea, the ftruck the ground and unfhipped her rudder. Being now completely unmanageable, the drifted towards the north fide of the bar, and at length drove on the Black Middens. They who have witneffed the tremendous fea which breaks on the north-eaft part of this harbour, in a fouth-easterly wind, may form a conception of the dreadful situation in which the crew of the veffel were fituated. In the midft of rocks, where the fea runs mountains high, fo as frequently to obfcure the hip, and where any veffel might be expected immediately to go to pieces, their only refuge from being swept into the gulf, was to climb up into the fhrouds, which the Captain, with fx men and boys, being the whole crew, inftantly effected. The dangerous fituation in which they were placed immediately attracted an immenfe num ber of fpectators from both North and South Shields. The thores in every direction were lined with people, who expreffed, by their anxious looks, the molt fympathetic apprehenfions for their fafety. The making ufe of the Life-boat was by most people thought impoffible; and at all events, the attempt

was attended with extreme danger, owing to the tremendous fea, and the immenfe rocks which lay where the veffel was ftranded. So confident, however, was Mr. Greathead, the inventor, of the Life-boat being able to live in any fea, if properly navigated, that he, without hesitation, and with the greateft alertnefs, volunteered his fervices to bring off the men from the brig. This intrepid offer operated like electricity among the failors; and immediately the Northumberland Life-boat was launched, and manned with Mr. Greathead and South Shields' pilots. In the courie of a few minutes they reached the veffel, without much difficulty, and picked off the men from the throuds, thivering with cold, and almoft perished by fatigue. One man, in making too much hafte to enter the boat, fell into the breakers, but was immediately recovered. When the whole crew was in the boat they rowed towards the fhore; and in lefs than an hour from the time the boat was launched did they return in fafety to South Shields, without a angle accident!

"This is certainly the most astonishing and hazardous expedition that any Life-boat has ever yet attempted; and from the eafe and fafety with which the went to and from the brig, having fhipped very little water, it can scarcely be conceived what he may be capable of effecting. The joy that appeared to pervade the people on thore, when the boat returned in fafety, may more eafily be conceived than defcribed. fuccefsful enterprize has added another laurel to the Inventor of the Life-boat, and additional luftre to the Duke of Northumberland and the other benevolent patrons of an invention which has rendered fuch important fervices to the cause of humanity!"

This