The Masonic Life-Boats.

THE MASONIC LIFE-BOATS .

THE following accounts of services rendered by the Lifeboat "Albert Edward , " stationed at Clacton-on-Sea , and which was presented by the Freemasons of England , on the return of the Grand Master from his visit to India , are taken from the November issue of the "Life-boat , " the Journal of the Royal National Life-boat Institution , and will

no doubt be of interest to our readers . It seems rather late in the day to record events of January last , but the delay is no fault of ours . We should have thought the Institution ' s officials would have availed themselves of the Masonic press , at the time of the occurrences , to inform the members of the

Craft of the splendid work performed by their Life-boat , and no doubt many besides ourselves will be surprised they did not do so . Happily the Life-boats around the coast display far more activity than appears to have been exercised by the central officials on this and other similar occasions .

Perhaps it is thought that the Craft , having given the Life-boats , there is little more to expect from its members , but proof to the contary is shown by the vote by Grand Lodge , seven years after the gift' for Clacton , of a sum of one hundred guineas to the families of two of the crew of

the boat , who lost their lives during service in January 1884 , besides which , there is such a thing as a Life-boat wearing out , and it might be that the English Brotherhood would renew their gift when that event occurred ; or it might even

be Grand Lodge would provide for necessary repairs and maintenance , if interest was shown in their gift , but as it is the present generation of Freemasons are nearly , if not wholly ignorant of the fact that the Order presented the two Lifeboats to the Institution , as a thank-offering in 1877 .

We have recently been told we have far too much aptitude for endeavouring to teach outside officials their duties ; we will risk a repetition of the charge by suggesting to the Secretary of the Life-boat Institution the desirability of

sending full reports of services by the Masonic Life-boats to Grand Lodge , to each of the Provincial Grand Secretaries , and to the Masonic press , all of whom will , we are convinced , take an interest in diffusing a knowledge of any good work performed in the name , or on behalf of Freemasonry .

The reports we refer to , given in the " Life-boat , " are as follow :

"While a moderate gale was blowing from N . E ., accompanied by a heavy sea , on the 24 th January , a schooner was observed stranded on the Middle Spit Sands . The Lifeboat "Albert Edward" vvas launched at 5 . 15 p . m . and sailed to the vessel , which was found to be the " Robert

Anderson , " of Burghead , bound from London for Fraserburgh with a cargo of cement and whiting . She was striking heavily and was leaking badly . The Life-boat men having been engaged to try to salve her , the pumps were manned , but in spite of all efforts the water continued to increase . The crew

of five men , with their effects , were transferred to the Lifeboat , which stood by the vessel for some time longer ; but as she was fast settling down , and it was impossible to do anything more , the Life-boat made for home , arriving at 2 . 30 a . m .

with the five rescued men . The " Albert Edward " is one of two Life-boats presented to the Institution by the United Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England in commemoration of the safe return from India of the Most Worshipful Grand Master H . R . H . the Prince of Wales . "

" On the morning of the 26 th January , while a strong gale was blowing from N . N . E . accompanied by a heavy sea , the Margate boatmen observed a large vessel apparently in dangerously dose proximity to the Long Sand . She was examined through a powerful glass and was seen to hoist a

signal of distress , and immediately afterwards the Tongue Light-vessel ran up signals denoting that help was required . At 9 . 15 the Life-boat " Eliza- Harriet" put off , the launch from the new West Slipway being witnessed by a large number of people , and sailed in the direction of the Long

Sand , encountering tremendous seas which at times completely submerged her . When nearing the distressed vessel the sails of another Life-boat was seen approaching her from the opposite direction . This was the Clacton-on-Sea Life-boat "Albert Edward , " which had been launched on receipt of

information of the casulty at the same time as the Margate boat , and had also had a very rough time in the heavy seas which continual ]} - filled her . Both the boats reached the vessel at about noon and approached her on the starboard

side , that side being the more sheltered . She was the fullrigged ship "Hawksdale , " of Liverpool , bound from Hamburg for Melbourne with a general cargo , and had stranded on the N . W . part of the ' Long Sand , where she became a total wreck . Her crew had consisted of twenty-

The Masonic Life-Boats.

eight persons , but three of them had been drowned in an attempt to get one of the ship ' s boats out before the Lifeboats arrived . Eighteen of the survivors were taken into the Clacton Life-boat , the remaining seven persons being rescued by the 'Margate Life-boat . The Clacton boat also brought

ashore the ship ' s cat , which was taken into the boat by one of the apprentices , who , even in his own time of danger , did not forget his feline companion . Considerable difficulty was experienced in taking the men into the Life-boats owing to the terrific seas . Watching their opportunities , the men had

to catch the masts and slide down the rigging into the boat . Having got all safely on board , the Life-boats parted company , and making for opposite shores , again through heavy seasthe Clacton boat meeting with even worse seas than she had experienced on her outward journey—both boats safely

reached home and landed those whom they had rescued . Additional rewards were granted to the crews of the Lifeboats in recognition of their specially good services on this occasion , and grants were made to three of the Clacton crew who received injuries in the performance of the rescue . "

But the good work of Masonic help does not stop here , for in the same issue of the Institution ' s Journal we have an account of services rendered by the Life-boats at Swanage and Poole , the latter , named the "City Masonic Club , " being the gift of members of the Craft , led by our esteemed

Bro . J . H . Whadcoat . We learn from the official work that on the 23 rd November last—fancy a record of the services taking nearly a )* ear to be published—the Swanage Life-boat was "launched while the wind was blowing a whole gale from the south , and a very heavy sea was running , a

telephonic message having been received from Studland stating that a vessel was in a critical condition in that Bay between the Old Harry Rocks and Poole Bar , and was signalling for assistance . The Life-boat very promptly reached the vessel , which proved to be a three-masted

schooner , the "Velocity , " of Leith , bound to Poole from Shields with a cargo of coal , and found that she was riding heavily at her anchors and was in a leaky condition . The Captain was naturally loth to leave while there was a chance of saving the ship , but on account of the severity of the gale

the Coxswain could not spare any of the crew of the boat to go on board to help at the pumps , and knowing that as the tide fell the schooner would bump heavily and probably become a wreck , he decided to go into the smooth water under the cliffs and stay there at anchor in readiness to rescue

the crew . The Poole Life-boat , " City Masonic Club , " also arrived at this time , having been towed out over the Bar by a steamer , but finding that the other boat was remaining in attendance she returned to her station . Some hours later , about 10 p . m ., signals of distress were shown from the vessel ,

which had parted one of her cables and was driving into shallow water . With much difficulty the Life-boatmen rescued the master and his crew of five men , after which they made for Poole , which was reached at 3 a . m ., by which time the Life-boatmen had been afloat between eleven and twelve

hours . The Poole Life-boat also went out again but found that the Swanage boat had accomplished the rescue before her arrival . The schooner ultimately became a total wreck . A few hours later the Poole Life-boat went out a third time in response to a telephone message from the Sandbank Coast

Guard Station , that a vessel was in distress off Flag Head , near Bournemouth Bay , and very shortly afterwards the Coast Guard at Southbourne , near Bournemouth , sent word that another ship was signalling for provisions and help . As the Swanage men were too exhausted to go out again , a

fresh crew was mustered at Poole , and took out their Lifeboat with a supply of provisions . The wind was still blowing a strong gale , and there was a heavy sea in the Bay . The

Poole boat was eventually successful in saving the crew of eight men from the vessel to which she was launched , the Barquentine "Frier , " of Porsgrund , which afterwards stranded on the beach and became a total wreck . The other

Lifeboat discovered the Barque ' Bonne Mere , " of Havre , in a very dangerous position ; her master requested the Life-boat would obtain a steam tug and twelve men to try to get the vessel off , which she did , and the Poole Life-boat also went out in company with her in tow ofthe steamer . After rendering all

the assistance they could , and the crew not wishing to leave the vessel , the two boats returned to Poole about 9 o'clock at night . The following morning the Poole boat went out again , making her fifth launch in three days , and passed a hawser to the steam tug , which then took the Barque to Southampton , the Life-boat towing astern in case of need . " With such details it is not too much to ask for a toastthe Masonic Life-boats and the men who man them .