The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-23 00:00:00

Nov. is.

Dawnsh, South Devon, Nov. 16.
1. My dear Sir,—An incident occurred here yesterday
which I think calls for a brief report, as showing both the
promptitude with which the Teignmouth lifeboat an-
swered an appeal for assistance, and in recording a
most skilful and daring act of seamanship—an act ex-
hibiting greater self reliance on the part of a little
boy only 14 years of age than I have almost ever wit-
nessed in so young a lad. The boy named Frederick
Perriane, of No. 11, Clarence-road, Exmouth, had
occasion to go from some place near Exmouth in a
small dingy, when the tide suddenly swept him out
into the open sea. It was blowing hard from the north-
east, on the poor little fellow got up his tiny mast
and sail, and ran along the coast in the vain hope
of finding some sheltered spot where he could land.
He saw nothing, however, but the white foam of heavy
breakers, and found himself swiftly driven towards
them. When within a few hundred yards of Dawlish
Beach he let go his tiny anchor, and lowered both mast
and sail, upon the slight chance of holding on until the
sea subsided a little. It was at this time (about one
o'clock) that on going to the front of my house (which
faces the sea) I first observed him, and not being so
active as I once was, I called a naval friend who was
with me, and who observing as I had done the
imminent peril of the poor boy, ran down to the
beach with the intention of going off in the first boat
he could get which would live in such a sea. He
found Mr. Moran (chief boatman at this coastguard
station) and his men on the alert. In the exercise,
however, of what I conside, ed to be a wise discretion,
Mr. Moran would not risk the lives of his men by
ending either of the boats he had in aid of the poor
,v. 'fhe broken water, with occasional very heavy
lieri, extended for more than 200 yards from the
shore, in which few boats but our coast lifeboats could
have lived five minutes. They had taken the bearings
of the boat since she anchored, and thought that she
would hold on until the tide came in, when the sea
would subside. The poor little fellow, however,
thought differenily, and seeing that utter destruc•
tom awaited him if driven from the poet where he
then was, he got up his mast and sail with mar-
venous rapidity, weighed his anchor, and stood 110 the

VIE

weetwmA almost touching as he went the foam which--
WM dashing from the breaker,. The boat flew to
the westward almost on her bearnends, and selecting,
with lightning precision and decision, the only spot
where he could possibly have landed, he boldly bore
up and dashed his tiny boat into the foaming waters.
My friend and Mr. Moran proceeded to the spot with
beach lines, Ac. and the former describes the scene
las a meet totaling one. The boat flew over the
' first roller like a seagull, when she suddenly be-
calmed, and they momentarily expected that she
would broach to, be rolled over, and knocked to
pieces. The little fellow, however, seemed quite calm
and collected, with his tiller in one hand and the sheet
n the other, when the gale again caught his
sail, and he skimmed over the second roller right
up the beach. Meanwhile I bad telegrahed to Teign-
mouth for the aid of the lifeboat of the National
Inetitution, and she acccordingly etartet with the
greatest rapidity; she was, in fact, on her way to
Dawlish within ten minutes of the receipt of my tele-
gram. She was, however, recalled by the second tele-
gram I despatched indicating the safety of the boy.
My naval friend, an officer of considerable experience,
agrees with me that, in the absence of a lifeboat, the
boy's beet, if not only chance of escape lay in the
course he adopted in runniug under a press of sail right
through the broken water on to the shore, and his
conduct in that respect is a good lemon to others if
similarly placed, by showing them that courage, self-
reliance, and inclement are the chief elements of success
on such occasions.-1 am, Sze.,
ROBERT CRAIGIE, Admiral.