The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-06 00:00:00

wet
inasmuch as tliat if she were nj or Usti with a
sea she must then infallibly sink. .'tits, howisee?,'a life-
boat is provided with a large amount o f extra-huoyant
power, she may with impunity ha vc a ' ckisi.-is;ro:6
amount of ballast of any description wi thin her.',,Te I 0 Ay
here olis,rve t'.at bal..st of t:ome kin i 1J very ceri;irilo- -
tire to the efficiency of a life-boat. N, it only must ifiVa .11,
is her Aandity and thereby to liar saft tty, but in propor-
tion to the heaviness of the sat ci.e,t weight become
necessary to insure speed, its mornentnaii being requisite
to withstand the blow of e,.-..i, snen.e.i; no- 1-----
. ..:11:. ,-.• Air
~..ie same
manner that the fly - , ~,
,„..... .sine, or other
rim chine, regulates anu economises t be rn., ,tive power, and
compensates for its irregular or ii.‘tei-nittent action.
'Vl‘e. north country, or Great head, lik_bo at, have gene-
rally no ballast, their great breadth of heat a being relied
on for stability ; but some of them have WA ter let into A
tank, constructed for the purpose in the mid,..hips of the
boat beneath the deck. Beeching's life-boats were also
ballat ted with water on the same principle ; but through
a difficulty in securing the filling of the tanks, and in
preventing the escape of the water from them, serious
accidents accompanied with loss of life, occurred to
three of those boats. Water-ballast in an enclosed tank,
if Pr"l'' rly secured, is we think better than loose water,
such al we described in the Norfolk boats ; but we prefer
solid ballast to either, as it can be more advantageously
plac3,:, and is more manageable, and less liable to accident.
Mr. Peake's life boats are ballasted with heavy iron keels,
and a ith solid wood arid cork ballast stowed under their
decks ; which latter, in the event of their being stove
in and the space under the deck filling,with water, would
then form extra buoyancy as well, thus fulfilling both
purpor-es.
4. A f sorts property, that of self-righting if upset, is
not a universal principle in life-boats, alt.'iougla we must
consider it a most important one it being c nly possessed
by those of Mr. Peake's and of ifr. Beeching's construc-
tion. IL has been objected to by some boat-buildera,
from the impression that other more necessary qualities,
and esp _cially that of stability, tritest be sacrificed to ob-
taM it ; this, however, is a legacy, as we have endea-
voured to pr,,ve at length in a former niimixtr of this
journal (No. 19, page 125); the fact that the veiy means
which are employed to produce sell righting add to the
stability of a boat, and improve her in other reapects.
That the property of self-righ ing may be useful is proved
by the fact that on the only two occasions when self-
righting boats belonging to the National Life-boat In-
stitution, the trAis have been enabled to get into them
again, and that their lives have thereby been saved.
The self-righting power is obtained by
the following means .—lst. The boat is built
with considerable sheer of gunwale, the bow
and stern being from 1 ft. 6 in. to 2 ft. higher than the
sides of the boat at her centre ; and the space within
the boat at either extremity, to the distance of from 3 to
4 i ft. from the stern and stern posts, to gunwale height,
is then enclosed by a sectional bulkhead and a ceiling,
and so convertcl into a water-tight air-chamber, the
cubical contents of which, from the thwarts upwards,
are sufficient to bear the whole weight of the boat when
she is placed in the water in an inverted position, or
keel upwards. 2dly. A heavy iron keel (from 4 to 8 cwt.)
is attached, and a nearly equal weight of light wood or
cork ballast is stowed betwixt the boat's floor and the
deck. No other measures are necessary to be taken in
order to effect the self-regulating power. When the boat ia
forcibly placed in the water with 'her keel upwards, she
is floated unsteadily on the two air chambers at bow and
stern, whilst the heavy iron keel and other ballast being
then carried above the centre of gravity, an unstable
equilibrium is at once effected, and the weight of the
iron keel, falling over on one side, immediately restores
the boat to her proper position—in other words, she
aelf-rights.
5. -A fifth property is lateral stability, commonly
called stiffness, being the tendency to preserve an upright
position in the water, and proportionate resistance to
upsetting. This property is of course held in common by
all boats, but is more especially essential to life-boats,
they being more exposed to the risk of upsetting than
any others. As explained under the head of ballasting,
it is obtained in life-boats by either breadth of beam or
by ballast. In Mr. Peake's boats very great stability:is
obtained by an iron keel and other solid ballast, and
by flatness and length -of floor, with moderate beam
only.

6. A sizth and most essential property is speed. 'We
say most essential, since without speed or capability of
being propelled a heavy sea and head wind, the safest
boat in the world would be useless, as she couid not be
conveyed from shore to a wreck, frequently against a
series of breakers of the most formidable description.
As in ordinary boats, propelled by oars, the grea;•.est
speed can be obtained by sharpness of bow and, within
certain limits, narrowness of beam. Here, however, the
similarity ceases ; for whereas great lightness is an ad-
vantage in perfectly smooth water and calm weather—
as stated under the head " ballasting"—weight is essen-
tial in a heavy sea, and especially a broken sea, in which
the light boat will lose her way or be beaten back by
each heavy sea as it strikes her, whist the heavier boat
will by her own inertia carry her way through or over
the seas. In a life-boat height of bow and stern is also
necessary to prevent the seas from breaking over and
filling the boat ; for, if sharpness of form be preserved
quite up to thegunwale, the height of end will not chtilk
a b .at's way so much as will a sea breaking into and ball-
filling her. Speed is not, however, alone necessary to
enable a life-boat to force her way through the lines of
breaking seas which form an almost impassable barrier
between a lee shore and a wreck ; we believe that it also
adds greatly to her safety ; fur if she lose her wAy on

. -
1 -
meeting a very heavy broken sea or roller, she may not
only be beaten back by it, but be thrown end over esid
or broadsi ,e to it, and be upset ; but if she retain her
way, she can be kept bow to the sea until it has passed
her, when she will again gather additional speed in
readiness to meet with impunity the succeeding wave.
Ou account of the isolated position of life beats, placed
at distant intervals along the coast, there will rarely
happen any opportunity for testing two boats of different
construction in company with each other in a heavy sea,
so as t. form a correct comparative estimate of their
power or speed. Judging, however, from the received
reports of Mr. Peake's boats, we have no doubt that
they are equal in speed and power to any, and superior
to most that exist.

A seventh quality is stowage-room for passengers. It
is of course desirable that a life-boat should have as large
an amount as possible of stowage room, as she might
have t) proceed to the wreck of an emigrant vessel, or
other pasecng -r ship, when it would be important that
she should take on board a large number of persons so
as to rescue the whole in as few trips as possible. The
principal object in view will therefore be to distribute
the air-chambers, forming the extra buoyancy of the
boat, in ruch a manner as to occupy no more than can
be helped of any space which would be available for the
stowage of passengers. Life-boats .vary much in Vois
respect. It is a requirement which Las been especially
studied in Mr. Peake's boats.
8. The eighth and last quality which we have to con-
sider is strength. As a life-boat is liable to be thrown
heavily on a beach by the sea, or to be knocked with
violence against a vessel's side or to come in contact

spars or broke❑ wreck floating in the water, she of
necessity must be veryEtronglAuilt : in this respect Mr.
P. ake's boats will bear competition with any others.
(Lien follows a description, accompanied by diagrams
of the life boat, for which we must refer the reader to the

'` Lilo Boat Journal," which can be had of any bookseller
For 2d.)

ACCIDENT ON THE THORNE RAILWAY.—An accident
of an alarming though happily not very serious character
incurred on the recently opened branch` of the South
l'orlt,hire Railway, which runs fram Doncaster to
'Nome, on Saturiay. The passenger train which left the
latter place at 10 a.m, had several coal waggons attached
to it, and on reaching a, place called the "coal drop," just
,oitsi.le of Doncaster, the embankment on which tho line
runs gave wayond several of the waggons were instantly,
tLrown over, and the whole train was brought to a stand-
-till. The passenger carriages fortunately retained their
right position, and the persons inside, about 40 in num-
ber, received no further injury than a smart shock and
same degree of fright. Most of the day was occupied in
clearing the line of the debris, but, as the accident hap-
pened at a place where there are two sidings, there was
no iiterruption of the regular traffl,..
THE BIRKENHEAD DOCKS.—The Birkenhead Docks
Committee of the Liverpool Tawn council, at the monthly
meeting, recommended that the tender of Mr. G. Thom-
son and Co., the eminent contractors, be taken for deep-
ening the Wallasey Pool, and the construction of works
c•mnected therewith, at the sum of 123,18 G/. Mr. Al-
derman S. Holme, in moving the confirmation of the le-
commendation, coograto',..ted the council and the town
on the adoption of definite measures in connection with
the important estate on the Cheshire side of the Mersey.
The estimate, for the confirmation of which he was ask'
ing the approval of the council, was for the excavation,
of the whole of the great float, occupying an area
more than 2,000,000 yards. A number of men would
,„
be immediately placed upon that work, and thatfigtarri:
estate which had been lying so far almost
ucn
i:signAl;ll:l.lanibniae'
Inquiries
ii
tivayl
will
becheerfully answered.
to the public, would in a short time be madue7oPrioielti a
consi !erable revenue and to give great public:: wul
dation. :Negotiations had been held with the
various
d reason to
bodies interested in the question, and be
..,
general
ap.
believe that the plans and details met "'I
ipiarotnveaullatnhdertehawtowulhdenbetnhoe
ocoprppoosriatitoinontonit
recommendation was then confirmed.
went to Par-
scheme. The
interesting cures with-
PinvintrusnusYr.]—We quote soloindsleas:flibaatbnllee-- -3r,
agony from.
Ile constipa-
out medicine of indigestion (dYsPeP___laints, cough, asthma,
tion, nervous, bilious, and liveruovozrry,
Ac orrai sbuiemtptFi oono,da:n_d dFeibfitlyi ty,v
soars
1?
-thinrs„, cough, Constipation, flatu-
s Etomach, and vomiting, have
s delicious Revaleata
Barry's excellent Ileval t A" If
yeas ' 1' '
bycough,i lizttrigryeBstieoxicaliliedong:
Ling, near Dins,. eu aN ria. ica
IblaYenesciPlye,Pis.sLa%oT:sed,r svibocyuksunDeesoss: ; aotr
.ca•
feoliltikee...
icF.aotilorel.Ne—boi.lll7;itJ,,,o,l,blic___
ja p
r Countess of Castlestuart. Cure 52,612.
me intereste
el ldedineols,:feehaysalauiblif suffer
neef I,a's.
From the Dowago „
Ireland,
valeuta Arabiea Food. t.nes orter, Athol-street, Perth.
Countess of Castlestuart feels induced, in the
Rosstrevor, County or Down,
The Dowager
humanity, state that Dn Barry's ex-
iled,Food has cured her, after all
manyindigestion,
years'
standing.bil e , great
This nervous-
nessfoo aof all sufferers, and may be con-
sidered
tod by testimonials . fropa the celebrated Professors o'
viirerictifiliateyn
confidence
suppor
Chemistry Dr, Andrew Vre t. 'hr. Shorland ; Dr. Harvey
Dr. Ca'"Pbell ; Dr. Gattiker ; Det-Wurzer; Dr. Ingra,
Lord Stuart de Deeies; the Dowager ouutcss of ewle
stuart; T.,lajor-Gen. Thomas King, and many other respether
persons, whose health has been restored by it, after altos,
deservaes'd
means (t cure had failed. Suitably packed for all 4.6 - ;
with full instructions. In canisters, 11b.,.25. 9d. ; 211 i., lls.;
51hs., 118.-; 121hs , •225.; super-refined, lib., 6s. ; Stip free,
51bs., 225.; 101bs:, 335. The 101hs. and 121bs. ell Co., 77.
on receipt of post-otqce order. Barry du Barry Purveyors
F.egent.street, London ; Fortnum, Mason, and (Arch-street ;
to her Majesty, Piccadilly ; also at 60, (Iraq 49, Bishops.
330 and 451, Strand; 4, Cheapside; V. Coruhker-Street ; 63
gate-street; 55, Charing-cross; 54, Upper
auti 1.50, Oxicrd•mtreet,