The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-13 00:00:00

NOBLE LIFEBOAT SERVICES.

Mr. Henry Pye transmits the following report
from the cockswain of the lifeboat North Briton,
stationed at Donna Nook, on the coast of Lincoln :
—" On Sunday last, the weather being very strong,
I, with six others and two horses, at 12 o'clock at
night walked the coast for upwards of four miles in
the direction of Granthorpe Haven, when we dis-
covered a schooner on the sands, which the crew,
consisting of three men, were about to leave. Her
name was the Mary Ann, of Whitby, in ballast.
The men being strangers and much fatigued, we
took them back to Donnallook on the horses. There
I put them to bed, and at 2.30 the same night we
again left the Nook and went back to the schooner
and moored her, and while there we discovered
another schooner throwing up signals of distress and
burning tar barrels between Mr. Pye's house and
the station, when we immediately returned, it being
then about 5 o'clock a.m., and sent messengers for
the crew and the launching men, and at daylight,
about 7 a.m., hoisted my flag to expedite the crew,
which signal was also seen by the crew of the
schooner. We got the boat off about 8 a.m., but
the heavy gale holding up the tide the horses had to
go a mile and a quarter, belly deep, before reaching
the outer bank of sand, so as to get to the windward
of the schooner ; but the tide running so rapidly,
backed up by the wind, the launching men, being
up to their armpits in water, could not stand to pull
the boat off the truck, and were obliged to get into ,
the boat, when we shoved her off the truck and over
the bank, and with great difficulty reached the
schooner, which proved to be the Esk, from Montrose,
in ballast. After making fast the boat by anchor
and ropes we succeeded in getting six hands aboard
the boat, and brought them back as far as the above
bank, where she grounded, where all hands, except
the crew of the schooner, got out, and, up to their
middle in water, dragged the boat as far as they
could. Not being able to get clear, all got out ex-
cept myself, and waded up to their michre upwards
of a mile to the station-house, which they reached
about 12.30, but all so frozen and starved that it
was necessary to send for a medical man, who re-
stored most of them before he left, one coastguards-
man being still under treatment, though better this
morning. I remained with my boat and truck to
secure them from loss or damage, and did not get
up till late at night, when I found that none of the
farmers would let their horses go out again, they
being so perished as to petit their lives. 1 then
waded back to my boat with another coastguards-
man, when we discovered a third schooner, at 6
a.m., with signals of distress flying, nearly eight
miles away. When I got back to the station again
I sent for the crew and launchtnen, but none of the
neighbouring farmers would allow their horses to go
out again ; indeed, they could scarcely keep them
alive from their first exposure to the cold, so I was
obliged to abandon the effort to get to the vessel,
and it was not till the evening of the day that I
could get any horses to bring back the boats to the
station. The gale having been considerably mode-
rated, we got her up without sustaining any injury.
never experienced a more trying time for seamen
and horses. I never had my clothes off from the
Saturday night till the Tuesday night, or any rest,
being soaked through all Monday and Tuesday.
The crew of the third schooner referred to were