The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-06-22 00:00:00

SHIP LAUNCHES.

On Saturday last, the first of a new class of boats for
the pilot service of this port was launched from the build-
ing yard of Mr. W. Buckley Jones, on the west side of
Brunswick Dock. This vessel, which is to take its place
as No. 6 pilot-boat, was named by Miss Parry, the daugh-
ter of the first master, with the usual formalities, as the
" Pioneer" ; and such she is, as regards her change of
rig and her increased size, as compared with the present
vessels of the pilot fleet. The Pioneer is beautifully mo-
delled ; and we are confident that she will prove herself
in every respect an excellent ♦essel, and a signal improve-
ment upon the old cutter-rigged vessels. Her dimen-
sions are—

17 „ 5 inches.

72 feet.

Length
Beam..
Depth
Her register is about 86 tons.
She is schooner-rigged ; and is built upon lines, similar to
those of the American pilot-boats, which are celebrated
throughout the world as splendid specimens of naval mo-
delling. Her bow is long, and very graceful. The deck
is fore and aft ; and her cabins are superior in comfort to
those of the present boats. Her rate of sailing is expected
to be very great. She moved off the stocks in beautiful
style; and, when afloat, her appearance 'elicited a tribute
of admiration from all who witnessed her seat upon the
waters. A little fear was manifested after the launch,
owing to the fact that a large vessel, launched shortly
afterwards from Messrs. Vernon's yard, had slightly
grazed her quarter. No harm, however, was done by the
collision, a few touches of the painter's brush being amply
sufficient to repair the injury.
After the launch, from 80 to 100 ladies and gentlemen
were invited by Mr. W. Buckley Jones, the builder, to a
dejeuner, which was provided upon a scale of great pro-
fusion in the model-room attached to the premises. Mr.
Cooke, superintendant of pilots, occupied the chair; Mr.
W. Buckley Jones, the builder, beinc, in the vice chair.
On the dejeuner being concluded, Mr. Cooke, having pre-
mised that the company present appeared to him to be
friends of the men engaged in the pilot service of the port
of Liverpool, and that the Queen of this realm was deeply
interested in all who pursued a sea-faring life, proposed
the health of •" Her Majesty," which was given with
three times three cheers, the company standing to respond
to the toast.

The health of Prince Albert and the Royal Family was
next given, and responded to enthusiastically with musi-
cal honours.

The next toast was the health of Mr. JONES, the
builder of the Pioneer, who, in responding, stated that,
on the last occasion of a launch from his yard, when he
had completed the ship Loodiana. he said that he could
handle an axe better than he could make a speech. He
was happy to see so many smiling faces around him, and
especially those of so many ladies. They were always
sure to succeed in any enterprise when the ladies smiled
their approval. He liked the sight of the vessel when she
was afloat, and was confident that she would fulfil the
expectations of himself and of those connected with her.
Mr. Jones commented upon the excellent manner in
which the pilot service of this port was conducted. Some
complaints had been urged against it by the press of this
town, but a great reaction had taken place. The pilots
of Liverpool were bound to keep out of the port in all
weathers, and no men risked their lives more freely. They
ought to be well paid ; and if the present excellent
establishment was not kept up, it would be a disgrace to
the town of Liverpool. There might be some persons
foisted into the Pilots' Committee who would be ,di-p )sed
to undervalue the services of the pilots, as they were in
the habit of screwing the poor people who were under
them ; but the merchants of Liverpool and all nautical
men would admit that the pilots were underpaid rather
than overpaid. He had himself felt it an honour to be
permitted to build this boat, and he was confident that it
would be a successful effort. His son was now laying
down another on the floor ; and if he was intrusted to
build two or three more, he was certain that they would
" whip" anything that had been produced before them.
The CHAIRMAN proposed the health of Mr. Parry, the
master, and of the second master of the boat, Mr. Davies,
and stated that Mr. Parry had, at his own instance,
originated the movement for increasing the size and alter-
ing the rig of the pilot boats of the port.
Mr. PARRY returned thanks. He had always been of
opinion that whilst increasing the size of the boats it was
necessary to alter the rig. A larger sized cutter vessel
would require a much larger sail, and he thought that in
the schooner form the vessels would be easier to handle.
He had explained his views to the Pilots' Committee, as
to altering the size and rig, and they had granted his
request. He was very sanguine that the boat just launched
would realise all the expectations which had been raised
in her behalf.
Mr. DAVIES, the second master, also returned thanks
in a neat speech.
Mr. JONES proposed the health of Mr. Hughes, which
was briefly responded to.
The CHARMAN next gave the health of Mr. Edwards,
a gentleman who had taught a great number of those
employed in the pilot service the way to handle a ship.
Mr. EDWARDS returned thanks. He had seen a great
deal of service as a pilot, having been 28 years engaged in
it as master. He was now of the age which every man
with a good constitution might hope to attain—three score
years and ten. He had been glad to see that many of the
pilots of the port, who had been his own apprentices, had
advanced themselves, and that modern improvements in
shipbuilding were being carried out. It was necessary to
keep pace with the times, but be did not think that pilot
boats should especially depend upon their fast sailing
qualities. The safety of this port depended upon the
boats being between the banks and the shipping outside.
In his early days there were only seven buoys in approach-
ing Liverpool, and no lights, yet they always managed to
make the port. -At that time about 120 vessels was the
number which a pilot boat brought into Liverpool in the
course of a year. The great reliance in bis time was upon
the " blue pigeon"—the lead. It was the grand thing in
seamen's life to attend to the lead ; and there had
been few accidents at sea, especially with steamers,
which might not be attributed to neglect in heaving
the lead. He was happy to see so many of his old friends
around him on this occasion. He had himself built a
pilot-boat in 1816, and she was not now dead. She had
been condemned as unfit to carry the 12 or 14 people en-
gaged in the pilot service ; but she had since been carry-
ing slates between Bangor and Liverpool; and he did not
think that she had had £5OO laid out upon her in repairs.
Mr.EDWARDS proposed the " Ladies," and Mr. HUGHEs
in a very neat speech, returned thanks on their behalf.
The health of Miss PARRY, who had christened the
boat, was given, and was responded to by Mr. JOHN
WILLiAms, master of No. 3 Boat.

Various other toasts were given and responded to ; and
the company present enjoyed themselves until a late hour
in the afternoon.

LAUNCH OF THE " HAGGERSTONE."—On the same
day as the launch of the " Pioneer," Messrs. Vernon
and Co. launched from their yard, west side of the
Brunswick Dock, the " Haggerstone," an iron vessel, 500
tons burthen, intended for the carriage of coals between
Newcastle and London. The " Haggerstone" is a fine
model, sharp in the bows, and moulded so as to get well
rid of the dead water astern. She is intended to carry a
screw-propeller ; and is adapted for stowing 600 tons of
coal as cargo. Amidships she is very full ; and she has a
tank in her bottom for carrying water as ballast. Her
dimensions are : length of keel, 160 feet ; beam, 25 feet ;
depth of hold, 15 feet. She is owned by a Newcastle
firm ; her engines and boilers were made by Messrs.
James Watts and Co., of Bolton, and she was towed
down to the Clarence Dock to receive these, which, it
was said, would be put in and fitted on Saturday after-
noon. Her rig is to be that of a two-masted schooner,
with latteen sails. She went beautifully off the stocks,
and her floatage upon the water was very graceful.
Messrs. Vernon and Co. have a companion vessel on the
stocks, besides a flat-boat, of about 600 tons burthen,
destined for Austria. to ply on the Danube with wheat.
They have orders for ten boats of the latter build, which
must be executed within the present year ; they have also
the keels preparing for three iron schooner yachts for
Austria. After the launch of the " Haggerstone," a
d6jeuner was provided, of which a highly respectable com-
pany partook in the model-room of the building-yard.

SERIOUS GAS EXPLOSION.—On Saturday night, soon
after twelve o'clock, Mr. Hignett, of Marsden-street,
Low-hill, engineer, perceiving a strong smell of gas in the
back parlour, entered the room with a lighted candle. A
terrific explosion immediately ensued. The back wall of
the house was blown down from top to bottom, and Mr.
Hignett was projected with considerable force through the
space thus left into the garden. The floor of the top back
bedroom being deprived of its outside stay, bellied in, and
appeared every moment about to come down, a contin-
gency which was rendered more probable by the falling in
of the ceiling. At the time the ceiling gave way, Mr.
Hignett's little daughter was asleep in the bed, but most
providentially escaped without injury. The front part of
the house was much shattered, and the large coping
stones over the windows were cracked in all directions.
Mr. Hignett was severely scorched, but sustained no
material injury. It appears that, in the course of the
evening, some men had been repairing the chandelier,
and had left an escape of gas. In such cases persons
cannot be too careful. When an escape of gas is per-
ceived in a room, the window should be thrown open
before a light is introduced.
HEALTH COMMITTEE.—At the weekly meeting on
Thursday, Mr. James Morrison was appointed assistant
surveyor of buildings, in the place of Mr. Thomas
Charnock, resigned. A letter was read from Mr. Fulton,
head-clerk in the engineer's office, containing his resig-
nation, he having received the appointment of town
surveyor of Dundee. The resignation was accepted.
The medical officer of health reported, that during the
week ending on the 12th instant, 146 deaths were regis-
tered in the parish of Liverpool, and 68 in the out-
townships, making 214 in the borough, against 213 in the
previous week, and an average of 209 in the cor-
responding week of the preceding four years. De-
ducting 114 deaths from cholera in the same weak of
1849, the increase of mortality last week was 31 over the
average. The increased mortality of the last fortnight
was probably owing, in part, to the damp and variable
weather which has prevailed of late. The town-clerk
reported the successful opposition to two bills in parlia-
ment. The Telegraph Company had at length consented
to introduce the clauses which were required. These
prevent them from tearing up the streets without the
written consent of the committee, or from laying their
wires in any objectionable direction. The Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway Company had also been defeated ;
and a clause had been put into their bill, by which, before
they could stop up Love-lane, they must lay to the ad-
joining street, Chadwick-street, a wide strip of land,
which would make it 80 feet wide, and pave it. If the
Corporation thought fit to buy more land, so as to in-
crease the width of the whole street, the company were
bound to pay £3OO towards the cost of it.7lt was re-

some time ago

aat several

houses had been built

ported
by the
Dock,
the bu

rust within the gates of the Huskisson
the plans being submitted to Mr. Ri

x ; and a report was now sa

deClaringhii opinion that the Do

provisions of the

'sation, it wa

A'ason, the dock