Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-05-26
THE LADY BLANCHE LIFEB0AT.


THE LADY BLANCHE LIFEBOAT.
He was drunk as usual on his watch,
though there was big gale blowingout
at sea, with gathering sings of q storm
overhead; and it might be that the life-
boat would have some work to do be-
fore morning.
But what did Peter Pencorrow care
about the lifeboat, except for the salary
of Fl week which he drew as its Gus
todian? Nobody I'm the village of Pol
loot had looked with kindly eye on the
arrival of this foolish boat-as they
called (which was to take the s. har-
vestingn out of their mouths. For the
population were wreckers to a man and
woman, and they termed it ssharvest-
ing" when some well-freighted ship
was driven on to the great Needle Rock
off their coast and went to pieces.
Such accidents happen too rarely for
their taste-once year or Whereabouts,
and the booty was often miserably small.
But there had been years within the
memory of some of the inhabitants,
who were not yet old, when dozen
vessels of all sizes had foundered in
single winter, and when the luck of the
wreckers had been large. It was in
winter of this kind that old Peter PEN
corroW had made his fortune. He was
young then, and it was said that he had
picked up a package of diamonds from
the Brazil as his share Of the spoils.
Anyhow, he disappeared from Polloot
and went to live in London, like a gen.
tleman, as some supposed; though 9TH
ers affirmed that he ran through his
money pretty fast, and went through a
multitude of queer adventures afterward.
Twenty five years after his departure he
returned to the village with boy of six
teen and a girl one year younger; and
soon afterward he was appointed custo-
dian of the lifeboat Lady Blanche, which
had been presented to Polloot by the
rich and good Cornish Earl, and chris
tened after his favorite daughter.
Peter Pencorrow was not liked at Pol
loot. 1t was said that he had "blown
the gaff. He was accused of having,
while steward on board an ocean steam
er, told q number of ugly stories to the
Earl and Lady Blanche, who were re-
turning home from tour in America;
insomuch that my lord and his daughter
had made VOW to dedicate lifeboat at
once to the salvation of human life.
There was some talk of blasting the
Needle Rock, and erecting lighthouse
on that dangerous part of the coast.
Engineers had come to take soundings,
and their operations had been watched
with sullen wrath. Harold Trecorpe,
the biggest, most scowling, fisherman in
the Villages fellow whose face looked
murder, and whose mouth never opened
without curse-had sworn that if he
hanged for it Pencorrow; should never
live to see life saved by his boat nor a
vessel warned of danger by the beacon
Peter Pencorrow ceased to be so much
hated. He was worthless scamp, al
ways drunk, and his chosen companion
came TO be Harold Trecorpe, who had
several times threatened his life. Drunk
en- men are not dangerous, save to them
selves, at least such is the popular idea,
and Harold used to laugh an odd mock
ing laugh when anybody talked of what
things the Lady Blanche would do with
her signals, her rockets, and all her
costly and complete apparatus for salv-
age the first time that vessel stood in
peril of touching on that dangerous
Needle.
Three years passed, and the lifeboat
did nothing. They happened to be ex-
ceptionally disastrous, from the Pol
looters' point of view, for though wrecks
enough took place on other parts of the
coast, no craft of any consequence iound-
cred on the Needle. BY this time Har-
old Trecorpe was captain of the life
boats crew. He and seven other men
received f12 year apiece from the
Earl to go out practicing sometimes
with the boat, and to hold themselves
in readiness at any time when their
services might be wanted. If they
saved lives, they were to have
each bounty of 81 on every human
head rescued. Nay, they were to have
fifteen shillings, too, for every dead hui
man body they brought to shore. Thus
had the Earl and his daughter tried to
enlist the cupidity of these men on the
side of humanity. hoping, maybe, that
some higher agencies would work, too,
for the retaining of population as
barbarous and debased as any in these
isles.
Peter Pencorrow lived in q pretty
house which his patron had built for
him near the large white shed where the
lifeboat was kept. There was phar-
macy in the place, with two rooms hold
ing three beds each, which were to be
reserved for half drowned men and
women who might be drawn out of the
sea; and there were great number of
useful appliances for restoring lives that
might be just Pickering out. Some
times the Earl and Lady Blanche would
drive to the village to see If everything
was in good order; but since their car
riage could be seen five miles off as it
wound down the steep road on the rock
side, leading to Polloot, Peter and his
daughter Meg always had about an
hours notice to set things tidy. Peter
now lived alone with his daughter Mar
garet. His son had left him in disgust
to enlist, and Meg only remained with
her to do. She had been cursed at and