Year: 1872

The London journals contsin tn


following letter, addressed to TIL


Secretary of the Royal Naticnsl Life


Boat Institution:


My Dear Sir :: An incident occur


red here on the 18th which l think


calls for a brief report, as showing


both the promptitnde with which the


Teignmouth life-boat answered an


appeal for assistance, and recording


most skilful and daring act OF sea


manship, An act exhibiting greater
self-relianee on the part of little


boy fourteen years Of age than l have
almost ever witnessed in so young a
lad. The boy, named Frederick Per-
riane, OF No. ii Clarence road, Ex-


mouth, had occasion to go TO some
place near Exmouth, in small dingy,
when the tide suddenly swept him
out into the open sea. It was blow
ing hard from the northeast, so the
poor little fellow got up his tiny mast
and sail and ran along the coast in
the vain hope of finding some shell
tered spot where he could land. He
saw nothing, however, but the white
foam of heavy breakers, and found
himself swiftly drawn towards them.


When within q few hundred yards
Of Dawlish beach he let go his tiny
anchor and lowered both mast and
sailed upon the slight chance ofhold-
ing on until the sea subsidized little.


1T was at this time (about one
o'clock that on going to the front Of
my house, which faces the sea, 1 first
observed him, and not being so ac-
tive as / once was, i called naval
friend who was with me, and who,
observing IS / had done the imminent
peril of the poor boy, ran down to
the beach with the intention Of going
eff in the first boat he could get which
would live in such sea. He found
mr. Moran, chief boatmsn at this
cosstguard station, and his men on
the alert. In the exercise, however,
of what I consider to be 8 wise dis
cretion, Mr.. Moran would not risk
the lives of bis men 0y sending either
Of the boats he had in aid of the poor
boy. The broken water, with the
occasional very heavy rollers, extend
ed for more than two hundred yards
from the shore, in which few boats
but our cast life-boats could not have
lived five minutes. They have taken
the bearings of the boat since she
anchored, and thought that she would
hold on until the tide comes in when
the sea would subside.


"The poor little fellow, however,
thought differently, and seeing that
utter destruction awaited him il driv
en- from the spot where he then was,
be got up his mast and sail with mar
velOus rapidity, weighed his anchor
and stood to the westward, almost
touching as he went the foam that
was dashing from the breakers. The
boat flew to the westward almost on
her beam ends, and, selecting with
lightning precision and decision the
only spot where he could have land
ed, he boldly bore up and dashed his
tiny boat into the foamiDg waters.
My friend and Mr.. Moran proceeded
to the spot with beach lines, &e, and
the former describes the scene as a
most touching one. the boat flew
over the first roller like a ses-gull,
when she was suddenly Secslmed,
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 tiller in one
hand and the sheet in the other, when
the gale again caught the sail, and
he skinned over the second roller
right up to the beach. Meanwhile i
had te'egraphed to Teignmouth for
the aid Of the life-boat OF tbe Nation
al Institution, and she accordingly
started with the greatest rapidity.
She was, in fact, on her way to Daw.
Iish within ten minutes Of the receipt
Of my telegram. She was, however,
recalled by second telegram l des
patched indicating tie safety OF the
boy.


my naval friend fan officer OF con-
siderable experience, agrees with
me that in the absence of life boat,
the boys best, if not only chance OF
escape lay IN the course he adopted
in running under press Of sail night
through the broken water on to the
shore, and his conduct in that respect
is a good lesson to others if similarly
placed by showing them that courage,
self-reliance and judgment are the
chief elements of success on such oe-
casions.


"I am, &c, RoBERT GRAIGIE, Ad-
miral.


'Dawlish, South Devon, Nov 16.