A NOVEL CRUISER.

Southland Times, Issue 4496, 7 December 1882, Page 2

A NOVEL CRUISER.

It is ac^aU, times pleading to be able to record the performance '.of plucky actions, either on landorwafeK The aptice.ta^en of them serves to itimulafe "dWefs, and the results prove aatisfactory. 'These observations are preliminary to a brief description of a deed, requiring cool judgment-^d coarage, ;wbich'was recently,performed iri mid-bceah. r fomn question arose as to whether the ; Berthon patent collapsing can* vaa lifeboats were fairly entitled to the gold medal accprded-Bome time »|o to their inventor at the exhibition of life-saving appliances, and Captain Harvey, E-NCpdelermined t& put the doubt »t rest, by- undertaking to sail one of theee boat^.pi^wrlv^«tm3,'acrou'the : Atlantic. It wai nibaeqaently arranged that the crew shvuld proceed in.Jthe royal mail steamer. Esseqtlibo, for » distance of from 400. to 600 miles from the Land's r End, t and .then launch the boat, and make the 'best passage they could to Bbuthampton; On August 11, the Ewequibo lef t h«r moorings in Bouthampton, and on the' i4th a most' successful launch was affected, although the wind was high and the ship rolling^ heavily. This took place at 9.60 a.m., and shortly after, the tiny craft, with her adventuresome crew, shaped its course E.N JS., the wind beihgifrora W.N.W. 1 A heavy swell, ■with, much- rain, continued off and on till 10 p.m., when the wind freshened still more from the NAVi, and l the boat, -vyhich was kept under a storm lug, shipped water freely. On tho 15th, there appeared a full-rigged ship on the star* board bow, -when Captain Nicholson, who accompanied Captain Harvey, commenced sounding' bugle calls on his cornet, and playing " Rule Britannia." The big ship did not seem to fancy close company, and steered a wide berth. The .comet proved of value on other occasions, when it was used as a substitute for the fog-horn. ; At noon the weather somewhat cleared; the observation for latitude wag takvn, bat it was difficult to obtain a good horizon. During that might the cold: was most severe. On the 16th, at 4 p.m., the speed by log gave 7} knots; several ships were passed. August 17, 7 a.m., a 6teamer appeared in the distance; also sighted a barque on the port beam, and at once showed colors and sounded the bugle. The n»xt moment the barque filled, and proceeded on her course, probably under the impression that the craft was -.uncanny. The boat's speed by log showed 9.6 knots, still undor storm sail. Altered course to E.S.E., for the Scilly Islands. On the morning of the lfcth, the distance from the Lizard was SO miles, E.N.E; On the 19th, sighted -St Agnes' Light, then the Bishop's Light, and anchored off the town ot St. Mary's. The Governor of these islands received the crew with great hospitality. On August 20, at 3 p.m., they made a start, and at 4 p.m. shaped coarse for the Lizard. On August 22, these bold mariners brought their venturesome expedition to a close, and fully accomplished the purposes lor which it had been undertaken — namely, the capability of a well-found " Berthon boat " to prove instrumental in saving life at sea. The craft was 28 feet by 8 feet 6 inches, by 2 feet G inches, and weighed 21 cwfc The crew consisted of Captain Harvey, R.N., Captain Whallcy Nicholson, Army Reserve, and four A.B.s. There is, therefore, no denying the seaworthiness of the Berthon boats. Their disadvantage and danger lies in the fact that when collapsed, or folded, after immersion, unless previously thoroughly dried, the caoraa is liable jto decay in the seams, quite unnoticed, rendering the boats liable to crack unexpectedly, and consign their occupants to the water.— Army and Navy Gazette.

= [By Tblsg r aph J . LTTTEi/roif, Dec. G. Arrived— Silver Lining, from 2s"ew York.