TOPICS OF THE DAY.
HARBO1JRS OF REFUGE.
As we write, the sun shines gloriously, encouraging the hope that, at last, the winter is gone. The melancholy Jacques, had he lived in the year 1859-60, would never have called on Amiens to sing, "Blow, blow, thou wintry wind !"; for he would have had scient evidence of its existence without recourse to song. We have had winters as long, as wet and cold, but never have we had to chronicle such a long array of wintry disasters. From Oc- tober, when there burst upon the Western coast that terrible gale in which we lost the Royal Charter, and with her 400 lives, down to Whitsun week, we have had to mourn, not so much over the actual loss of life, as over the stupid apathy we have dis- played in ignoring all the discoveries of science by which we might have invented and carried out the means of saving human life. When the Royal Charter was lost, observations were col- lected by Admiral Fitzroy, establishing the fact that with the combined aid of the barometer and the telegraph, we might have prepared for the storm, and until its fury had been spent, pre- vented Teasels either going to sea or attempting to make their destined port. Terrible as is the penalty we have paid, the ex- penditure will be cheap, if it rouse us to the performance of our duty in at once commencing the task of fortifying our coasts with the construction of the machinery necessary to prevent the destruction of life.
These things require to be done. Every storm flashes itself on the coast of Cornwall and Ireland, and from these points may be beaten by the telegraph as it progresses around the coast. Baro- meters indicate the coming gale ; the last was heralded by the glass commencing to fall on the 21st of May and continuing to do so till the 26th. We have thus at once a power, if intelli- gently consulted and obeyed, of preventing accidents. But, had we a central station for the collection, registration, and distribu- tion of barometrical indications we might be advertised every fort- night of the desolating elements in their approach. The construc- tion of such a station would not be a costly affair ; a very small sum paid by each port would repay one of the Electric Telegraph Companies, if they undertook the task. A very small addition to the clearing charges of each vessel would repay the harbour- masters. When the machinery is already existent, and the cost so slight, we trust that before another winter is upon us we shall have the plan in operation. ,
' In the recent gales we have had to witness vessels going down with their crews clinging to the masts, in sight of crowds unable to help. Yet the remedy again is comparatively costless. We are told by that praiseworthy society the Royal National Life-boat Institution, that since its formation in 1834, their boats and crews ha‘ze_aaved the lives of 11,407 persons. A life-boat can be organized -10 at little as 300/., and maintained for about 30/. per annum. In every parish on the sea coast, we ought to have such an esta- blishmipat ; the money is no obstacle, and as happily there is no Jack bravery amongst our population, crews can be easily or- ganized. By means of rock-mortar apparatus 260 lives were saved in 1859; the management of such apparatus is easy, and the coast-guard, if provided with the means, could accomplish the task with the help of the neighbouring population, always, to their honour be it said, ready to help. It is, therefore, criminal in us to delay the foundation of life-boats for one more season ; we have the whole machinery, moreover, and mechanism at hand, and the necessary appeal to contributors would soon be followed by active efforts. The Duke of Northumberland has honourably dis- tinguished himself by provision on his own coast, and his efforts have been nobly seconded by those upon whom the duty lies, to contribute the necessary daring to give effect to his munificence. Were all our proprietors to imitate his example, we should not have to deplore the continual recurrence of calamities which, to a large extent, it is in our power to prevent. So much may be said as to voluntary effort. We have, how- ever, to deal also with one means of prevention, which touches on the domain of Government, because not only is the outlay large, but great interests are as much affected as to require Parliament- ary interference. We want harbours of refuge, into which ships can safely run during the continuance of the severest gale. A commission has reported upon the necessity of such harbours, but the report of the able practical men comprising that commission, has been practically shelved. Mr. Lindsay has revived the sub- ject, and taken together the report pointing out the means, and the recent gales proving the necessity, will not permit us to con- tinue our neglect. We have 22 millions of tonnage employed in importing and exporting 300 millions of merchandize. Out of so large a trade, we have a certainty of loss to the extent of a million and a half of pounds sterling. Taking the lowest view of the sub-
ject, i
that expend merely of profit and loss, we refuse to exnd three
millions n the construction of harboura of refuge, and so pay fifty per cent per annum for our neglect. Impressed with the com- mercial view of the matter, the shipowners of the great Northern port—the Tyne—have come forward to cut the knot of difficulty created by the Circumlocution office. For one million, the Tyne, out of and to which the majority of vessels bound from or to the East coast go or come, offers to contribute three-fourths of the out- lay. In a gale, the Tyne is inaccessible, the attempt to make it, generally lands vessels upon the Tynemonth rocks or the adjacent Sands. We have seen thirty vessels stranded there at one time ; and one crew drowned in presence of thousands,
within sound of their voices. After the decisive vote of Commons, we trust Government will at once decide upon clos- ing with the offer of the competent and capable members of the Tyne Commission, into whose hands the completion of the Oat task may be safely resigned. The storm may be left to avenge the fault of ill-found ships commercially ; it is for us to prevent its being avenged upon life. For more than a thousand/ lives are annualk lost on our coast, and this year we shuddeff to think of the n. hber. And as the shipowners and merchants of the Tyne propose to tax themselves to save their property, they are entitled to have their reasonable request complied with,
then they ask for "a mere bagatelle" of a quarter of a
as the imperial contribution for the preservation of life. From Shields, frequently 300 or 400 vessels sail by one tide ; out of one suoh clearance 65 ships and 85 lives were lost. Admitting that a portion of the owners were properly punished by the loss of their vessels, we think it does honour to them -that they offer to pay in money what they now lose in kind. The grand result is first of all to save the life of the mariner. We look to him in an hour of danger to man our fleet. - Yet we refuse to ex- pend a quarter of a million to create a guard for the men whom we may have to ask to fight some day for all that is dear. Let us
just ust to them now, and they will be generous to us. We have a beginning in the magnificent offer from the Tyne ; let us com- mence at once by creating that great river our first harbour of refuge.
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