ttom would inevitably let water in instead
of out! The difficulty was cleared up when we saw the model.
Beeching's boat had a double floor, the upper one raised to a little
above the level of the sea. The escapes were short metal pipes, the
upper openings of which were fitted into holes in the upper floor. The
lower ends passed through the bottom of the boat. The valves of the top
opened downward, but could not be opened upwards, so that the rushing of
the sea into the pipes from below was checked, but the rushing in of the
sea from above pressed the valves open, and allowed the water to run
out, in accordance with the well-known law that water must find its
_level_. Thus, the _upper_ floor being above the _level_ of the sea,
all the water ran out.

Boats on this principle, modified in some of the details by Mr Peake,
of Her Majesty's dockyard at Woolwich, are now adopted by the Lifeboat
Institution. They right themselves in less than a minute, and free
themselves of water in about the same time.

Besides the above advantages, Mr Beeching's boat was fitted with the
usual air-cases round the sides, and with a thick stripe of cork outside
the gunwale; also with lines hanging over the sides in festoons, so that
any one in the water, using them as stirrups, might get into the boat
with ease. She was further provided with an anchor and cable; with
strong but light lines attached to grappling irons at the bow and stern,
which, when thrown into the rigging or upon a wreck, might fasten
themselves to the ship and retain the boat without any other aid; also
with a life-buoy, and a lantern for night work, besides numerous small
articles.

This boat was purchased by the Harbour Commissioners of Ramsgate, and
anchored close to the pier, in connexion with a powerful steam-tug (the
fires of which were never allowed to die down), ready at any moment to
fly to the rescue, on the signal of distress being given. This is the
boat whose splendid deeds have so frequently of late drawn the attention
and compelled the admiration of the whole country; and it was this boat
that issued from Ramsgate harbour on the wild night referred to at the
beginning of this chapter.

Both tide and wind were dead against them as they issued from the
shelter of the pier and met the storm, but the steamer was very
powerful; it buffeted the billows bravely, and gradually gained the
neighbourhood of the Sands, where the breakers and cross seas beat so