THE

HERO OF THE HUMBER;

OR, THE

HISTORY OF THE LATE

MR. JOHN ELLERTHORPE

(FOREMAN OF THE HUMBER DOCK GATES, HULL), BEING A RECORD OF

REMARKABLE INCIDENTS IN HIS CAREER AS A SAILOR; HIS CONVERSION ANDCHRISTIAN USEFULNESS; HIS UNEQUALLED SKILL AS A SWIMMER, AND HISEXPLOITS ON THE WATER, WITH A MINUTE ACCOUNT OF HIS DEEDS OF DARING INSAVING, WITH HIS OWN HANDS, ON SEPARATE AND DISTINCT OCCASIONS, UPWARDSOF FORTY PERSONS FROM DEATH BY DROWNING: TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF HISLAST AFFLICTION, DEATH, ETC. 

BY THE

REV. HENRY WOODCOCK, AUTHOR OF 'POPERY UNMASKED, ' 'WONDERS OF GRACE, ' ETC. 

 'My tale is simple and of humble birth, A tribute of respect to real worth. '

SECOND EDITION. 

LONDON:

_S. W. Partridge, 9, Paternoster Row; Wesleyan Book Room, 66, Paternoster Row; Primitive Methodist Book Room, 6, Sutton Street, Commercial Road, E. ; and of all Booksellers. _

1880. 

ALFORD:

J. HORNER, PRINTER, MARKET-PLACE. 

TO

THE SEAMEN OF GREAT BRITAIN, TO WHOSE

SKILL, COURAGE, AND ENDURANCE, ENGLAND OWES MUCH OF HER GREATNESS, THIS VOLUME--

CONTAINING A RECORD OF THE CHARACTER AND DEEDS OF ONE, WHO, FOR UPWARDS OF THIRTY YEARS, BRAVED THE HARDSHIPS AND PERILS OF A SAILOR'S LIFE, AND

WHOSE GALLANTRY AND HUMANITY

WON FOR HIM THE TITLE

OF

'THE HERO OF THE HUMBER, '

IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, WITH THE EARNEST PRAYER

THAT THEY MAY EMBRACE THAT BENIGN RELIGION

WHICH NOT ONLY RESCUED THE 'HERO' FROM THE EVILS IN WHICH

HE HAD SO LONG INDULGED, AND ENRICHED HIM WITH THE GRACES OF THE

CHRISTIAN CHARACTER, BUT ALSO GAVE

A BRIGHTER GLOW AND GREATER ENERGY

TO THAT

COURAGE, GALLANTRY, AND HUMANITY

BY WHICH HE HAD BEEN LONG DISTINGUISHED. 

THE AUTHOR. 

PREFACE

TO THE SECOND EDITION. 

Mr. Gladstone, in a recent lecture thus defines a hero: quoting Latham'sdefinition of a hero, --'a man eminent for bravery, ' he said he was notsatisfied with that, because bravery might be mere animal bravery. Carlyle had described Napoleon I. As a great hero. 'Now he (Mr. Gladstone) was not prepared to admit that Napoleon was a hero. He wascertainly one of the most extraordinary men ever born. There was morepower concentrated in that brain than in any brain probably born forcenturies. That he was a great man in the sense of being a man oftranscendent power, there was no doubt; but his life was tainted withselfishness from beginning to end, and he was not ready to admit that aman whose life was fundamentally tainted with selfishness was a hero. Agreater hero than Napoleon was the captain of a ship which was run downin the Channel three or four years ago, who, when the ship wasquivering, and the water was gurgling round her, and the boats had beenlowered to save such persons as could be saved, stood by the bulwarkwith a pistol in his hand and threatened to shoot dead the first man whoendeavoured to get into the boat until every woman and child wasprovided for. His true idea of a hero was this:--A hero was a man whomust have ends beyond himself, in casting himself as it were out ofhimself, and must pursue these ends by means which were honourable, thelawful means, otherwise he might degenerate into a wild enthusiast. Hemust do this without distortion or disturbance of his nature as a man, because there were cases of men who were heroes in great part, but whowere so excessively given to certain ideas and objects of their own, that they lost all the proportion of their nature. There were otherheroes, who, by giving undue prominence to one idea, lost the justproportion of things, and became simply men of one idea. A man to be ahero must pursue ends beyond himself by legitimate means. He must pursuethem as a man, not as a dreamer. Not to give to some one ideadisproportionate weight which it did not deserve, and forget everythingelse which belonged to the perfection and excellence of human nature. Ifhe did all this he was a hero, even if he had not very great powers; andif he had great powers, then he was a consummate hero. '

Now, if we cannot claim for the late Mr. Ellerthorpe 'great powers' ofintellect, we are quite sure that all who read the following pages willagree that the title bestowed upon him by his grateful and admiringtownsman, --'The Hero of the Humber, ' was well and richly deserved. Hewas a 'Hero, ' though he lived in a humble cottage. He was a man ofheroic sacrifices; his services were of the noblest kind; he sought thehighest welfare of his fellow-creatures with an energy never surpassed;his generous and impulsive nature found its highest happiness inpromoting the welfare of others. He is held as a benefactor in the fondrecollection of thousands of his fellow countrymen, and he receivedrewards far more valuable and satisfying than those which his Queen andGovernment bestowed upon him: more lasting than the gorgeous pageantriesand emblazoned escutcheon that reward the hero of a hundred battles. 

 The warrior's deeds may win An earthly fame, but deeds by mercy wrought, Are heaven's own register within: Not one shall be forgot. 

The scene of most of his gallant exploits in rescuing human lives was'The river Humber;' hence the title given him by a large gathering ofhis fellow townsmen. 

The noble river Humber, upon which the town of Kingston-upon-Hull isseated, may be considered the Thames of the Midland and NorthernCounties of England. It divides the East Riding of Yorkshire fromLincolnshire, during the whole of its course, and is formed by thejunction of the Ouse and the Trent. At Bromfleet, it receives the littleriver Foulness, and rolling its vast collection of waters eastward, in astream enlarged to between two and three miles in breadth, washes thetown of Hull, where it receives the river of the same name. Opposite toHedon and Paul, which are a few miles below Hull, the Humber widens intoa vast estuary, six or seven miles in breadth, and then directs it'scourse past Great Grimsby to the German Ocean, which it enters at SpurnHead. No other river system collects waters from so many important townsas this famous stream. 'The Humber, ' says a recent writer, 'resemblingthe trunk of a vast tree spreading its branches in every direction, commands, by the numerous rivers which it receives, the navigation andtrade of a very extensive and commercial part of England. '

The Humber, between its banks, occupies an area of about one hundred andtwenty-five square miles. The rivers Ouse and Trent which, united, formthe Humber, receive the waters of the Aire, Calder, Don, Old Don, Derwent, Idle, Sheaf, Soar, Nidd, Yore, Wharfe, &c. , &c. 

From the waters of this far-famed river--the Humber--Mr. Ellerthorperescued thirty-one human beings from drowning. 

For the rapid sale of 3, 500 copies of the 'Life of the Hero, ' the Authorthanks a generous public. A series of articles extracted from the firstedition appeared in '_Home Words_. ' An illustrated article also appearsin Cassell's '_Heroes of Britain in Peace and War_, ' in which the writerspeaks of the present biography as '_That very interesting book in whichthe history of Ellerthorpe's life is told_. (P. 1. 2. PART XI. ) TheAuthor trusts that the present edition, containing an account of '_TheHero's_' last affliction, death, funeral, etc. , will render the workadditionally interesting. 

 THE WRITER. 

 _53, Leonard Street, Hull, Aug. 4th, 1880. _

CONTENTS. 

CHAP. PAGE

I. His wicked and reckless career 1

II. His conversion and inner experience 6

III. His Christian labours 14

IV. His staunch teetotalism 22

V. His bold adventures on the water 31

VI. His method of rescuing the drowning 44

VII. His gallant and humane conduct in rescuing the drowning 51

VIII. The honoured hero 95

IX. His general character, death, etc. 116

X. The hero's funeral 122

The Hero of the Humber. 

CHAPTER I. 

HIS WICKED AND RECKLESS CAREER AS A SAILOR. 

The fine old town of Hull has many institutions of which it isdeservedly proud. There is the Charter house, a monument of practicalpiety of the days of old. There is the Literary and PhilosophicalInstitute, with its large and valuable library, and its fine museum, each of which is most handsomely housed. There is the new Town Hall, thework of one of the town's most gifted sons. There is the tall columnerected in honour of Wilberforce, in the days when the representativesof the law were expected to obey the laws, and when the cultivation of aphilanthropic feeling towards the negro had not gone out of fashion. There is the Trinity House, with its magnificent endowments, which havefor more than five centuries blessed the mariners of the port, and whichis now represented by alms-houses, so numerous, so large, so externallybeautiful, and so trimly kept as to be both morally and architecturallyamong the noblest ornaments of the town. There is the Port of HullSociety, with its chapel, its reading-rooms, its orphanage, its seaman'smission, all most generously supported. There is that leaven of ancientpride which also may be classed among the institutions of the place, and which operates in giving to a population by no means wealthy a habitof respectability, and a look for the most part well-to-do. But amongnone of these will be found the institution to which we are about torefer. The institution that we are to-day concerned to honour iscompact, is self-supporting, is eminently philanthropic, has done moregood with very limited means than any other, and is so much an object oflegitimate pride, that we have pleasure in making this uniqueinstitution more generally known. A life-saving institution that has inthe course of a few brief years rescued about fifty people fromdrowning, and that has done so without expectation of reward, deservesto be named, and the name of this institution is simply that of acomparatively poor man--John Ellerthorpe, dock gatekeeper, at theentrance of the Humber Dock. '

Such was the strain in which the _Sheffield Daily Telegraph_, in aLeader (March 17th, 1868), spoke of the character and doings of him whoma grateful and admiring town entitled 'The Hero of the Humber. '

[Sidenote: HIS NATIVITY. ]

He was born at Rawcliffe, a small village near Snaith, Yorkshire, in theyear 1806. His ancestors, as far as we can trace them, were allconnected with the sea-faring life. His father, John Ellerthorpe, owneda 'Keel' which sailed between Rawcliffe and the large towns in the WestRiding of Yorkshire, and John often accompanied him during his voyages. His mother was a woman of great practical sagacity and unquestionablehonesty and piety, and from her young John extended many of the high andnoble qualities which distinguished his career. Much of his childhood, however, was passed at the 'Anchor' public house, Rawcliffe, kept by hispaternal grandmother, where he early became an adept swearer and a loverof the pot, and for upwards of forty years--to use his own language--hewas 'a drunken blackard. '

When John was ten years of age his father removed to Hessle. About thistime John heard that flaming evangelist, the Rev. William Clowes, preachnear the 'old pump' at Hessle, and he retired from the service with goodresolutions in his breast, and sought a place of prayer. Soon after heheard the famous John Oxtoby preach, and he says, 'I was truly convertedunder his sermon, and for sometime I enjoyed a clear sense offorgiveness. ' His mother's heart rejoiced at the change; but from hisfather, who was an habitual drunkard, he met with much opposition andpersecution, and being but a boy, and possessing a very impressionablenature, John soon joined his former corrupt associates and cast off, forupwards of thirty years, even the form of prayer. 

[Sidenote: HIS LOVE OF THE WATER. ]

Ellerthorpe was born with a passion for salt water. He was reared on thebanks of a well navigated river, the Humber, and, in his boyhood, heliked not only to be on the water, but _in_ it. He also accompanied hisfather on his voyages, and when left at home he spent most of his timein the company of seamen, and these awakened within him the tastes andambition of a sailor. He went to sea when fourteen years of age, and forthree years sailed in the brig 'Jubilee, ' then trading between Hull andLondon. The next four years were spent under Captain Knill, on board ofthe 'Westmoreland, ' trading between Hull and Quebec, America. Afterwardshe spent several years in the Baltic trade. When the steam packet, 'Magna Charter, ' began to run between Hull and New Holland, John becamea sailor on board and afterwards Captain of the vessel. He next becameCaptain of a steamer that ran between Barton and Hessle. He then sailedin a vessel between Hull and America. In 1845, he entered the service ofthe Hull Dock Company, in which situation he remained up to the time ofhis death. 

[Sidenote: HIS YOUTHFUL CAREER. ]

Fifty years ago our sailors, generally speaking, were a grossly wickedclass of men. A kind of special license to indulge in all kinds of sinwas given to the rough and hardy men whose occupation was on the mightydeep. Landsmen, while comfortably seated round a winter's fire, listening to the storm and tempest raging without, were not only struckwith amazement at the courage and endurance of sailors in exposingthemselves to the elements, but, influenced by their imagination, magnified the energy and bravery that overcame them. Peasants gazed withwild astonishment on the village lad returned, after a few yearsabsence, a veritable 'Jack tar. ' The credulity of these delightedlisteners tempted Jack to 'spin his yarns, ' and tell his tales ofnautical adventures, real or imaginary. Hence, he was everywhere greetedwith a genial and profuse hospitality. The best seat in the house, thechoicest drinks in the cellar, were for Jack. Our ships of commerce, like so many shuttles, were rapidly weaving together the nations of theearth in friendly amity. Besides, a romantic sentiment and feeling, generated to a great extent by the victories which our invincible navyhad won during the battles of the Nile, and perpetuated by Nelson'ssublime battle cry, 'England expects every man to do his duty, ' helpedto swell the tide of sympathy in favour of the sailor. Under thesecircumstances Jack became Society's indulged and favoured guest; and yethe remained outside of it. 'Peculiarities incident to his profession, and which ought to have been corrected by education and religion, becameessential features of character in the public mind. A sailor became anidea--a valuable menial in the service of the commonwealth, but asstrange and as eccentric in his habits as the walk of some amphibiousanimal, or web-footed aquatic on land. To purchase a score of watches, and to fry them in a pan with beer, to charter half a dozen coaches, andinvite foot passengers inside, while he 'kept on deck, ' or in any way toscatter his hard earnings of a twelvemonth in as many hours, wasconsidered frolicsome thoughtlessness, which was more than compensatedby the throwing away of a purse of gold to some poor woman in distress. 'Land-sharks and crimps beset the young sailor in every sea port; lowmusic halls and dingy taverns and beer shops presented theirattractions; and there the 'jolly tars' used to swallow their poisonouscompounds, and roar out ribald songs, and dance their clumsy fandangoeswith the vilest outcasts of society. 'It is a necessary evil, ' saidsome; 'it is the very nature of sailors, poor fellows. ' While thethoughtless multitude were immensely tickled with Jack's mad antics anddrolleries. Generous to a fault to all who were in need, Jack's mottowas:--

 While there's a shot in the locker, a messmate to bless, It shall always be shared with a friend in distress. 

[Sidenote: JACK'S FROLICS. ]

Amid such scenes as these our friend spent a great portion of his youthand early manhood. The loud ribald laugh, the vile jest and song, themidnight uproar, the drunken row, the flaunting dress and impudentgestures of the wretched women who frequent our places of ungodlyresort--amid such scenes as these, did he waste his precious time andsquander away much of his hard earned money. But though a wild andreckless sailor, his warm and generous heart was ever impelling him tonoble and generous deeds. If he sometimes became the dupe of thedesigning, and indulged in the wild revelry of passion, at other timeshe gave way to an outburst of generosity bordering on prodigality, relieving the necessities of the poor, or true to the instincts of aBritish tar standing up to redress the wrongs of the oppressed. 

CHAPTER II. 

HIS CONVERSION AND INNER EXPERIENCE. 

When far away on the sea, and while mingling in all the dissipatedscenes of a sailor's life, John would sometimes think of those youthfuldays--the only sunny spot in his life's journey--when he 'walked in thefear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. ' Serious thoughtswould rise in his mind, and those seeds of truth, sown in his heartwhile listening to Clowes and Oxtoby, and which for years seemed dead, would be quickened into life. He had often wished to hear Mr. Clowesonce more, and on seeing a placard announcing that he would preach atthe opening of the Nile Street Chapel, Hull (1846), he hastened home, and, sailor-like, quaintly observed to his wife, 'Why that old Clowes isliving and is going to preach. Let's go and hear him. ' On the followingSunday he went to the chapel, but it was so many years since he had beento God's house that he now felt ashamed to enter, and for some minuteshe wandered to and fro in front of the chapel. At length he ventured togo in, and sat down in a small pew just within the door. His mind wasdeeply affected, and ere the next Sabbath he had taken two sittings inthe chapel. 

About this time, the Rev. Charles Jones, of blessed memory, began hiscareer as a missionary in Hull. He laboured during six years, with greatsuccess, in the streets, and yards, and alleys of the town; and scoresnow in heaven and hundreds on their way thither, will, through alleternity, have to bless God that Primitive Methodism ever sent him tolabour in Hull. The Rev. G. Lamb prepared the people to receive him bystyling him 'a bundle of love. ' John went to hear him, and charmed byhis preaching and allured by the grace of God, his religious feelingswere deepened. Soon after this, and through the labours of Mr. Lamb, heobtained peace with God, and I have heard him say at our lovefeasts, 'Jones knocked me down, but it was Mr. Lamb that picked me up. '

[Sidenote: HIS SERIOUS IMPRESSIONS. ]

[Sidenote: HIS CONVERSION. ]

Being invited by two Christian friends to attend a class meeting on thefollowing Sabbath morning, he went. As he sat in that old room in WestStreet Chapel, a thousand gloomy thoughts and fearful apprehensionscrossed his mind, and casting many a glance towards the door, he '_feltas though he must dart out_. ' But when Mr. John Sissons, the leader ofthe class, said, with his usual kind smile and sympathizing look:--'I'mglad to see you, ' and then proceeded to give him suitable council andencouragement, John's heart melted and his eyes filled with tears; and, on being invited to repeat his visit on the following Sabbath, he atonce consented. One of the friends who had accompanied him to the class, said, 'Now God has sown the seed of grace in your heart and the enemywill try to sow tares, but if you resist the devil he will flee fromyou, ' and scarcely had John left the room _ere the battle began_. 'Oh, what a fool' he thought, 'I was to promise to go again, ' and when he gothome he said to his wife, 'I've been to class, and what is worse, I havepromised to go again, and I dar'nt run off. ' Mrs. Ellerthorpe, who hadbegun to watch with some interest her husband's struggles, wiselyreplied, 'Go, for you cannot go to a better place, I intend to go to Mr. Jones' class. ' All the next week John was in great perplexity, thinking, 'What can I say if I go? If I tell them the same tale I told them lastweek they will say I've got it off by memory. ' On the following Sabbathmorning he was in the street half resolved not to go to class, when hethought, 'Did'nt my friend say the devil would tempt me and that I wasto resist him? Perhaps it is the devil that is filling me with thesedistressing feelings, but I'll resist him, ' and, suiting his action tohis words, in a moment, John was seen darting along the street at hisutmost speed; nor did he pause till, panting and almost breathless, hefound himself seated in the vestry of the Primitive Methodist Chapel, West Street. He regarded that meeting as the turning point in hisspiritual history, and in the review it possessed to him an undyingcharm. There a full, free, and present salvation was pressed on thepeople. The short way to the cross was pointed out. The blessedness ofthe man whose transgression is forgiven was realized. The direct andcomforting witness of the Holy Spirit to the believer's adoption wasproclaimed. And there believers were exhorted to grow richer in holinessand riper in knowledge every day. And while John sat and listened toGod's people, he felt a divine power coming down from on high, which hecould not comprehend, but which, however, he joyously experienced. Hejoined the class that morning and continued a member five years, when hebecame connected with our new chapel in Thornton Street. Around theseservices in the old vestry at West Street, cluster the gratefulrecollections of many now living and of numbers who have crossed theflood. How often has that room resounded with the cries of penitentsinners and the songs of rejoicing believers?

[Sidenote: VISITS HIS MOTHER. ]

Soon after our friend had united himself with the people of God he paida visit to his mother, who was in a dying state. It was on a beautifulSabbath morning, in the month of June, and while walking along the road, between Hull and Hessle, and reflecting on the change he hadexperienced, he was filled 'unutterably full of glory and of God. ' Thatmorning, with its glorious visitation of grace, he never forgot. Hissoul had new feelings; his heart throbbed with a new, a strange, adivine joy. Peace reigned within and all around was lovely. The sunseemed to shine more brightly, and the birds sang a sweeter song. Theflowers wore a more beautiful aspect, and the very grass seemed clothedin a more vivid green. It was like a little heaven below. 'As I walkedalong, ' he says, 'I shouted, glory, glory, glory, and I am sure if anumber of sinners had heard me they would have thought me mad. '

But was he mad? Did not the pentecostal converts 'eat their meat withgladness and singleness of heart, praising God?' Did not the converts inSamaria 'make great joy in the city?' Did not the Ethiopian Eunuch, having obtained salvation, '_go on his way rejoicing_?' And CharlesWesley, four days after his conversion, thus expressed the joy he felt--

 I rode on the sky so happy was I, Nor envied Elijah his seat; My soul mounted higher in a chariot of fire As the moon was under my feet. 

And surely God's people have as much right to give utterance to theirjoy as the dupes of the devil have to give expression to theirs; andthough the religion of the Saviour requires us to surrender manypleasures and endure peculiar sorrows, yet it is, supremely, thereligion of peace, joy, and overflowing gladness. 

Mr. Ellerthorpe was never guilty of proclaiming with the trumpet tongueof a Pharisee, either what he felt or did, and though he kept acarefully written diary, extending over several volumes, and the readingof which has been a great spiritual treat to the writer of thisbook, --revealing, as it does, the secret of that intense earnestness, unbending integrity, active benevolence, and readiness for every goodword and work by which our friend's religious career wasdistinguished, --yet of that diary our space will permit us to make butthe briefest use. Take the following extracts:--

'January 1, 1852. --I, John Ellerthorpe, here in the presence of my God, before whom I bow, covenant to live nearer to Him than I have done inthe year that has rolled into eternity. '

[Sidenote: HIS PIOUS RESOLUTIONS. ]

Resolutions. 

'1st. I will bow three times a day in secret. 

2nd. I will attend all the means of grace I can. 

3rd. I will visit what sick I can. 

4th. I will speak ill of no man. 

5th. I will hear nothing against any man, especially those who belong tothe same society. 

6th. I will respect all men, especially Christians. 

7th. I will pray for a revival. 

8th. I will guard against all bad language and ill feeling. 

9th. I will never speak rash to any man. 

10th. I will be honest in all my dealings. 

11th. I will always speak the truth. 

12th. I will never contract a debt without a proper prospect of payment. 

13th. I will read three chapters of the Bible daily. 

14th. I will get all to class I possibly can. 

15th. I will set a good example before all men, and especially my ownfamily. 

16th. I will not be bound for any man. 

17th. I will not argue on scripture with any man. 

18th. I will endeavour to improve my time. 

19th. I will endeavour to be ready every moment. 

20th. I will leave all my concerns in the hands of my God, for Christ'ssake. All these I intend, by the help of my God, diligently to perform. '

That he always carried out these resolutions is more than his diary willwarrant us to say. He sometimes missed the mark, and came short of hisaim. He suffered from a certain hastiness of temper, and ruggedness ofdisposition, which, to use his own words, 'cost him a vast deal ofwatching and praying. But the Lord, ' he adds, 'has helped me in awonderful manner, and I believe I shall reap if I faint not. ' Thefollowing extracts from his diary will give some idea of his innerexperience:--

[Sidenote: HIS DIARY. ]

[Sidenote: HIS INNER EXPERIENCE. ]

'_January 1850. 5th. _--I feel the hardness of my heart and thelittleness of my love, yet I am in a great degree able to deny myself totake up my cross to follow Christ through good and evil report. _7th. _--I feel that I am growing in grace and that I have more powerover temptation, and over myself than I had some time since, but I wantthe witness of full sanctification. _8th. _--What is now the state of mymind? Do I now enjoy an interest in Christ? Am I a child of God? It issuggested by Satan that I am guilty of many imperfections. I know it, but I know also if any man sin, etc. _Feb. 18th. _--I feel my heart isvery hard and stubborn, that I am proud and haughty and very badtempered, but God can, and I believe he will, break my rocky heart inpieces. _March 3rd. _--This has been a good Sabbath; we had a good prayermeeting at 7 o'clock, a profitable class at 9, in the school the Lordwas with us, and the preaching services were good. _4th. _--Last night Ihad a severe attack of my old complaint and suffered greatly for manyhours, but I called upon God and he delivered me. _16th. _--I am in goodhealth, for which, and the use of my reason, and all the blessings thatGod bestows upon me, I am thankful. I am unworthy of the least of them. O that I could love God ten thousand times more than I do; for I feelashamed of myself that I love him so little. _19th. _--I am ill in bodybut well in soul. The flesh may give way, and the devil may tempt me, and all hell may rage, yet I believe the Lord will bring me through. _April 6th. _--To-day, in the haste of my temper, I called a man a liar. I now feel that I did wrong in the sight of God and man. I am deeplysorry. May God forgive me, and may I sin no more. _May 6th. _--O God makeme faithful and give to thy servant the spirit of prayer. Like David, Iwant to resolve, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth"; like Mary Iwant to "ponder these things in my heart"; like the Bereans I want to"search the scriptures" daily and in the spirit of Samuel to say "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. " _May 20th. _--I am at Hessle feast, andthank God it has been a feast to my soul. I have attended one prayermeeting, two class meetings, three preaching services. Bless God forthese means of grace. My little book is full and I do trust I am abetter man than when I began to write my diary. _29th. _--My dear wife isvery ill, but the Lord does all things well. I know that He can, andbelieve that He will, raise her up again and that the affliction of herbody will turn to the salvation of her soul. _30th. _--I am now laidunder fresh obligations to God. He has given me another son. May he be agoodly child, like Moses, and grow up to be a man after God's own heart. _July 3rd. _--This day the Victoria docks have been opened. It has been aday of trial and conflict, for I ran the Packet into a Schooner and did£10 damage. It was a trial of my faith, and through the assistance ofGod I overcame. _August 20th. _--Sunday. --How thankful I am that God hasset one day in seven when we can get away from the wear and tear of lifeand worship Him under our own vine and fig tree none daring to make usafraid. It is all of God's wisdom, and mercy, and goodness. _September11th. _--To-night I put my wife's name in the class book; may she be avery good member, such a one as Thou wilt own when Thou numbers up Thyjewels. _October 11th. _--I did wrong last night, being quite in apassion at my wife, which grieved her. Lord help me and make me neverdiffer with her again. _12th. _--I feel much better in my soul thismorning and will, from this day promise in the strength of grace, neverto allow myself to be thrown into a passion again: it grieves my soul, it hurts my mind. 1851. _January 7th. _--Five years this day I entered mypresent situation under the Hull Dock Company. Then I was a drunken man, and a great swearer; but I thank God he has changed my heart. _18th. _--This has been a very troublesome day to my soul. I have beenbusy with the sunken packet all day and hav'nt had time to get toprayer. My soul feels hungry. _29th. _--This has been a day of prayerfulanxiety about my son; he has passed his third examination, God havingheard my prayer on his behalf. _Feb. 24th. _--I have been to the teetotalmeeting and have taken the pledge, and I intend, through the grace ofGod, to keep as long as I live. _March 1st. _--The Rev. W. Clowes isstill alive. May the Lord grant that he may not have much pain. Whilebrother Newton and I were in the room with him we felt it good; O thebeauty of seeing a good man in a dying state. May I live the life of therighteous and may my last end be like Mr. Clowes's. _2nd. _--The firstthing I did this morning was to go and inquire after Mr. Clowes. I foundthat life was gone and that his happy spirit had taken its flight toheaven. _4th. _--I am more than ever convinced of the great advantage wederive from entire sanctification; it preserves the soul in rest amidthe toils of life; it gives satisfaction with every situation in whichGod pleases to place us. '

[Sidenote: HIS RELIGIOUS WARMTH. ]

Sailor like Mr. Ellerthorpe was earnest, impulsive, enthusiastic, carrying a warm ardour and a brisk life into all his duties. He did notlove a continual calm, rather he preferred the storm. He did not believethat because he was on board a good ship, had shaped his course aright, and had a compass never losing its polarity, that he would reach portwhether he made sail or not, whether he minded his helm or not. He knewhe couldn't _drift_ into port. With waterlogged and becalmed Christiansor those who heaved to crafts expecting to drift to the celestialheaven, he had but little fellowship. Such he would cause to shake outreefs and have yards well trimmed to catch every breeze from themillenial trade winds. 

CHAPTER III. 

HIS CHRISTIAN LABOURS. 

Having become a subject of saving grace, Mr. Ellerthorpe felt an earnestdesire that others should participate in the same benefit. Nor was thereany object so dear to his heart, and upon which he was at all times soready to speak, as the conversion of sinners. He knew he did not possessthe requisite ability for preaching the gospel, and therefore he soughtout a humbler sphere in which his new-born zeal might spend its fires, and in that sphere he laboured, with remarkable success, during aquarter of a century. I now refer to the sick chamber. 

During all that time he took a deep interest in the sick and the dying;and for several years after his conversion, having much time at hisdisposal, he would often visit as many as twenty families per day, forweeks together. When Cholera, that mysterious disease, with its suddenattacks, its racking cramps, its icy cold touch, and its almostresistless progress, swept through the town of Hull, in the year 1849, leaving one thousand eight hundred and sixty, --or one in forty of theentire population, --_dead_, our friend was at any one's call, and neverrefused a single application; indeed, he was known as a great visitor ofthe sick and dying, and was often called in extreme cases to visit thosefrom whom others shrank lest they should catch the contagion of thedisorder. The scenes of suffering and distress which he witnessedbaffled description. On one occasion he entered a room where a wholefamily were smitten with cholera. The wife lay cold and dead in onecorner of the room, a child had just expired in another corner, and thehusband and father was dying, amidst excruciating pain, in the middle ofthe room. John knelt down and spoke words of Christian comfort to theman, who died in a few moments. 

[Sidenote: HE VISITS THE SICK. ]

For years, he was in the habit of accompanying Mr. Jones, when visitingthe miserable garrets, obscure yards, and wretched alleys in Hull, andwas considered his 'right hand man, ' in helping to hold open-airservices. They often went in company to such wretched localities as'Leadenhall Square, ' then the greatest cesspool of vice in the Port, and, well supplied with tracts, visited every house. During theintervals of public worship, on the Sabbath day, when he might have beenenjoying himself in the circle of his family, on a clean hearth, beforea bright fire, he was pointing perishing sinners to the Lamb of God. When our new and beautiful chapel in Great Thornton Street wasdiscovered to be on fire, at noon, --March, 1856, he was at the bedsideof an afflicted woman, Mrs. Wright, speaking to her of her past sins andof a precious Saviour. He had spent some time with her daily for months, but just at this time he became Foreman of the Victoria Dock and couldno longer pay his daily visits to the sick, which greatly distressedMrs. Wright and others; but duty called him elsewhere and he obeyed itsvoice. He says, 'I durst not make any fresh engagements to visit thesick, and up to the present time (1867) I have rarely been able tovisit, except on the Sabbath day, all my time being required at the dockgates. But on the Sabbath I love to get to the bedside of the sick;nothing does me more good; there my soul is often refreshed and my zealinvigorated. '

Those who are most averse to religion in life, generally desire to shareits benefits in death. Their religion is very much like the great coatswhich persons of delicate health wear in this changeable climate, andwhich they use in foul weather, but lay aside when it is fair. 'Lord, 'says David, 'in trouble they visited thee, they poured out a prayer whenthy chastening was upon them. '

[Sidenote: ACCOMPANIES MR. JONES. ]

Nor would we intimate that none truly repent of their sins and obtainforgiveness, under such circumstances. Though late repentance is seldomgenuine, yet, as Mr. Jay remarks, genuine repentance is never too late. God can pardon the sins of a century as easily as those of a day. Ourfriend was the means, in the hand of God, of leading many, when worn bysickness and at the eleventh hour of life, to the Lamb of God. Hiscarefully kept diary records many such instances. We give one. He says, 'I remember one Sunday coming from Hessle with the Rev. C. Jones. Our"hearts burned within us as we talked by the way, " and when we got toCoultam Street, a number of well-dressed young men overheard ourconversation, and began to shout after us and call us approbrious names. Mr. J. Talked with them, but to no purpose. Four months after, Mr. Jonesand myself went, as usual, to visit the inmates of the infirmary; Mr. J. Took one side and I the other, and when I came to a person who neededspecial counsel and advice, I used to call my friend to my aid. Well, wemet with a young man who burst into a flood of tears, and casting animploring look towards Mr. Jones, he said, "O sir, do forgive me. ""Forgive you what?" said Mr. J. "what have you done that you should ask_me_ to forgive you?" "Sir, " said he, "I am one of those young men whowere so impertinent to you one Sunday when you were returning fromHessle; do forgive me, sir. " "I freely forgive you, " replied my friend, "you must ask God to forgive you, for it is against him you havesinned. " We then prayed with him, and asked God to forgive him. He wassuffering from a broken leg, and I often used to visit him after ourfirst interview. He obtained pardon, and rejoiced in Christ as hisSaviour. He was a brand plucked from the burning. '

[Sidenote: SICK-BED REPENTANCE. ]

But Mr. Ellerthorpe also tells us that though he visited, duringtwenty-five years, hundreds of persons who cried aloud for mercy andprofessed to obtain forgiveness, on what was feared would be theirdying beds, yet, he did not remember more than five or six who, onbeing restored to health, lived so as to prove their conversion genuine. The rest returned 'like the dog to its vomit, and the sow that waswashed to her wallowing in the mire. ' The Sabbath-breaker forgot hisvows and promises, and returned to his Sunday pleasures. The swearerallowed his tongue to move as unchecked in insulting his Maker asbefore. The drunkard thirsted for his intoxicating cups and returned tothe scenes of his former dissipations; and the profligate, who avowedhimself a 'changed man, ' when health was fully restored, laughed atreligion as a fancy, and hastened to wallow in the mire of pollution. Hehad scarcely a particle of faith in sick-bed repentances, but believedthat in most instances they are solemn farces. 

Deeply affecting and admonitory are some of the instances he records. Hesays, 'One night an engineer called me out of bed to visit his wife, whowas attacked with cholera. While I was praying with _her_, _he_ wasseized with the complaint. I visited them again the next day, when thewoman died, but the husband, after a long affliction, recovered. Heseemed sincerely penitent and made great promises of amendment. But, alas! like hundreds more whom I visited, he no sooner recovered, than hesought to shun me. At length he left the part of the town where heresided when I first visited him, as he said, "_to get out of my way_. "But at that time, I visited in all parts of the town, and I often methim, and it used to pain me to see the dodges he had recourse to inorder to avoid meeting me in the street. '

He also records the case of a carter who resided in Collier Street. Hewas attacked with small pox, and was horrible to look at and infectiousto come near, but being urged to visit him, 'I went to see him daily fora long time, ' says John. 'One day when I called I found him, his wife, and child bathed in tears, for the doctor had just told them that thehusband and father would be dead in a few hours. We all prayed that Godwould spare him, and spared he was. I continued to visit him thrice aday, and he promised that he would accompany me to class when he gotbetter. At that time he seemed as though he would have had me ever withhim. One day, as I entered his room, he said, "O Mr. Ellerthorpe, how Ilove to hear your foot coming into my house. " I replied, 'Do you thinkit possible that there will come a time when you will rather see anyone's face and hear any one's voice than mine?' "Never, no never, " washis reply. I answered, 'Well, I wish and hope it may never happen as Ihave supposed. ' Now, what followed? He went once to class, but I couldnot attend that night, having to watch the tide, and he never wentagain. I have seen him in the streets when he would go anywhere, or turndown any passage, rather than meet me; and when compelled to meet me hewould look up at the sky or survey the chimney tops _rather_ than seeme. '

[Sidenote: ADMONITORY INSTANCES. ]

'On one occasion, when visiting at the Infirmary, going from ward toward, and from bed to bed, I met with a young man, S. B----. He was verybad, and was afraid he was going to die. I talked with him often andlong, pointing him to the Saviour, and prayed with him. With penitentialtears and earnest cries he sought mercy, and at length professed toobtain salvation. He recovered. One Sunday, when at Hessle, visiting mydying mother, I met this young man, and I shall never forget hisagitated frame, and terrified appearance, when he saw me. He looked thisway and that way; I said, 'Well, B----, are you all right? Have you keptthe promises you made to the Lord?' A blush of shame covered his face. Isaid 'Why do you look so sad? Have I injured you?' 'No, Sir. ' 'Have youinjured me?' 'I hope not, ' was his reply. 'Then look me in the face; areyou beyond God's reach, or do you think that because he has restoredyour health once, he will not afflict you again? Ah! my boy, the nexttime may be much worse than the last. And do you think God will believeyou if you again promise to serve him? He looked round him and seemed asthough he would have leaped over a drain that was close by. '

[Sidenote: HIS CHARITY. ]

Conscience is a busy power within the breast of the most desperate, andwhen roused by the prospect of death and judgment, it speaks in terribletones. The notorious Muller denied the murder of Mr. Briggs, until, withcap on his face and the rope round his neck, he submitted to the finalappeal and acknowledged, as he launched into eternity, 'Yes, I have doneit. ' But the cries of these persons seem to have arisen, not from anabhorrence of sin, but from a dread of punishment; they feared hell, andhence they wished for heaven; they desired to be saved from theconsequences of sin, but were not delivered from the love of it. Need wewonder that our friend had but little faith in a sick-bed repentance?Scripture and reason alike warn us against trusting to such repentance, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, thatshall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the fleshreap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spiritreap life everlasting. '

While our friend felt that he would have been unworthy the name of aChristian had he not felt more for the spiritual than for the temporalwoes of his fellow creatures, yet the latter were not forgotten by him;and it sometimes grieved him that he could not more largely minister tothe temporal wants of the poor, the fatherless, the orphans, and thewidows, whom he visited. 

[Sidenote: HIS SELF-DENIAL. ]

And perhaps one of the most painful trials a visitor of the sick enduresis, to go moneyless to a chamber that has been crossed by want, andwhose inmate is utterly unable to supply his own necessities; but whenthe visitor can relieve the physical as well as the spiritualnecessities of the sufferer, with what a buoyant step and cheerful hearthe enters the abode of poverty and suffering! And his words, instead offalling like icicles on the sufferer's soul, fall on it as refreshing asa summer rain, warm as the tempered ray, and welcome as a mother's love. Such a visitor has often chased despair from the abode of wretchedness, and filled it with the atmosphere of hope. 

[Sidenote: GIVES UP TOBACCO. ]

Hence, that he might participate in this joy, and have wherewith torelieve the needy, Mr. Ellerthorpe abstained from the use of tobacco, ofwhich, at one period of his life, he was an immoderate consumer. OneSabbath morning, while he and Mr. Harrison were visiting the sick, theymet two wretched-looking boys, fearfully marked with small pox (from anattack of which complaint they were beginning to recover), and cryingfor a drink of milk. Their father, who was far advanced in life, couldnot supply their wants. John's heart was touched, and he thought, 'Heream I, possessed of health, food, and raiment, while these poor childrenare festering with disease, but scantily clothed, and not half fed. Asixpence, a basin of milk, or a loaf of bread, would be a boon to them. Can I help them?' He gave the old man sixpence, while he and Mr. Harrison told the milkman to leave a quantity of milk at the man's housedaily, for which they would pay. It was with a radiant face, and atremble of glad emotion in his voice, that our friend, in relating thiscircumstance to us one day, said:--'I felt a throb of pleasure when Idid that little act of kindness, such as I had never felt before, ' when, quick as lightning, the thought crossed his mind, 'Why I smoke sixpennyworth of tobacco every week!' and there and then he resolved togive up the practice. On the next Friday, when Mrs. Ellerthorpe wassetting down on paper a list of the groceries wanted, she proceeded, asusual, to say, 'Tea--Coffee--Sugar--_Tobacco_--, ' 'Stop, ' said herhusband, 'I've done with that. I'll have no more. ' Now, Mrs. E. Hadalways enjoyed seeing her husband smoke; it had often proved a powerfulsedative to him when wearied with the cares of life, and the numberlessirritations of his trying vocation, and therefore she replied, 'Nonsense, you will soon repent of that whim. I shall get two ounces asusual, and I know you'll smoke it. ' 'I shall never touch it again, ' washis firm reply, and ever after kept his word. 

[Sidenote: HIS TEETOTALISM. ]

A world full of misery, both temporal and spiritual, surrounds us, andwhich might be effectually relieved, were all Christians, many of whomare laggard in effort and niggard in bounty, to manifest a tithe of theself-denial which Mr. Ellerthorpe practiced. 'What maintains one vice, would support two children. ' Robert Hall says:--It is the practice ofself-denial in a thousand little instances which forms the truest testof character. ' Mr. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley, was on one occasiondriven close for means to discharge the claims of the poor, when he saidto his wife, 'O Polly, can we not do without beer? Let us drink water, and eat less meat. Let our necessities give way to the extremities ofthe poor. ' And at a meeting held the other night, a donation wasannounced thus:--'A poor man's savings from tobacco, £5. ' And are therenot tens of thousands of professors who could present similar offeringsif they, in the name and spirit of their great Master, tried? Do we notoften come in contact with men who complain that they cannot contributeto the cause of God and humanity, who, at the same time, indulge in theuse of snuff, tobacco, or intoxicating drinks; all of which might belaid aside to the gain of God's cause, and without at all lesseningeither the health, reputation, or happiness of the consumer? And arethere not others, of good social position, who do not give as much torelieve the temporal sufferings of their fellow creatures, during twelvemonths, as it costs them to provide a single feast for a few well-to-dofriends? The merchant who sold his chips and shavings, and presented theproceeds to the cause of God, while he kept the solid timber forhimself, is the type of too many professors of religion!

CHAPTER IV. 

HIS STAUNCH TEETOTALISM. 

Perhaps no class of men have suffered more from the evils ofintemperance than our brave sailors, fishermen, and rivermen. Foreignerstell our missionaries to convert our drunken sailors abroad, and whenthey wish to personify an Englishman, they mockingly reel about like adrunken man. And what lives have been lost through the intemperance ofcaptains and crews! The 'St. George, ' with 550 men: 'The Kent, ' 'EastIndiaman, ' with most of her passengers and crew: 'The Ajax, ' with 350people: 'The Rothsway Castle, ' with 100 men on board, with many otherswe might name, were all lost through the drunkenness of those in chargeof the vessels. Of the forty persons whom our friend rescued fromdrowning, a very large percentage got overboard through intemperance. Weread that on the morning following the Passover night in Egypt, therewas not a house in which there was not one dead, and it would bedifficult to find a house in our land, occupied by sailors, in whichthis monster evil has not slain its victim, either physically ormorally. 

[Sidenote: HIS DRUNKEN FATHER. ]

Our friend, speaking of his own family, says:--'I owe my Christian nameto the favour with which drunkenness was regarded by my relatives. Soonafter I was born, one of my uncles asked, "What is the lad's name tobe?" "Thomas, " replied my mother. "Never, " said my uncle, in surprise, "we had two Thomas's, and they both did badly; call him John. I haveknown four John's in the family, and they _were all great drunkards, butthat was the worst that could be said of them_. " 'So it appears, ' saidour friend, 'that at that time it was thought no very bad thing for aman to get drunk, if he was not in the habit of being brought before themagistrate for theft, &c. ' John's father was one of the four drunkards. In early life he became a hard drinker, and he continued the practiceuntil a damaged constitution, emptied purse, a careworn wife, and aneglected family, were the bitter fruits of his inebriation. 'He drankhard, ' says John, 'spending almost all his money in drink, and was atlast forced to sell his vessel and take to the menial work of helping toload and unload vessels. At length he went to sea, and for a long timewe heard nothing of him; nor did my mother receive any money from him. In old age he was quite destitute, and while it gave me great pleasureto minister to his necessities, it often grieved me to think of thecause of his altered circumstances. '

Nightly, when ashore, John, the elder, went to the public house, and itwas his invariable rule never to return home until his wife fetched him. Often, when Mrs. Ellerthorpe was in a feeble state of health, and amidthe howling winds and drenching rains of a winter's night, would she goin search of her drunken husband, and by her winning ways and kindentreaties induce him to return home. She was known to be a God-fearingwoman, and often on the occasion of these visits, her husband'scompanions--some of whom were 'tippling professors' of religion--wouldtry to entangle her in religious conversation, but to every entreaty shehad one reply, 'If you want to talk with me about religion come to myhouse. I will not speak of it here; for I am determined never to fightthe devil on his own ground. '

[Sidenote: IMITATES HIS FATHER. ]

And was this Christian woman wrong in calling the public house thedevil's ground? We have 140, 000 of these houses in our land, and arethey not so many reservoirs from whence the devil floods our countrywith crime, wretchedness, and woe? Is it not there that his deludedvictims, in thousands of instances, destroy their fortune, ruin theirhealth, and form those habits which wither the beauty, scatter thecomforts, blast the reputation, and bury once happy families in the tombof disgrace? And is it not at the public house that the sounds ofblasphemy, cursing, and swearing, sedition, uncleanness, laciviousness, hatred, quarrels, murders, gambling, revelling, and such like, arebegun? And you might as reasonably expect to preserve your health in apest-house, your modesty in a brothel, and high-souled principlesamongst gamesters, as to expect to preserve your religious characterundamaged amid the impure atmosphere of a public house. Can a man goupon hot coals and his feet not be burnt? One hour spent around thedrunkard's table has often done an amount of harm to the cause of Godand the souls of men which the devotion of years could not undo. 

[Sidenote: BECOMES A DRUNKARD. ]

A youth, on being urged to take the pledge, said, 'My father drinks, andI don't want to be better than my father. ' And, alas! for our friend, heearly imbibed the tastes and followed the example of his father, fordrink got the mastery of him. Speaking of his boyhood, he says, 'Iremember a man saying to my father, "Your son is a sharp lad, and hewill make a clever man, if only you set him a good example, and keep himfrom drink. " To which my father replied, "O drink will not hurt him; ifhe does nothing worse than take a sup of drink he'll be all right; drinknever hurt anyone. " But, alas! my father lived to see that a "littlesup" did not serve me, for I have heard him say with sorrow, "The laddrinks hard. " But he was the first to set me the example, and ifparents wish their children to abstain from intoxicating drinks, theyshould set the example by being abstainers themselves. The best and mostlasting way of doing good to a family is for parents first to do rightthemselves. ' But with such a training as John had, what wonder that hebecame a 'hard drinker. ' For years previous to his marriage hisexperience was something like that of an old 'hard-a-weather' on board ahomeward-bound Indiaman, who was asked by a lady passenger, 'Whether hewould not be glad to get home and see his wife and children, and spendthe summer with them in the country?' Poor Jack possessed neither home, nor wife, nor chick nor child; and his recollections of green fields anddomestic enjoyments were dreamily associated with early childhood. Andhence a big tear rolled down his weather-beaten but manly cheek as hesaid to his fair questioner, 'Well, I don't know, I suppose it will beanother _roll in the gutter, and away again_. ' Our friend was for yearsa 'reeling drunkard, ' and often, during this sad period of hisexistence, he literally 'rolled in the gutter. '

But when he experienced a saving change he at once became a sober man, and began to treat public houses after the fashion of the fox in thefable--who declined the invitation to the lion's den, because he hadobserved that the only footsteps in its vicinity were towards it andnone from it. He further saw that to indulge in the use of intoxicatingdrinks, and then pray, 'Lead me not into temptation, ' savoured less ofpiety than of presumption. He attended a temperance meeting at which theRev. G. Lamb spoke of the importance of Christian professors abstainingfor the good of others, as well as for their own safety. John felt thathis sphere of action was limited in its range and insignificant in itscharacter; yet he knew he possessed influence; as a husband and father, and as a member of civil and religious society, he knew that hisconduct would produce an effect on those to whom he was related, andwith whom he had to do. 'No man liveth to himself. ' He knew how to dogood, and not to have done it would have been sin. And that thoughtdecided him. At the close of the meeting, persons were invited to takethe pledge of total abstinence, but not one responded to the invitation. John saw, sitting at his right hand, a man who had been a greatdrunkard, and whose shattered nerves, unsteady hand, and bloodshot eyes, told of the sad effects of his conduct. Placing his hand on this man'sshoulder, he said, 'Will you take the pledge?' 'I will if you will, ' wasthe man's reply. 'Done, ' said John, and scarcely had they reached theplatform, when about twenty others followed and took the pledge. 

[Sidenote: SIGNS THE PLEDGE. ]

His Diary contains this record, 'February 24th, 1851. I have been to theTeetotal Meeting, and I have taken the pledge, and I intend, through thegrace of God, to keep it as long as I live. '

From that night John became a practical and pledged abstainer from allintoxicating drinks, and induced many a poor drunkard to follow hisexample. No man stood higher than he in Temperance circles. He adorned_that_ profession. In his extensive intercourse with his fellow men, heproved himself the fast friend and unflinching advocate of totalabstinence, having delivered hundreds of addresses and circulatedthousands of tracts, in vindication of its principles. 

A few years before his death, he was travelling from Hull to Howden, byrail; the compartment was full of passengers, and he began, as usual, tocirculate his tracts and to speak in favour of temperance. 

[Sidenote: THE AGED CLERGYMAN. ]

An aged clergyman present said, 'I always give you Hull folks greatcredit for being teetotalers. ' 'And why the people of Hull more than thepeople of any other place?' asked John. 'Because your water is filthyand dirty, and I never could drink it without a mixture of brandy. ''That our water is dirty I admit, ' said John, 'but I have drank it bothwith brandy and without, and if you felt as I feel, I am sure, sir, youwould discontinue the practice of brandy drinking. ' 'Oh, I suppose youare one of those men who get all the drink you can and when you can getno more you turn teetotaller, ' was the rejoinder. 'You are mistaken, sir; for I can call most of the persons present to witness, that I laidaside the intoxicating glass when I possessed the most ample means andevery opportunity of getting plenty of drink, and at little or no costto myself. But I saw that I should be a safer and happier man myself, and a greater blessing to others if I abstained, and therefore I signedthe pledge; and you must pardon me, sir, when I say, that if you felt asI feel, you would, as a minister of the gospel, pursue the same course. ''O!' said he, with indignation lowering in his countenance andthundering in his voice, 'I have taken my brandy daily for years, and itnever did me any hurt. ' 'Granted, ' replied our friend, 'but if you candrink with safety, can others? Have you never seen the evil effects oftampering with the glass? Have none of your acquaintances or friendsfallen victims to drunkenness? Let me give you a case, sir. One of myformer employers had a son who, up to the twentieth year of his age, hadnever tasted intoxicating drinks. But he had a weak constitution and aslender frame, and the doctor ordered him to take a little brandy andwater twice a day. He did so, and began to like it. He soon wanted itoftener, and told the man to make it stronger, and the man did as he wastold. One day he had put but a few drops of water into a large glass ofbrandy, but the young gentleman said, 'Did'nt I tell you to make itstronger? Let the next glass be stronger. ' He soon called _for the nextglass_, and having swallowed it, said, in a rage, 'What a fool you are. I told you to let me have it stronger. ' 'Sir, ' said the man, 'you can'thave it stronger, for the glass you have just drank was "neat" as itcame from the bottle. ' 'And is that a fact, ' exclaimed the younggentleman. 'Has it come to this? Am I to be a slave to that liquid?Never! Take it away, and from this day I'll never drink another glass. 'This statement was listened to with marked attention by all thepassengers, and when the train arrived at Howden station, they gaveforth a spontaneous burst of applause. The clergyman sat ashamed andspeechless, and, on leaving the train, refused to shake hands with ourfriend who had administered to him this well-timed and well-meritedrebuke. 

[Sidenote: ADVOCATES TOTAL ABSTINENCE. ]

I have stated that our friend spoke at hundreds of temperance meetings, and his bluntness of manner, curt style of address, and nauticalphrases, won for him a ready hearing. Whenever he rose on the platformeyes beamed and hearts throbbed with delight. Not that his hearersexpected to listen to an eloquent speech, or to be amused bylaughter-exciting and fun-making eccentricities, but he rose with theinfluence of established character, combined with an ardent temperament, a ready wit, and a face beaming with the sunshine of piety towards Godand good-will to men. Besides, there was a just appreciation of his manydeeds of gallantry, some of which he occasionally related, and whichrarely failed to fill his hearers with admiration for the brave heartthat could prompt and the ready skill that could perform them. Hence, hewas listened to in the town and neighbourhood of Hull with an amount ofsympathy, attention, and respect which no other advocate of totalabstinence, possessed of the same mental abilities, could command. 

[Sidenote: FORMS A BAND OF HOPE. ]

The _Band of Hope_ had a warm friend and powerful advocate in the personof Mr. Ellerthorpe, and it was in connexion with its services that hefound his most congenial employment. 3, 000, 000 of the inhabitants ofour country are now pledged abstainers from intoxicating drinks, andthis number includes upwards of 2, 000 ministers of the Gospel. Butthirty years ago this cause was regarded with disfavour even by thereligious public. Hence, when Mr. Ellerthorpe and others sought to forma Band of Hope in connexion with the Primitive Methodist Sabbath School, Great Thornton Street, Hull, they met with much opposition from severalmembers of the Society, and also from some of the teachers in theschool, who were 'tipplers, ' and could not endure the idea of a Band ofHope. But the Band was formed, with Mr. Ellerthorpe as president, and itsoon numbered three hundred members. Before his death he saw upwards ofthirty of these Juvenile Bands formed in Hull. He attended most of theiranniversaries, throwing a flood of genial merriment, just like dancingsunlight, over his young auditors. Hundreds of these 'cold waterdrinkers' sometimes listened to him on these occasions, and as herelated some of the scenes of his eventful life, their young heartsthrobbed and their eyes filled with tears. 

We cannot close this chapter of our little book without asking, Were themotives which led our friend to sign the pledge, right or wrong? Thecelebrated Paley lays down this axiom, 'That where one side is doubtfuland one is safe, we are as morally bound to take the safe side as if avoice from heaven said, "This is the way, walk ye in it. "' And is nottotal abstinence the only safe side for the abstainer himself? Some menhave a strong predisposition for intoxicating drinks, and they mustabstain or be ruined. Naturalists tell us that in order to tame a tigerhe must never be allowed to taste blood. Let him have but one taste andhis whole nature is changed. And the men to whom I refer are humane, upright, chaste, kind to their children and affectionate to theirwives, while they can be kept from intoxicating drinks, but let themtaste, only _taste_, and their passions become so strong and theirappetites so rampant, that they are inspired with the most ferociousdispositions, and perpetrate deeds, the mere mention of which wouldappal them in their sober moments. And where is the moderate drinker whocan point to the glass and say, 'I am safe?' As that dexterous murderer, Palmer, administered his doses in small quantities, and thus graduallyand daily undermined the constitution of his victims, and, as it were, muffled the footfalls of death, so strong drink does not all at onceover master its victims; but how often have we known it gradually, andafter years of tippling, lead them captive into the vortex ofdrunkenness. 

[Sidenote: TOTAL ABSTINENCE. ]

But admitting, for the sake of argument, that you can drink with safetyto yourself, can you drink with safety to others? 'No man liveth tohimself. ' We are all a kind of chameleon, and naturally derive a tingefrom that which is near us. Our friend attributes his early drunkennessto the influence and example of his father. You should view yourdrinking habits in the light of these passages of Scripture, 'Look notevery man on his own things, but every man also on the things ofothers. ' 'It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, noranything whereat thy brother stumbleth or is made weak. ' So that you maylook at Paley's saying, in its application to the use of strong drinks, again and again; you may examine it as closely as you like, andcriticise it as often as you please, still it remains true, that todrink is _doubtful_, while to abstain is _safe_, and that we are asmorally bound to choose the latter as if a voice from heaven said, 'Thisis the way, walk ye in it. ' 'Let us not, therefore, judge one anotherany more, but judge this rather that no man put a stumblingblock or anoccasion, to fall in his brother's way. '--Rom. Xiv. 13. 

CHAPTER V. 

HIS BOLD ADVENTURES ON THE WATER. 

[Sidenote: SWIMMING ADVOCATED. ]

That swimming is a noble and useful art, deserving the best attention ofall classes of the community, is a fact few will dispute. 'Swimming, 'says Locke, 'ought to form part of every boy's education!' It is an artthat is easily acquired; it is healthy and pleasurable as an exercise, being highly favourable to muscular development, agility of motion, andsymmetry of form; and it is of inconceivable benefit as the means ofpreserving or saving life in seasons of peril, when death wouldotherwise prove inevitable. Mr. Ellerthorpe early became an accomplishedswimmer; he often fell overboard, and but for his skill in the art underconsideration he would have been drowned. He also enjoyed the happinessof having saved upwards of forty persons, who, but for his efforts must, to all human appearance, have perished. 

To a maratime nation like ours, with a rugged and dangerous coast-lineof two thousand miles, indented by harbours, few and far from eachother, and with a sea-faring population of half a million, it seems asnecessary that the rising generation should learn to swim as that theyshould be taught the most common exercises of youth. And yet 'thisnatatory art' is but little cultivated amongst us. On the Continent, andamong foreigners generally, swimming is practised and encouraged farmore than it is in England. In the Normal Swimming school of Denmark, some thirty years ago, there were educated 105 masters destined to teachthe art throughout the kingdom. In France, Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berne, Amsterdam, &c. , similar means were adopted, and veryfew persons in those countries are entirely destitute of a knowledge ofthe art. But so generally is this department of juvenile trainingneglected by us as a people, that _only one in every ten who gain theirlivelihood on the water_ are able to swim. 

[Sidenote: HULL SWIMMING CLUB. ]

Mr. Ellerthorpe, in a characteristic letter, says: 'I think noschoolmaster should regard the education of his scholars complete unlesshe has taught them to swim. That art is of service when everything elseis useless. I once heard of a professor who was being ferried across ariver by a boatman, who was no scholar. So the professor said, "Can youwrite, my man?" "No, Sir, " said the boatman. "Then you have lost onethird of your life, " said the professor. "Can you read?" again asked heof the boatman. "No, " replied the latter, "I can't read. " "Then you havelost the half of your life, " said the professor. Now came the boatman'sturn. "Can you swim?" said the boatman to the professor. "No, " was hisreply. "Then, " said the boatman, "you have lost the whole of your life, for the boat is sinking and you'll be drowned. " Now, Sir, I think thatif those fathers who spend so much money on the intellectual educationof their children, would devote but a small portion of it to securingfor them a knowledge of the art of swimming, they would confer a greatblessing on those children, and also on society at large. I would haveevery one learn to swim females as well as males; for many of both sexescome under my notice every year who are drowned, but who, with a littleskill in swimming, might have been saved. Not fewer than forty men andboys were lost from the Hull Smacks alone during the year 1866, of whomtwenty per cent, might have been saved had they been able to swim. '

[Sidenote: HE LEARNS TO SWIM. ]

Mr. Ellerthorpe was, for many years, Master of the 'Hull Swimming Club, 'and also of 'The College Youth's Swimming Club, ' and his whole life wasa practical lesson on the value of the art of swimming. He contendedthat the youths of Hull ought to be taught this art, and pleaded that asheet of water which had been waste and unproductive for twenty yearsshould be transformed into a swimming bath. The local papers favouredthe scheme, and Alderman Dennison, moved in the Town Council, that £350should be devoted to this object, which was carried by a majority. Thelate Titus Salt, Esq. , who had given £5, 000 to the 'Sailor's OrphanHome, ' said at the time, 'I think _your corporation ought to make theswimming bath_ alluded to in the enclosed paper; _do ask them_. ' 'Theprivate individual who gives his _fifty_ hundreds to a particularInstitution, ' to use the words of the _Hull and Eastern Counties'Herald, Oct. 10th_, 1857, 'has surely a right to express an opinion thatthe municipal corporation ought to grant _three_ hundreds, if by sodoing the public weal would be provided. If the voice of such a man isto be disregarded, then it may truly be said that our good old town hasfallen far below the exalted position it occupied when it produced itsWilberforce and its Marvel. '

For upwards of forty years Mr. Ellerthorpe was known as a fearlessswimmer and diver, and during that period he saved no fewer than fortylives by his daring intrepidity. In his boyhood, he, to use his ownexpression, '_felt quite at home in the water_, ' and betook himself toit as natively and instinctively as the swan to the water or the lark tothe sky. 'This art, ' to use the words of an admirable article in the_Shipwrecked Mariners' Magazine_ for October, 1862, 'he has cultivatedso successfully that in scores of instances he has been able to employit for the salvation of life and property. Perhaps the history of noother living person more fully displays the value of this art than JohnEllerthorpe. Joined with courage, promptitude, and steadyself-possession, it has enabled him repeatedly to preserve his own life, and what is far more worthy of record, to save not fewer thanthirty-nine of his fellow creatures, who, humanly speaking, mustotherwise have met with a watery grave. '

[Sidenote: HIS RECKLESS DARING. ]

It is but right to state that, in the early period of his history, athoughtless disregard of his own life, and an overweening confidence inhis ability to swim almost any length, and amid circumstances of greatperil, often led him to deeds of 'reckless daring, ' which in riper yearshe would have trembled to attempt. Respecting most of the followingcircumstances he says, 'I look upon those perilous adventures as so manyfoolish and wicked temptings of Providence. I have often wondered I wasnot drowned, and attribute my preservation to the wonder-workingprovidence of God, who has so often 'redeemed my life from destruction, and crowned me with loving kindness and tender mercies. '

And certainly we should remember that heroism is one thing, recklessdaring another. Two or three instances will illustrate this. A few yearsago Blondin, for the sake of money, jeopardized his life at the CrystalPalace, by walking blindfolded on a tight-rope, and holding in his handa balancing pole. In so doing he was foolhardy, but not heroic. But acertain Frenchman, at Alencon, walked on one occasion on a rope oversome burning beams into a burning house, otherwise inaccessible, andsucceeded in saving six persons. This was the act of a true hero. WhenMr. Worthington, the 'professional diver, ' plunged into the water andsaved six persons from drowning, who, but for his skill and dexterity asa swimmer, would certainly have met with a watery grave, he acted thepart of a 'hero;' but when, the other day, he made a series of nine'terrific plunges' from the Chain Pier at Brighton--a height of aboutone hundred and twenty feet--merely to gratify sensational sightseers, or to put a few shillings into his own pocket, he acted the part of afoolhardy man. Can we wonder that he was within an ace of losing hislife in this mad exploit? And when John Ellerthorpe dived to the bottomof 'Clarke's Bit, ' to gratify a number of young men who had 'more moneythan wit, ' and struggled in the water with a bag of coals on his back, he put himself on a par with those men who place their lives in imminentdanger by dancing on ropes, swinging on cords, tying themselves intoknots like a beast, or crawling on ceilings like some creeping thing!But when he used his skill to save his fellow creatures, he was a truehero, and was justified in perilling his own life, considering that byso doing the safety of others might be secured. 

We shall close this chapter by recording a few of his deeds of recklessdaring. 

 * * * * *

[Sidenote: JOHN'S FIRST ATTEMPT AT SWIMMING. ]

'My first attempt at swimming took place at Hessle, when I was abouttwelve years of age. There was a large drain used for the purpose ofreceiving the water from both the sea and land. My father managed thesluice, which was used for excluding, retaining, and regulating the flowof water into this drain. It was a first rate place for lads to bathein, and I have sometimes bathed in it ten times a day; indeed, I regretto say, I spent many days there when I ought to have been at school. Isoon got to swim in this drain, but durst not venture into the harbour. But one day I accidentally set my dirty feet upon the shirt of a boy whowas much older and bigger than myself, and in a rage he took me up inhis arms and threw me into the harbour. I soon felt safe there, nor didI leave the harbour till I had crossed and recrossed it thirty-twotimes. The next day I swam the whole length of the harbour twice, andfrom that day I began to match myself with expert swimmers, nor did Ifear swimming with the best of them. Some other lads were as venturesomeas myself, and we used to go up the Humber with the tides, for severalmiles at once. I remember on one occasion it blew a strong gale of windfrom S. W. , several vessels sank in the Humber, and a number of boatsbroke adrift, while a heavy sea was running: I stripped and swam to oneof the boats, got into her, and brought her to land, for which act themaster of the boat gave me five shillings. During the same gale a keelcame ashore at Hessle; I stripped and swam to her and brought a rope onshore, by the assistance of which, two men, a woman, and two childrenescaped from the vessel. The tide was receding at the time, so that theywere enabled, with the assistance of the rope, to walk ashore. There areseveral old men living now who well remember this circumstance. 

[Sidenote: SWIMS ACROSS THE HUMBER. ]

'Soon after this occurrence, I remember one Saturday afternoon, goingwith some other boys of my own age, and swimming across the Humber, adistance of two miles. We started from Swanland Fields (which was thenenclosed), Yorkshire, and landed at the Old Warp, Lincolnshire. Here wehad a long run and a good play, and then we recrossed the Humber. But indoing so we were carried up as far as Ferriby Sluice, and had to runback to where we had left our clothes in charge of some lads, but whenwe got there the lads had gone, and we didn't know what to do. We soughtfor our clothes a full hour, when a man, in the employ of Mr. Pease toldus that the lads had put them under some bushes, where we at last foundthem. We were in the water four hours. This was an act of greatimprudence. 

'On another occasion myself and some other lads played truant fromschool, and went towards the Humber to bathe, but the schoolmaster, Mr. Peacock, followed us closely. He ran and I ran, and I had just time tothrow off my clothes and leap into the water, when he got to the bank. He was afraid I should be drowned, and called out 'If you will come backI won't tell your father and mother. ' But I refused to return, for atthat time I felt no fear in doing what I durst not have attempted when Igot older. 

[Sidenote: SWIMS IN HESSLE HARBOUR. ]

'On several occasions some young gentlemen, who were scholars at Hessleboarding school, got me to go and bathe with them. They had plenty ofmoney, and I had none; and as they offered to pay me, I was glad to gowith them. One day while we were bathing, the eldest son of Mr. Earnshaw, of Hessle, had a narrow escape from drowning. I was a long wayfrom him at the time, but I did all I could to reach and rescue him. Hewas very ill for some days, and the doctor forbade him bathing for along time to come. This deterred us from bathing for awhile, but we soonforgot it. We agreed to have a swimming match, and the boy that swam thefarthest was to have _sixpence_. We started at three o'clock in theafternoon from the third jetty below Hessle harbour, and went up withthe tide. One of the boys got the lead of me and I could not overtakehim until we got opposite Cliffe Mill, about a mile and a half fromwhere we started. He then began to fag, while I felt as brisk as a larkand fresher than when I began. I soon took the lead, and when I got toFerriby Lane-end, I lost my mate altogether. However, I knew he was acapital swimmer, and I felt afraid lest he should turn up again, so Iswam as far as Melton brickyard, and fairly won the prize. I had swamabout seven miles, and believe I could have swam back without landing. 

[Sidenote: HIS EXPLOITS ON THE WATER. ]

'When I was about fifteen years of age a steam packet came to Hessle, bringing a number of swimmers from Hull. Soon alter their arrival a ladcame running to me and said, "Jack, there's some of those Hull chapsbathing, and they say they can beat thee. " I didn't like that; and whenI got to them, a young gentleman said, pointing to me, "Here is a ladthat shall swim you for what you like. " One of them said, "Is he thatEllerthorpe of Hessle?" "No matter who he is, " replied the young man, "I'll back him for a sovereign, " when one of the young gentlemen calledout, "It is Jack Ellerthorpe, I won't have aught to do with him, for hecan go as fast feet foremost as I can with my hands foremost, he's afirst-rate swimmer. " By this time I was stripped, and at once plungedinto the river. I crept on my hands and knees on the water, and thenswam backwards and forwards with my feet foremost, and not one amongthem could swim with me. I showed them the "porpoise race, " whichconsisted in disappearing under the water, and then coming "bobbing" upsuddenly, at very unlikely spots. I then took a knife and cut mytoe-nails in the water. The young gents were greatly delighted, andafterwards they would have matched me to swim anybody, to any distance. And I believe that at that time I could have swam almost any length; forafter I had swam two or three miles my spirits seemed to rise, and mystrength increased. When other lads seemed thoroughly beaten out, I wascoming to my best, and the longer I remained in the water the easier andfaster I could swim. 

[Sidenote: SWIMS TO BARROW. ]

'It will be remembered by some who will read these pages, that about ... Years ago a Mr. Burton was returned, as a member of Parliament forBeverley. He was a wild, drunken, half-crazy fellow, and I remember hecame to Hessle about two o'clock one afternoon, and drove full gallop, with postillions, up to my father's house. At that time my father wasferryman, and Mr. Burton wanted a boat to take him to Barton. "But, "said my father, "there is no water, " when the Member of Parliament said, "Won't money make the boat swim?" "I'm afraid not, " was my father'sreply. At that time, however, there was a ballast lighter at Cliffe, andmy father and I went to see if we could borrow the lighter's boat; wesucceeded, and as it was a great distance from the water (the tide beinglow), my father asked the Cliffe men to help in launching it, when aboutthirty of them came to his assistance. Mr. Burton left a guinea to bespent in drink for the men. We then started in the boat, and took Mr. Burton to Barrow, there being no _usable_ jetty at Barton. I was to runto Barton for a post-chaise, but before we got to the shore the boat ranaground, so out of the boat I jumped, and away I ran, until I came to apool of water, about twelve feet deep. Almost mad with excitement, Isprang into it, and small as I was, soon crossed it and was ashore. Mr. Burton saw me in the water, and he was afraid I should be drowned, andwhen I returned with the chaise he gave me a sovereign, the first I everhad, so you may be sure I was mightily pleased. I found my father andthe men drunk, and they gave me some rum. On being asked, "What Mr. Burton had given me, " I evaded the question by saying "A shilling, " forI was of opinion that if my father had known I had got so much as I had, he would have taken most of it to spend in drink. So I hastened home andgave the sovereign to my mother, and we were both highly delighted topossess so large a sum of money. 

'The following amusing circumstance took place in 1836-7, when Ibelonged to the Barton and Hessle packet. One day we had put on boardthe "tow boat" a great number of fat beasts, belonging, if I rememberrightly, to Mr. Wood, of South Dalton. The "tow boat" was attached tothe steamer by a large thick rope. We had not got far from Barton whenthe boat capsized, and we were in an awful mess. The boat soon filledwith water; some of the beasts swam one way and some another, whileseveral got entangled in the rails attached to the boat's side, and wereevery moment in danger of breaking their legs. So seizing an axe Ijumped into the water and cut away the rails, and then went in pursuitof the oxen, heading them round in the water and causing them, by shoutsand gestures, to swim for the land. Most of them were driven back toBarton and landed safely, others swam across the Humber and were landedat Hessle. I was up to my chest in water and mud for nearly three hoursswimming backwards and forwards after the beasts; sometimes I had holdof their tails, and anon had to meet them and turn them towards theshore. There are lots of people now living at Barton who saw the affray, and who could describe it much better than I have done. 

[Sidenote: JOHN AND THE BEASTS. ]

'A similar incident took place in 1844. I was captain of a ferry-boatplying between Winteringham and Brough. One Sabbath-day I was taking aload of beasts from Brough to Winteringham, and when we had got abouthalf way across the Humber, the boat upset, and the beasts were throwninto the water. I was afraid they all would be drowned, and, in spite ofall I could do, some of them were. I jumped overboard and drove some ofthem back to Brough, while others swam to the Lincolnshire side of theriver. I was swimming about after the beasts for five hours, chasingthem backwards and forwards, turning them this way and that, and doingwhat nobody but myself would have done. At length, several men came toour assistance, and when we had got the poor animals out of the water, we hastened to the public-house at the harbour-side, and got drunk. Ikept my wet clothes on until they dried on my back. This was one of themost wretched days of my life. My anxiety about the beasts, theexhaustion brought on by my efforts to get them safe to land, and thesense of misery and degradation I felt when I thought of the plight Iwas found in on the blessed Sabbath-day, I shall never forget. 

'On one occasion I was helping to load the "Magna Charter, " and beinghalf drunk, I fell into Hull harbour, with upwards of eight stones ofcoal on my back, but through foolish bravado I refused to let the bagdrop into the water. After being in the water several minutes, I swamto the landing with the coals on my back, amid the deafening shouts ofscores of spectators. I look back on this act of temerity with feelingsof shame and unmixed regret. '

[Sidenote: HE IS CAST OVERBOARD. ]

When sailing from Hull to Barton, one night in the year 1842, John wasthrown overboard. The night was dark, the wind was blowing a heavy galefrom the west, and every moment the spring-tide, then at its height, carried him further from the packet, which soon became unmanageable. Theboat was launched, but the engineer, who had charge of it, becamegreatly agitated and much alarmed, and uttered the most piteous cries. 'I felt more for him than I did for myself, ' says John, 'and though onemoment lost in the trough of the sea, and the next on the crest of thebillows, now near the boat and again fifty yards from it, I cried out, 'Scull away. Bob, scull away, thou'll soon be at me. ' After being in thewater half-an-hour I reached the boat in safety. All this time I had onthe following garments, made of very stout pilot-cloth: a pair oftrousers, a double-breasted waistcoat, a surtout coat, and a heavy greatcoat, which came down to my ancles, a thick shawl round my neck, and anew pair of Wellington boots on my feet. I had in my pockets thefollowing sums of money: £25 in bank notes; 25 sovereigns; £4 16s. 6d. In silver, and 8d. In coppers; also a tobacco-box, a large pocket knife, and a silver watch and guard. I made an attempt to throw off some of myclothes, but the thought of losing another man's money checked me. Besides, the suit of clothes I had on was bran-new, and being a poorman, and only just earning a livelihood, I could not brook the thoughtof having to get a new "rigging. " When a wave carried me a great wayfrom the boat, I unbuttoned my coat and prepared to throw it off, that Imight more easily swim to land. And when it seemed certain I should haveto make this attempt, I felt for my knife, that I might cut off myboots, and I believe I could have done it; but, after a desperateeffort, I approached within a few yards of the boat, when I againbuttoned my coat. I felt confident I could have reached the shore--adistance of one mile--had I been compelled to make the trial. MyWellington boots had nearly cost me my life, as they were heavy anddifficult to swim in, and I never wore a pair after this fearful night. '

[Sidenote: HIS SKILL AS A DIVER. ]

There is another department of the art now under consideration, in whichour friend greatly excelled, namely, that of diving. There are fewdivers who do not feel a kind of exultation in their power over theelement, and in their ability to move under the surface of the waterwith ease and pleasure. Half a century ago, diving was a difficult anddangerous art, demanding great skill and endurance; but modern sciencehas given the professional diver an almost perfect accoutrement, bymeans of which he can literally walk down to the bottom of the sea, andtelegraph for as much air as he requires. Hence, it has been utterlydeprived of all dramatic element. Properly managed, the thing is as easyas going up in a balloon, or going down a coal pit; but our friendexcelled in 'real naked diving. '

[Sidenote: HE DIVES IN 'CLARK'S BIT. ']

His first attempt at fetching anything from under water took place whenhe was about sixteen years of age. The vessel in which he then sailedwas being painted at 'Clark's Bit, ' Castleford, when John accidentallylet his brush fall overboard, and it sank to the bottom. The Captain wasfurious for about an hour, when, having handed the lad another brush, hewent into the town. John could not brook the hour's grumbling to whichhe had been subjected, and hence, scarcely had the Master left thevessel, when he threw off his clothes and dived to the bottom of the'Bit, ' a depth of twenty-six feet, and brought up the brush. He hastilyput on his clothes, and when the Master returned, John held up thebrush, and with that comical twinkle of the eye and humorous expressionof the countenance, so common with sailors, said, 'Here's your brush. Sir. ' 'What brush?' asked the Master. 'The brush I lost overboard anhour ago, ' said John. 'That's a lie. ' replied the Master, 'how could youget it?' 'I dived to the bottom and brought it up, ' was the lad'sresponse. Now Clark's Bit, in those days, was supposed to be of fabulousdepth; indeed, the Master, using a common expression, said, 'You can'thave fetched it up from the bottom, for there is no bottom to Clark'sBit. ' John was unabashed by this charge of falsehood, and with honestybeaming in every feature of his face, he answered with untremblingtongue, as he handed the brush to the Master, 'Throw it in again. Sir, and I'll fetch it up. ' The Master refused to test the lad's honesty atthe risk of losing his brush. However, several witnesses came forwardand declared they had seen him plunge into the water and bring up thebrush. From that time John was famous in the neighbourhood, as a greatdiver. 

'At the time of this occurrence, ' he writes, 'a number of younggentlemen were being taught, at a school at Castleford, by the Rev. Mr. Barnes. They had plenty of money, and I had little enough, and theywould often, for the sake of seeing me dive to the bottom of the "Bit, "throw in a shilling, and sometimes half-a-crown. To gratify them, andfor the sake of money, I often dived to the bottom, and never, that Iremember, without bringing up the money. I got at last that I would notgo down for less than a shilling, and I have sometimes got as much asfive shillings a day. I have dived to the bottom of Clark's Bit hundredsof times, and there are numbers of people at Castleford, at the presentday (1868), who recollect these youthful exploits, which took placeupwards of forty years ago. And I may add that, I have often had theimpression that but for that paint-brush I should never have been thediver I afterwards became. God overruled these foolish acts, for good, and what I did for mere pleasure and gain, prepared me to rescueproperty and human life in after years. '

[Sidenote: HE DIVES INTO A SUNKEN VESSEL. ]

We will mention one instance of his prowess in saving property, which iswell worthy of being recorded. 'The barque "Mulgrave Castle, " says thewriter of the article in the _Shipwrecked Mariners' Magazine_, 'ladenwith timber from the Baltic, was waterlogged in the Humber; there was inthe cabin of the vessel a small box containing money and papers whichthe captain was anxious, if possible, to secure. Ellerthorpe dived intothe cabin, groped his way round it, and after two or three attemptssucceeded in bringing up the box and its contents. ' This was in the year1835. The writer of this sketch received the fact from an eye witness. 

CHAPTER VI. 

HIS METHOD OF RESCUING THE DROWNING. 

For acts of pure, unselfish daring, in rescuing human life, the annalsof our friend need not shun comparison with those of any other manwithin Her Majesty's dominion. It appears that, amid his wicked andwayward career, he had a 'deep and unaccountable impression' that onepart of his mission into the world was to save human life. Beyonddispute, one of the best swimmers of his time, he was never, after hisboyhood, satisfied with swimming as a mere art. It was naught to him ifit did not help to make his fellow men better, safer, and braver. Itwill be seen that the first person he rescued from drowning _was hisown father_, and that event ever afterwards nerved him to do his best tosave his fellow-creatures. Indeed the desire to rescue the drowningburnt in his soul with all the ardour of an absorbing passion. It wasthe spring of his ready thoughts; it controlled his feelings and guidedhis actions; it prompted him to face the greatest difficulties withoutthe least fear, and when in the midst of the most threatening dangers, it enabled him to summon up a calmness and resolution that never failed. 

[Sidenote: HIS EXPERIENCE IN THE WATER. ]

The writer in _The Shipwrecked Mariners' Magazine_ says, 'Ellerthorpe'sexploits in saving life date from the year 1820, and from that time tothe present it may be safely asserted that he has never _hesitated_ torisk his own life to save that of a fellow-creature. The danger incurredin jumping overboard to rescue a drowning person is very great. Manyexpert swimmers shrink from it. Ellerthorpe has encountered this riskunder almost every variety of circumstance. He has followed thedrowning, unseen in the darkness of the night, in the depth of winter, under rafts of timber, under vessels at anchor or in docks, from greatheights, and often to the bottom in great depths of water, and what isvery remarkable, never in vain. _Fortuna fortes favet_ (fortune favoursthe brave), is an adage true in his case. He never risked his life tosave another without success. '

Even to an experienced swimmer and diver, like our friend, the task ofsaving a drowning person is not easy, and the grip and grapple of someof those whom he rescued, had well nigh proved a fatal embrace, and itwas only by the utmost coolness, skill, bravery, and self-control thathe escaped. 

[Sidenote: HE CARRIES THE DROWNING IN HIS ARMS. ]

But he shall tell _his own_ simple, noble tale. 'During the lastforty-eight years I have done all that lay in my power to rescue myfellow-creatures, when in drowning circumstances. By night and by day, in darkness or in light, in winter or in summer, I was always ready toobey the summons when the cry, "a man overboard, " fell on my ears. And Ihave had to rescue the drowning in widely different ways. Sometimes Iseized them tightly by the right arm, and then, hold them at arm'slength, soon reached the land. In some instances they seized me by myshoulder or arm, when, leaving hold of them, and, throwing both my handsinto the water, I managed to reach the shore. In other instances I foundthem so exhausted that they were incapable of taking hold of me, and inthese cases, I had to carry them as a mother would carry her child. Andin two or three instances, I thought they were dead, and, with feelingseasier imagined than expressed, I bore them up in my arms; whensuddenly, and with great strength, they sprang upon my head, and oftenerthan once, under these circumstances, I was on the point of beingdrowned. Some of those whom I saved were much heavier and stronger thanmyself, and when they got hold of me I found it difficult, and sometimesimpossible, to shake them off. When I rescued Robert Brown, the nightwas pitchy dark, and for some time I could not see him; and when I gotto him he clutched me in such a manner as to prevent my swimming. When Iseized the young Woodman, I thought he was dead, but, after a fewmoments, he made a great spring at me, and clutched hold of my head insuch a way as to prevent me swimming for some seconds. When pinionedclosely, I generally adopted this plan, which proved to be the bestunder the circumstances:--I threw myself on my back and pushed thedrowning person on before me, and in this way I managed to keep them upfor a time, and with comparative ease to myself. I often said to personsin a drowning state, "Now, hold fast by me, and don't exert yourself, and I'll make you all right. " It was not often I could persuade them toact thus, but whenever they could, they got upon me; for "a drowningperson will catch at a straw. " I believe I have fetched out of the waternot fewer than fifty drowning persons, and, with scarce an exception, they tried to seize me, and thus rendered their deliverance a matter ofgreat difficulty. In fact, it would be comparatively easy to fetch adrowning man out of water if he would just take hold of one's arm, andthus keep himself from sinking, and let one tow him ashore. 

[Sidenote: HE SEARCHES FOR THE DROWNING. ]

'In many instances, as will be seen, I had to run a great distance, andwhen almost out of breath, I have plunged into the water, and in thatstate had to struggle with those on the point of drowning. I rememberthat, on one occasion, when staying at a public house in America, thelandlord came running into the room, and cried out, "a man overboard. " Iran 200 yards, and on reaching the spot I was out of breath, when in Iplunged, but soon found I could not stay under the water for more than afew seconds. The water was clear and fresh, with long grass at thebottom; but alas! I could not find the young man, and he was drowned. Iarrived too late to be of any service, for it was found afterwards thathe had pulled himself on the bottom of the river with the long grass toa distance of fifty yards from the spot where he fell in. 

'My first object, after I had plunged into the water, was to catch asight of the drowning person, and if I could once do that, I always feltconfident I should soon have him in my grasp. It is a most difficultthing to search for a drowning person, especially in muddy water. I hadto make this attempt again and again, and sometimes the fear has creptover me that my exertions would be in vain, when I made the mostprodigious and exhausting efforts. And that I have never failed, in asingle instance, is to me a source of great gratitude to God, "in whosehand my breath is, and whose are all my ways. "'

[Sidenote: AN INSTANCE OF HIS PLUCK. ]

'I remember once I had my leg crushed between our packet and the pier, and for some days after I could not walk without the aid of crutches. One day I got down to the South End, but soon felt tired, and returnedhome; but after a short rest, I again went to the pier, when I was toldthat, during my short absence, a cabman, named Sharpe, had fallen intothe harbour and was drowned. I was filled with indescribable distress atthe news, and said, "If I had been here I would have saved him, despitemy broken leg. At least I would have tried. " A man, who professed to bea great swimmer, was present, and he answered, "O, I can swim as well asyou can, " when my muscles began to quiver, and my blood to throb, and Ireplied, in no very good temper, I assure you. "I dispute that, unlessyou mean now that I have my broken leg. Why did'nt you try to save him?"I always felt that I would much rather have the satisfaction of havingtried to save a drowning person and fail, than have the miserablesatisfaction of shaking my head and shrugging my shoulders and saying, "Oh, I knew it would be of no use trying to save him; it was foolish totry. " "I could have done it, " never saved a drowning man. "I will try, "has enabled me, under God, to save fifty of my fellow creatures. 

'I do not wish to intimate that every man who sees a fellow creaturedrowning, ought to plunge into the water to rescue that person. Indeed, I have seen two or three instances where men, who could not swimthemselves, have jumped into the water to save the drowning, and inevery instance the consequences have nearly been fatal. Before a personmakes such an attempt, he should have tested his own ability to swim. Ifhe can float himself and believes he can save the drowning person, heought to make the attempt, and God will help him. This is not meretheory, but what I have felt again and again. Ever after my conversionto God, I used to pray, when plunging into the water, "Lord help me, "and knowing as I did, that prayer melts the heart and moves the arm ofJehovah, I felt confident he would help me; and so he did; for I often, when in the water, felt a sweet consciousness that God was with me. Hetaught my hands to war with the waters, and my fingers to grasp myprecious freight. When struggling with the boy Woodman, these words cameforcibly into my mind, and I repeated them in the water:--

 "When all thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise. "

[Sidenote: HIS GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GOD. ]

'I always felt it my duty, after rescuing a drowning person, to go tothe house of God at night, and return public thanks to the Almighty. Ministers in the town, and especially the Wesleyan ministers, have oftenreturned thanks to God from the pulpit, on the following Sabbath. On themorning following the deliverance, I generally went to see the rescuedperson, and sought to improve the event by impressing their mind withthe uncertainty of life and with the importance of being prepared fordeath. 

[Sidenote: JOHN'S STATEMENT. ]

'In the following list I have given, as far as my memory and knowledgeenabled me, a true and faithful account of the persons whom I haverescued from drowning. Extracts from newspapers, and letters from theparties themselves, and also from many who were eye-witnesses of theirdeliverance, have been freely used. There are several whom I have, atdifferent times, saved from a watery grave, not included in this list, but as these events produced but little impression on my mind at thetime of their occurrence, and as I am utterly unable to give either thenames of the parties, or the time when I saved them, I can make noreliable mention of them at present, _though I hope_ to be able to do soat some future time. I sincerely believe, however, that if I had kept astrict account of all these deliverances, instead of having to recordthirty-nine cases, I should have been able to have recorded upwards offifty. I regret now that I did not keep such a record. Every now andthen I meet with persons who greet me as their deliverer. Two young menhave done so within the last four months. And very pleasant to my mindit is to meet a fellow creature whom I have been the means, in the handsof a wonder-working Providence, of saving from a watery grave. But allthe cases mentioned in the following chapter, except William Earnshawand Captain Clegg, have been signed by living witnesses, and most ofthem were reported in the local newspapers, at the time of theiroccurrence. Many of these persons are still living; some of them I seealmost daily, and _they_ can speak for themselves. If I have made amistake in spelling their names, or in relating the time when, or thecircumstances under which, I saved them, I shall be glad to becorrected. And if I have offered an unkind reflection on any of myfellow creatures, or recorded a boastful sentence respecting what myfellow townsmen have been pleased to call my "deeds of daring, " I hopeto be forgiven by God, whose I am and whom I serve. Finally: as a largecircle of my friends are anxious to have a true record of all the livesI have saved, I shall be highly pleased if any whom I have rescued, butwhose names I have not recorded, will send me a few lines that may addto the interest of this little book, should a second edition be calledfor. '

[Illustration: Signature of John Ellerthorpe]

CHAPTER VII. 

HIS GALLANT AND HUMANE CONDUCT IN RESCUING THE DROWNING. 

_First. _--JOHN ELLERTHORPE. [1] (1820. )

He was my father, and I was not more than fourteen years of age when Isaved him. At the time he managed the ferry boat from Hessle to Barton. It required two persons to conduct the boat across the Humber, and as itcost my father a shilling each time he employed a man to assist himacross, he often took me with him instead of a man, and thus saved theshilling. One morning, he took Mr. Thompson, corn miller, to Barton, andengaged to fetch him back at night; and there was this agreement betweenthem, that my father was to receive the fare whether Mr. T---- returnedor not. He did not return that night, though we waited for him untilnine o'clock. The snow was then thick on the ground, the wind wasblowing strong, and the waves were beginning to rise high in the Humber, and I was sitting, half-asleep, at the corner of a comfortable hearth, before a bright fire, when my father called out, 'Come, my boy, we'll beoff. ' We were soon in the boat, but had not got many yards, when myfather fell overboard. I remember crying out most piteously, 'Oh, myfather is overboard, ' when I instantly plunged into the water and soonhad fast hold of him. He had sunk to the bottom, a depth of sixteenfeet, for when he came up he was covered with mud. We came up close tothe boat's side, and, making a tremendous spring, I got hold of theboat's gunnel, and after a few moments my father also got hold of itwith both his hands. He was a heavy man, weighing about fifteen stones, and could not swim. I said to him, 'Now, father, can you keep holdwhile I fetch the Hull horse-boatmen?' whom we had left at thewater-side house, when he replied, 'Yes, but be very sharp, my lad. ' Ithen swam to the house, and called out, 'My father is overboard;' andwhen I returned with the men, I was glad to hear him shout, 'I'm here. 'John Thrush, captain of the horse-boat, and Luke Dixon, soon got himinto the boat, while Mr. Wood, the landlord, brought him a glass ofbrandy, which he drank. We could not persuade him to leave the boat, sowe again started for home, and as a brisk wind was blowing at the time, in about fifteen minutes, we were safe in Hessle harbour. My mother metus there, and I said, 'Mother, my father has been overboard, fetchsomebody to help him out of the boat. ' He was stiff and cold, but withthe aid of Mr. Wright we got him ashore. Mr. W. Brought him some mulledale and a glass of rum, which I then thought very good. We then wrappedhim in several thicknesses of warm clothing. I was much perished at thetime, but soon felt all right. Not long before this, my mother had givenme a severe flogging for bathing so often; so I looked into her face andsaid, 'Mother, I think you won't flog me for bathing again, will you?'to which she replied, 'Oh, my lad, it was a good job that thou wasthere;'[2] when my father faintly added, 'Yes, if he had not been thereI should never have come to the top of the water. ' And if he had hewould have been drowned, for he could not swim a yard; and had heshouted, no one was near to render him assistance. But, thank God, I wasthere, and answered the end of a gracious Providence, and that wasenough. Now, my father never liked to have this circumstance named, though I have often heard him say, 'That lad saved my life. ' Afterwards, my mother never liked him to cross the Humber after dark, unless I waswith him; so I often had to accompany him when I would much rather havebeen at a warm fireside, or asleep in bed. _Witnesses_--John Thrush, Luke Dixon. 

[Footnote 1: Those marked with a star distinguish the cases for whichMr. Ellerthorpe received the special medal of the Royal Humane Society. ]

[Footnote 2: John seems to have loved his mother with a tender, intenseaffection. In a letter dated October 14th, 1867, he says: 'It isfourteen years this day since my poor (but I trust now rich) mother wasburied at Hessle. The Lord knows I was her darling son; but, alas! formany years I was no comfort to her. But years before her death Christwashed me from my sins in his most precious blood, and now I entertain ahope of meeting her in heaven. ']

_Second. _--WILLIAM EARNSHAW. * (1820. )

There were two brothers, Robert and William, sons of Mr. Earnshaw, ofHessle. They were about my own age, and, like myself, they were veryfond of bathing. Their mother used to blame me for taking them into thewater so often; but it was less my fault than theirs, for they used tofetch me from school--and I have known them give the schoolmaster ashilling to let me go with them. One day, we went to bathe in the drain, and fearing our parents might see us, we went a long way up the bank andthen began to swim; at length I heard some one call out 'WilliamEarnshaw is drowning!' I was then a hundred yards from him, but Ihastened to the bank and ran as fast as I could, until I got oppositehim, when I again plunged into the drain and swam to my young friend'srescue. His brother was weeping, and said, 'All is over with him, ' and Ithought so too. I could but just see the hair of his head, when I dartedat him and gave him a great push, but he was too far gone to take holdof me, so I shoved him on and on, until his brother could reach him, when we put him on the bank and thought he was dead; but he soon beganto breathe, and, after a while, came round. At that time I was in greatdisgrace with Mrs. Earnshaw, and afraid lest, if we told of William'snarrow escape, she would never let us go together again, we vowed tokeep the affair a profound secret. Soon after this the two brothers weretaken ill, and poor William died, and the doctor said this illness wasbrought on by their too frequent bathing. They didn't bathe half sooften as I did, but it was evident their constitution could not bear thewater so well as mine. Mr. Earnshaw was a rich man and very liberal, and, I believe, if he had known the real nature of the case, as I havedescribed it, so far from blaming me, he would have rewarded me for whatI did for his son. I kept the promise I made to William for upwards offorty years; but as Mr. And Mrs. Earnshaw and their sons are dead, andas a large circle of my friends are wishful to have a list of the livesI have saved, I think I am not doing wrong in recording William'sdeliverance in this history of my life. 

_Third. _--ROBERT PINCHBECK. * (1822. )

This case was very similar to the one I have just described. Robert, whowas about fifteen years old, was a companion and schoolfellow of mine, and was fond of imitating my exploits in the water. One day he told someboys that he could swim across Hessle Harbour; but, in making theattempt, he nearly lost his life. I was about forty yards ahead of him, when I heard some boys cry 'Bob Pinchbeck is drowning. ' He had gone downthrice, and was quite exhausted when I got to him, and he was saved, asit were, by the skin of his teeth. I feared he might seize me, and, therefore, I did not take hold of him, but pushed him before until hereached the long grass on the harbour bank. He could not use his limbs, and I thought he was dead, but he soon revived a little. We took him tomy father's house and sent for his mother and a doctor; but when theyarrived, he was breathing nicely, and after a few hours, he walked home. His father, though vexed by his son's disaster, said to me, 'You mustteach him to swim. ' I tried hard to do so, but the water alwaysfrightened him, and he never made much out at swimming. A few yearsafter this he died of the typhus fever, and I believe his soul went toheaven. _Witnesses_--John Campbell, Francis Pinchbeck. 

_Fourth. _--HENRY IBOTSON. * (1824. )

Henry, myself, and others had been bathing in Hessle Harbour, and I hadjust left the water and dressed, when a cry was raised, 'Ibotson isdrowning. ' I sprang to him, when he seized me so tightly and closely, that we had a narrow escape from being drowned together. At length I gotmyself clear, and took him to the bank, amid the shouts and cheers of agreat many spectators. We had great difficulty in walking home, and whenwe got there we had to be put to bed. Mr. Booth, gardener, of Hessle, and who was the next person I rescued, says: 'You may have forgotten, but I well remember, that a few days previous to your saving my life, you saved the life of H. Ibotson. It had well-nigh cost you your life, as he closed in upon you, and took you to the bottom. ' A few days afterHenry came and thanked me most sincerely for what I had done, and wishedme to teach him to swim. I began at once, and he soon got that he couldswim across the drain; but it was a long time before he durst venture toswim across the harbour, in which he had so nearly been drowned.... Now, I would ask, why did not some of these spectators render help in thistime of need? Could nothing have been done when they saw us sinktogether, again and again? Within fifty yards there was a boat, withboat-hooks and staves, and could no use have been made of these, tolessen, the peril in which myself and the drowning youth were placed? Iam convinced that great numbers of people are drowned throughspectators not making a little effort at the time. _Witnesses_--GeorgeTwiddle, Robert Riplington. 

_Fifth. _--GEORGE BOOTH. (1825. )

He was bathing in the drain at Hessle, when a large tide was being takenin, and he began to sink fast. I was at a great distance when the alarmwas given, but I ran to his assistance, plunged into the water, and soonbrought him safe to land. Mr. Booth's gratitude has given me thegreatest satisfaction. I had not seen him for many years, and hadforgotten the circumstance altogether, until I met him at the funeral ofR. Pease, Esq. , when he said, 'I'm glad to see you once more, Mr. Ellerthorpe. Don't you remember when you leaped into the drain fortyyears ago, and saved my life?' And in a note I got from him, dated July31st, 1867, he says, 'Under the blessing of Divine Providence you wereinstrumental in saving my life. I was sixteen years of age, and in July, 1825, I was bathing in Hessle drain, when a very large tide was beingtaken in. I shall ever have cause to thank you, as the instrument inGod's hands, of saving me from a watery grave. '--George Booth. 

_Sixth. _--ROBERT CLEGG. (1825. )

He was both owner and captain of the keel 'Ann Scarborough, ' the vesselfrom which I lost the brush at Clark's Bit. He went one dark night toMoreton, and as he did not return at the time expected, I felt veryuneasy about him, and at last I went on the bank of the Trent, in searchof him. When I got near Moreton-bite, I thought I heard a groan; andafter a long search I found my captain, drunk, half in the water andhalf on the bank. The tide was half flood, and was then rapidly rising, and had it risen a foot and a half higher, he must have been drowned, asnothing could have saved him. I struggled with him for three quarters ofan hour, and after great exertions, I got him fairly on the bank. Wewere then a mile and a half from our vessel, and did not get on boarduntil three o'clock next morning. A doctor had to be got, and soon thecaptain began to recover. But the keel was delayed two days. He wasafraid lest his wife should get to know the cause of this delay, and hebound me to keep the affair a profound secret. But he often said, afterwards, 'Jack saved my life. ' And I am quite sure I did, as no onecame near us, and there was no other chance of his being rescued. Inever allowed this case to be put in the list of those whom I havesaved, but having given a true statement of the case, I think I shall bepardoned for giving it a permanent record here. 

_Seventh. _--NAME NOT KNOWN. * (1826. )

[Sidenote: THE COACHMAN. ]

He was a coachman, but his name I never knew. He was conducting someladies on board the 'Sir Walter Scott, ' when, being drunk, he felloverboard, between the smack and the wharf, Irongate, London. There werebut seven feet depth of water, and I had to leap from a height of atleast sixteen feet; but I succeeded in preserving him from what seemedcertain death. He was covered with mud, but was soon washed, and got onsome dry clothes. After I had changed my clothes, and drank a glass ofwhisky, I returned to the vessel, and the ladies and gentlemen gave me athousand thanks. The captain's name was Nisbet, and ever afterwards hewould have given me almost anything; whenever I met him in London, heused to call the attention of his passengers to me, and tell them what Ihad done. Many a time has he sent for me on board his vessel, and givenme as much drink as I would take, and he used to say to the passengers, 'See! this young man jumped over our ship's rail, when there was notmore than seven feet of water, and made a rope fast to a man whenthere was no other way of his being saved. If I had not seen it Icould not have believed that any man could have done it. ' He oftensaid, 'Whenever you want a berth come to me and I will give you one. '_Witnesses_--Thomas Macha, Richard Boras. 

_Eighth. _--CHARLES HIMSWORTH. * (1828. )

At this time, Himsworth and myself belonged to the brig 'Jubilee, ' ofHull. We were bosom friends, and very fond of spreeing about, and spentmuch of our time when ashore in dancing parties and in ballrooms. Whether at Hull or in London, if we could but find a place where therewas plenty of noise and a fiddle going, that was the place for us. Wehave often spent many days' hard earnings in a few hours, amid suchscenes. On this occasion he fell from the bows of the 'Jubilee' while astrong ebb tide was running. I jumped in after him, and we both wentunder a tier of vessels that were hung at the buoy, Battle Bridge, London. We came to the surface, but were soon carried under another tierof vessels, and had not the mate have come to our assistance we shouldhave gone under a third tier, but he came at the last extremity andsaved us. Charles belonged to a very respectable family living atSnaith, where I once called to see his mother, who was a widow. Her sonThomas and I became intimate friends, after I had rescued Charles, andhe often said he thought as much of me as he did of his own brother. Alas! the two brothers met with untimely deaths. On the morning ofJanuary the 25th, 18--, I saw Thomas put out to sea, and in about halfan hour the boat capsized, and he and five other men were drowned. Charles got married, and became master of a vessel, but alas! he andthe crew were drowned. _Witnesses_--William Howarth, Joseph Johnson. 

_Ninth. _--JOHN KENT. * (1828. )

He was a native of Hull, and a shipmate of mine on board the'Westmoreland. ' While in a state of intoxication he jumped overboardinto the Diamond Harbour, Quebec, intending to swim to land, but sank ata distance from the vessel. A boat, manned with foreigners, was passingat the time, and Captain Knill called to them to pick up Kent. Theypulled the boat towards him, but Kent, in trying to lay hold of it, missed his grasp, and the next moment he was under the boat. The captainthen called to us on the stage, and said, 'Be sharp with your boat, or_the man_ will be drowned. ' We did not then know who _the man_ was, but, with the quickness of true sailors, we were in the boat in a minute. Bythis time he had been carried to a great distance from the ship, as theebb tide was running strong and fast. I was forward in the boat, and onreaching the spot where he was last seen, I plunged under the water, andin a moment I saw the man, and was surprised to find it was my friend, John Kent. I dived to a depth of twenty-five feet, and had him rightabove me; I soon had hold of him, and though I had to swim against theebb tide, we were soon at the boat's side, when I said to the men, 'Never mind me, pull him into the boat, ' but he had such fast hold of myarm that they had to pull us in together, and even then it was withgreat difficulty they broke his hold of me. He was so far gone that fora long time we did not know whether he was living or dead. At length heshowed signs of life, but recovered slowly, and did not work for severaldays. After twenty-five years' separation, I met Kent in the streets ofHull, and he remembered, with every mark of gratitude, his wonderfuldeliverance. My arm was much bruised, and almost as black as a coal. Icould not lift it as high as my head, and I said to the captain, 'I amafraid I shall not be able to work to-day, ' when he kindly said, 'Nevermind the work, surely thou's done enough for one day; take care of thyarm, ' and he gave me something with which to rub it. It remained stifffor a long time, and gave me great pain. I hope to be pardoned foradding that, I was a great favourite with Captain Knill, and spent manyhours with him ashore when I ought to have been aboard taking in timber. He was a kind man and a good captain, and often, after my drunkensprees, he would call me down to the cabin and there talk to me as afather would talk to his son. And these friendly counsels produced adeep impression upon my mind, and did me far more good than a 'blowingup' would have done. Through respect for him, I used to guard againstdrink, but alas! I was often overcome. I cherish an undying respect forthe memory of my dear Captain Knill. _Witnesses_--Captain J. Knill, JohnHickson. 

_Tenth. _--GEORGE WILLIAMS. * (1830. )

He was a sailor on board the ship 'Rankin, ' belonging, I think, toGilmore and Rankin. He fell overboard with a timber chain round hisneck, and went under a raft of timber. Some men saw him fall overboard, and called for me. I ran as fast as I could, and had to step from onepiece of floating timber to another; however, I soon reached him, andbrought him up with the chain round his neck. He was completelyexhausted, and it was half an hour before he could walk. This man'scaptain sent for me to give me some money for rescuing one of his crew;but fearing he might stop the sum out of the man's wages, I refused togo; for I did not want anything for what I had done. He was offended, and when ashore told Captain Knill of my refusal. So to please mycaptain, I went on board the 'Rankin, ' when the captain shook hands withme, and said, 'Captain Knill tells me you won't take any money forsaving one of my crew. I think you ought. Had you saved my life I wouldhave given you twenty pounds, and I think you ought to take a sovereignfor what you have done. Now take it, and I will make him pay me back. 'He then sent for the man, who looked wretched and seemed to think I hadgone for money; and when his captain said, 'Now, what are you going togive this man for saving your life, ' he replied, 'I have nothing to givehim. ' I didn't want the poor man's money, nor would I have taken any ifhe had had his pockets full. I then went forward to the crew, when thecaptain sent us what sailors call 'a mess pot. ' I drank a great deal ofrum that night, for I had to sup first with one and then with another, and each drank to my good health, and when I left they gave me a goodhearty 'English cheer'--such a cheer as only 'jolly sailors' can give. Captain Knill was pleased that I had been so firm in refusing to takeany money from the poor man, and it was enough for me that _he_ waspleased. And I can declare, most solemnly, that hitherto I have notreceived so much as a halfpenny from any of those whom I have saved. Ihave got many a glass of grog, but never any money. _Witnesses_--CaptainJ. Knill, John Hickson. 

_Eleventh. _--MARY ANN DAY. * (1833. )

She was a little girl, a native of Ulceby, in Lincolnshire, and fellfrom the 'Magna Charter' steamer into New Holland harbour. I sprang inafter her while the paddle-wheels of the steamer were in motion, andbrought her ashore, though at a great risk of losing my own life. Thenoise of the paddle-wheels, the screams of the girl's mother, and theconfusion and shouts of the passengers, made this a very exciting scene, but it was very soon over, and the little girl, having got some dryclothes on, her mother brought her to me, and said to her, 'Now whatwill you give this gentleman for saving your life?' when she held outher little chin and, with a full heart, said, 'A _kiss_. ' She gave me akiss, and O, what a kiss it was. I felt myself well paid for my trouble;indeed, I made the remark at the time, that I was never better satisfiedthan when that child kissed me. 'It is said that Cicero had twocourtiers on whom he wished to bestow favours. To one he gave a goldencup, and to the other a kiss. But the one that got the cup was verydissatisfied. He said, 'In the kiss I see something more than the cup, though that is valuable, but in the kiss there is affection, and itbetokens better things. ' And I am sure I felt a greater sense ofdelight, and higher satisfaction at the moment when that grateful childkissed me, than I did when my fellow townsmen, with their wontedgenerosity, presented me with one hundred and thirty guineas, and othermementoes of my doings; all of which I prize most highly, and which Itrust will be preserved as heirlooms in my family, as long as the nameof Ellerthorpe shall continue. I have been told that this girl ismarried and has a large family, and that she is now living betweenBeverly and Hull. Whether this is true I cannot say, but I know she hasnever paid me a visit, which I think she might have done, supposing theabove statement to be correct. Should this meet her eye, it may refreshher memory, and I assure her she would meet with a hearty welcome fromher former deliverer, now living at the Humber Dock-gate, Hull. _Witness_--Captain Oswald James Teny. 

_Twelfth. _--HENRICH JENSON. * (1833. )

He was a foreigner, about forty years of age, and fell into the HumberDock basin, one dark night, in the month of November. I was walking onthe dock side at the time, when I heard a splash in the water, and inless time than it takes to write these few lines, I plunged in afterhim, and found him in a drowning state; I seized him, and with theassistance of some bystanders, soon had him safe on land. He rapidlyrecovered and I heard no more of him for years, when a man, a foreigner, called at my house and gave me the man's name and thanked me for savinghis life. He said, 'If ever Jenson comes to Hull again, you may restassured he will call and see you, and give you personal thanks. ' I saidI should be glad to see him, but that I should not take anything fromhim for the little service I had done him. This case was fully reportedin the local papers at the time, and gave rise to a great deal of talkin the town of Hull, and its vicinity, as many well remember. JohnBarkworth, Esq. , timber merchant, of Hull (who had known me from a boy), in company with some other gentlemen, met me one day, and said, 'WellJohn, you have saved another man, ' and turning to those with him, hesaid, 'Here is a man that never stops, whatever kind of weather blows, but in he plunges and fetches the drowning person out. Look at his lastcase! On a dark cold night in November, he hears a splash, and in hegoes and saves a man. Gentlemen, the town ought to do something handsomefor him. ' He gave me half-a-crown, and each of the other gentlemen gaveme the same sum. As these gentlemen had plenty of money, and as none ofthem had any connection with the man I had saved, I accepted theirgifts, and felt pleased that my services had been acknowledged in themanner I have described. _Witness_--James Smith. 

_Thirteenth. _--ASHLEY TAYLOR. * (1833. )

He was seventy-five years of age, and fell from the landing place of theGrimsby packet, opposite ----street, Hull. At that time I belonged tothe New Holland steamer, and having lost my tide at four o'clock, p. M. , I went down to meet the packet which arrived at seven o'clock at night. Mr. R. Curtis, Mr. Lundie, and myself, were walking near where the boatwas expected to land, when we heard a great splash in the water, butcould not see anything. We ran to the corner of Pier-street, and therewe saw something in the water, but nothing stirred. At length Mr. Lundiesaid, 'I believe it is a man overboard. ' I then looked more closely, andsure enough it was a man. He had on one of those old fashioned greatcoats, with three or four capes, and which were worn by gentlemen'scoachmen and boots, forty years ago; and as the capes were blowing aboutin all directions, it was with great difficulty I found his head. I hadto turn him up and down, to the right and left, topsy-turvey, before Icould get his head clear. I took him to the 'Piles, ' and held him there, until a young man, who now drives a cab in Hull, came to our assistancewith a boat. We took the old man to the Humber dock watch-house, andsent for Dr. Buchan, who used the Royal Humane Society's apparatus, andalso gave the old man a steam or vapour bath. I stayed with him in mywet clothes till he spoke, and then I went home and got on some dryraiment. During my absence, they took this old man to Mr. Hudson'slodging house, in Humber-street. The night was cold, and the old man hadhad a warm bath, and to expose him to the night air under suchcircumstances was enough to kill him. When I arrived from New Holland, at nine o'clock next morning, a person met me and said, 'The old man isdead. ' _Witnesses_--Richard Curtis, Richard Lundie. 

_Fourteenth. _--RICHARD CHAPMAN. * (1834. )

Unlike the last case, Richard was a fine boy, only seven years old: hewas the son of the late Mr. Chapman, pilot, and also brother of Mr. Chapman, painter, of Hull. He fell into the water from the Hull DockPier. At the time, I was on the deck of my packet, smoking a pipe, whenI heard some one call out, 'A boy overboard. ' I sprang from the deck, ran to the spot, plunged into the water, and in a few moments I had theboy safe ashore. I then hastened home, got on some dry clothes, and inless than half an hour I had started with the packet for New Holland. When I returned, Mr. Chapman met me and said, 'John, was it you whosaved my boy?' 'I can't say, but I know I saved somebody's boy, is heyours?' I replied. 'Yes, ' said the rejoicing father, 'I'm glad you werethere, what am I in your debt?' 'Nothing, Mr. Chapman. I am as pleasedas you are, and you are quite welcome to what I have done, ' was myreply. He then said, 'Come in here and have something to drink, ' when wewent to the Minerva Hotel. Mr. Chapman pulled a handful of sovereignsfrom his purse and said, 'Now do take something for saving my boy, ' butI again refused, though I believe to this day he would gladly have givenme £10 if I would have taken that sum; but I never did take anythingfrom anyone whom I have rescued, though often urged to do so. I think itwas on this occasion that I received £1 from the Hull Royal HumaneSociety. Mr. Collinson, a gentleman, was on the pier when I saved MasterChapman, and he came and asked me what was my name, to what ship Ibelonged, where I lived, &c. Soon after, I was called by some gentlemeninto the Minerva Hotel, where Dr. Wallis shook me by the hand and said, 'I have often heard of you, and it gives me great pleasure to see yourface and hear your voice. ' He gave me a note to take to the TrinityHouse for £1, which I got, and another which I took to Watson andHarrison's bank, where I got another sovereign. I felt pleased withthese acknowledgments of my services, and oftener than once after this Iwas sent to the same places, and got £1 each time, after I had rescued ahuman life. The funds of the Trinity House were soon exhausted, andseveral gentlemen requested me to prepare a list of the persons I hadsaved from drowning at Hull, New Holland, Barton, and Hessle, and to getit signed by living witnesses. The persons saved by me, for which I hadreceived no public acknowledgment, numbered five, and they gave me £5. Altogether I have received eleven sovereigns from the Hull HumaneSociety for those I rescued in the Humber, and at Hull. _Witnesses_--William Collinson, Thomas Spence. 

_Fifteenth. _--ROBERT LEESON. * (1834. )

He was a young gentleman returning from a musical festival, at York. Hefell into New Holland harbour; some said he was in a state ofintoxication. I swam to his assistance and soon saved him. He was veryill, and I believe a doctor was fetched from Barrow. When I returned, next morning, he had gone, but had left me _sixpence_ with which to geta glass of rum, which I hastily swallowed. My captain was provoked by(what _he_ thought) this man's niggardly gift, and said, 'John, why didyou drink it? I would have given you a glass of rum without your beingindebted to him. ' I am told that this gentleman is often in Hull; if heis, I am sorry he has never had gratitude enough to give me a call. Isaved his life and he must know it. I may add that a man who could notswim, jumped overboard to rescue this gentleman, and I had almost asmuch trouble in saving him as I had in saving Leeson. _Witnesses_--JamesOswald, James Sorry. 

_Sixteenth. _--JOSEPH CRABTREE. (1834. )

At this time I belonged to the 'Magna Charter' steamer, and was watchmanfor the night. When I went on board I was not quite sober, and I laydown on the forecastle. After a while I thought I heard something falloverboard, when I ran on to the deck, but could not see anything. Ilistened with bated breath, but not a sound could I hear; at length Ishouted, but there was no answer. A plank had been put from the 'AnnScarborough, ' into our 'Taffelrail, ' and as this plank had fallen down, I thought it was its fall I had heard and nothing else. I got a boathook and pulled the plank on board our vessel. But after a few moments Ithought I heard something stir, and on taking a light I saw Crabtree, who was engineer of the 'Ann Scarborough, ' stuck in the mud, for thevessels were dry. I put down a ladder and went to help him, but he wasso fast in the mud that I could do nothing with him. So I ran toLawson's tap-room and got, I think, Robert Hollowman and two other men, to help to get C. Out of the mud. He was dead drunk, but we soon got himashore, gave him some brandy, and he was very little worse. The case waskept a profound secret at the time, and for this reason--Crabtree wasafraid that if his master should get to know of the affair, he wouldlose his situation, and as we all thought the same, we promised not totell any one of it. 

_Seventeenth. _--WILSON. * (1835. )

This boy fell into the Humber Dock basin, and sank between the 'Calder'steamer and the wall. It was about three o'clock one Sabbath afternoon, and hundreds of people were passing to and fro in search of pleasure. Iwas one hundred yards from the boy when the alarm was given, but I ranas fast as I could, and when I got to the spot, I found greatdifficulty in getting near because of the press of the people who wereanxious to see the drowning youth. Some one said, 'He went down justhere, ' and in I went, but I had a task to find him because of thethickness of the water. At last I saw him, and brought him up on oneside of the packet, and caught hold of the paddle-wheels, when thepeople, who crowded the deck, rushed to see us, and gave the packet sucha 'lurch over' that we were again dipped overhead in the water. I wasnever nearer being drowned than at this moment; but 'mercy to my rescueflew, ' for the captain, who had been asleep in the cabin, rushed ondeck, and seeing our peril, called out, 'You are drowning them, ' and gotthem to stand on the other side of the vessel, which lifted us right outof the water. A man then came into the paddle-wheel and took us bothout. I was then completely exhausted and quite insensible. When I cameto myself I was in the watch-house of the Humber Dock Company, and adoctor was watching over me and administering suitable medicaltreatment. I cannot tell how long I was in this state, but I had all myclothes pulled or cut off, and I was dangerously ill for several days. The boy was thought to be worse than I was, and in his case they usedthe Royal Humane Society's apparatus for restoring animation to drowningpersons. He soon recovered, but who he was or where he came from I neverknew. I remember the doctor told me his name was Wilson. This wasregarded by the public as an act of great skill and bravery, and wasmuch talked of at the time. Mrs. Daniel Sykes sent me, through themedium of the editor of the Rockingham newspaper, £1 10s. , and I thinkone of the clubs subscribed _threepence_. _Witnesses_--Isaac Johnson, S. Bromley. 

_Eighteenth. _--SARAH HARLAND. * (1835. )

Mrs. H. Was a person of great strength and bulk of frame, weighingfourteen stones; she fell from the pier into the water. Our packet hadjust arrived from New Holland, and I was forward making the ... Ropefast, when our engineer called out 'Jack, Jack, there is a womanoverboard. ' He ran aft as fast as he could, and when he got there, hesaw me overboard. He often used to say, 'I don't know how that littlefellow got past me, for I ran as fast as I could, and yet when I gotthere he was overboard. ' I seized this woman with a firm grip, and boreher to the pier, amid the applause of crowds of people who witnessed thewhole occurrence. Some of them said I swam as fast with this big womanin my arms as I did when I went towards her; this I think wasimpossible, seeing I was but a little man, and that she was such a bigheavy woman. Isaac Whittaker, Esq. , who saw me rescue her, gave mehalf-a-crown to get some grog with. But what pleased me far better was, the gratitude of Mrs. H. She resided, if I remember rightly, in BlanketRow, and on going to see her, next morning, I found her ill in bed. Sheseemed full of gratitude, and that gave me great pleasure. I have oftenseen her since, and she always acknowledges me as saving her life. _Witness_--Robert Todd. 

_Nineteenth. _--ROBERT BROWN. * (1835. )

He was a sailor, from North Shields, and fell overboard, near theVictoria Hotel, Hull, while on watch. It was the first night of Dacrow'sCircus appearing in Hull, and Brown's mates had gone ashore, either tosee the performance inside, or to hear the music in the streets. I waswatchman that night on board the 'Magna Charter' steamer. A heavy galewas blowing from the north, accompanied with sleet storms. While closingthe cabin door for the night, I heard a splash, and running aft, Icalled out, 'Is anyone overboard?' But there was no answer, for thepier was deserted, the people having thronged to the circus. I could notsee anything; but at last I thought I heard a voice, and plunging intothe water, I soon found poor Brown; indeed he seized me before I wasaware of him, and got upon me in such a way that I could not swim, and, I must confess, I was in a great passion. At length I got one arm atliberty, and made for the shore. I turned round and round a great manytimes, and, at last, after a desperate struggle, which I shall neverforget, we reached the steps at the end of the pier. Brown took hold ofthe rail, walked up the steps, and seemed as if he didn't care about me;I was quite exhausted, and had to hold by the railings for severalminutes before I could recover my breath. I then sat down on one of thesteps and felt very ill, and I thought I should have died on the spot. Iremember seeing the lights, and hearing the music from the shore, butthere was no one near to render me any help. Bye-and-bye I recovered alittle and _crept_ to the top of the steps, where I found poor Brown, crying most piteously. Two men, Joseph Crabtree and John Young, camefrom Lawson's tap-room, and I asked them to get some drink for theyouth, who was in a distressing state, and I would pay for it. They thentook him to Mr. Lawson's, while I tried to make my way home; butscarcely had I started, when a great trouble stared me in the face, itwas this: Around the circus were thousands of people, and Ithought, --what shall I do? I cannot get through that crowd, and if Ionce fall, I shall never get up again, and I felt that I had notstrength to walk round the other way, and I didn't know what to do. However, I had not gone far when, who should I meet, but Joseph Spyby, our engineer. I said, 'O Joe, do help me home, do; I have been overboardsaving a young man, and I can scarcely stand. I feel very bad. ' Hereplied, 'Yes, thou has to be drowned, and the sooner the better. Therenever was such a fool as thou art. Does thou think anybody but theeselfwould jump overboard a night like this? No! there is not another such afool in England!' Now, Joe was a kind-hearted, humane man, and the firstto help a poor fellow in distress; but such was the way in which heexpressed himself as he helped me along the street that terrible night. He took hold of me and got me through the crowd as well as he could. Wewent to the Humber Tavern, where I got a glass of brandy, and then Spybytook me home. I got a change of raiment and a little rest, and strangeto say, I soon felt well again. For this case I received the RoyalHumane Society's silver medal, with their thanks on vellum. The casecreated considerable excitement in Hull, and the late Mr. Loft (fatherof our late mayor), offered to become one of twelve persons to allow me£2 per week to walk round the pier and docks, so as to be ready torescue any who might fall into the water. _Witness_--Robert Todd. 

_Twentieth. _--ROBERT TETHER. (1836. )

This young man, who is at present second engineer of the steam-ship, 'Dido, ' belonging to Wilson and Sons, Hull, shall describe his owndeliverance. He thus writes:--'About thirty years ago, and when I wasabout ten years of age, I was on board of a vessel whilst being launchedfrom a ship-yard on the Humber bank. By some means or other a check ropebelonging to the vessel broke, and dragged me into the water. There wasno means of my being saved but by the noble "Hero, " who immediatelyjumped into the water, with all his clothes on, and brought me to theshore, which was done at a great risk of his own life. I remember, also, that there was immense shouting and cheering, and that a band ofmusicians who had been playing at the 'launch, ' when they saw Mr. Ellerthorpe bearing me ashore, began playing, "See the Conquering Herocomes. "--Robert Tether, July 24th, 1867. '

_Twenty-first and Twenty-second. _--GEORGE EMERSON* AND ANN WISE* (1836. )

Emerson, a porter, was conducting Miss Wise, from the 'Magna Charter, 'over a plank, when the plank slipped, and both were precipitated intothe water. The wind was blowing very strong, and the river was extremelyrough at the time. I had just gone into the cabin to change my clothes, when, hearing such a screaming as I had never before heard, I sprangupon the paddle-box, and saw Emerson, but knew nothing of the woman whohad also fallen into the water, and whose mother was uttering the mostheart-rending shrieks. I leaped from the paddle-box to save the man, when, to my surprise, I found I had thrown my legs right _across thewoman's shoulders_! Of course my _first object_ now, was to save _her_. I hastily dragged her to the side of the packet, and having put her handround a piece of iron, I said to her, 'Now hold fast there, for you aresafe. ' I then went to a distance in search of Emerson, and having made arope fast round him, I was able to hold him up with ease. But theshouting was as great as ever, and I thought, --surely there is some oneelse overboard! The fact was, the people could not see the woman holdingby the iron, and in my efforts to save the man, they thought I hadforgotten her; hence their wild shouts. The engineer came to thevessel's side and shouted, 'There is the woman yet, ' when I replied, 'She's all right, come down to the paddle and take hold of her. ' He cameand took her out, when she had a basket on her arm and a pair of pattensin her hand, just as when she dropped into the water. She suddenlydisappeared from the crowd, and I heard no more of her for seven years. Mr. G. Lee, editor of the 'Rockingham, advertised the case in his paperfor several weeks, asking the woman, from sheer gratitude, to let himknow her name; but there was no response. When I was master of the 'AnnScarborough, ' sailing between Barton and Hessle, I had to fetch (oneSunday afternoon) a gentleman's carriage from Barton to Hessle. We hadscarcely started, when a young woman, who was a passenger, said to me, 'You don't know me, Sir, but I know you. ' 'And for what do you know me, something good or bad?' 'O good, Sir; don't you remember jumpingoverboard and saving my life, at Hull? I shall never forget you, and Ihave come here on purpose to thank you. ' I then told her how we hadadvertised for her name, but could never hear a word of her, when shesaid, 'My mother and I were strangers in Hull, and as soon as I had gotsome dry clothes on, we had to start by coach, for Bridlington. ' Thiswoman's brother was gardener for Mr. Graborn, solicitor, Barton, and weafterwards became very intimate friends. I have not heard from Ann Wisefor many years, but if she is yet living in any part of England, itwould gladden my heart to have one more acknowledgment from her. Inrelating this case at Temperance meetings, I have sometimes created alittle mirth, by remarking, 'I went in search of a man, and lo! andbehold, I found a woman. ' _Witness_--Robert Todd. 

_Twenty-third. _--JOHN BAILEY. * (1836. )

He was fourteen years of age, and while playing at the Hull ferry-boatdock, he fell overboard and had a very narrow escape from being drowned. When I first heard the cry, 'A boy overboard, ' I was near the MinervaHotel, and I at once ran to the scene of the disaster. He had been downtwice, when I got there, but in a few moments I had hold of him, andbrought him ashore, amid the cheers and shouts of hundreds ofspectators. I narrowly escaped being drowned. Bailey is now a labouringman in Hull, and I believe the father of a large family. I often meethim, and he always seems glad to see me. 

I may here ask, Was it not strange that amongst the hundreds of peoplewho saw this drowning youth, not one was found to render him the leastassistance? I do not write boastingly when I say this:--If I could runfrom the Minerva Hotel to the pier, and save this youth, after he hadsank in the water twice, surely those who were near him at the momentwhen he fell in, might have rendered him some assistance? Indeed somepresent said, 'We could have swam to him if we had tried. ' Then I wouldask, 'Why didn't they make a venture?' The conduct of these spectators Iregard as being monstrous and unmanly. Englishmen are generally thoughtto have a fair share of personal courage, but it is nevertheless a fact, that scores of them watched the struggles of this drowning youth, _buttook care to watch them only from the shore_. Can we wonder thathundreds are drowned every year along our coasts, if people act as thesespectators did. _Witnesses_--Joseph Crabtree, John Young. 

_Twenty-fourth. _--RICHARD LISON. * (1836. )

He was a boy, seven years of age, and fell into the Junction dock, Hull. When the alarm was given, I was at the other side of the present ... Dock, a great distance from where the boy was, but I ran with all speedover the bridge, and when I got to the drowning child, I found he hadsunk the third time, and I thought, O, what shall I do? I went in searchof him; I dived here, and I dived there, and at length I found him. Acry of joy was raised by the spectators when they saw me fetch him froma great depth, and then carry him towards the shore, on reaching which, some of them received him, and took him to his mother. I heard no moreof him until he had grown to manhood; since then he has manifested thewarmest gratitude, and treated me with the utmost kindness and respect. For years he was in the employ of the Hull dock company; I had manyopportunities of watching his conduct, and always found him a faithfuland trusty servant, doing his duty as well in his master's absence as inhis presence. This made me think much of him, and I always felt a deepinterest in his welfare. He is now in the employ of Martin, Samuelsonand Co. , Hull. _Witness_--John Lundie. 

_Twenty-fifth. _--GEORGE RICKERBY. * (1836. )

He was a youth, and while playing on the east pier, Hull, he felloverboard. I ran a great distance, and in an almost breathless stateleaped from a height of fourteen feet, into seven feet depth of water. Ihad scarcely touched the water, when he clutched me firmly, and draggedme down, again and again, but I was eager to rescue him, and, thank God, I succeeded. He had fallen upon one of the buoys, and cut his head, which bled profusely, and before I got him ashore I thought he was dead. He continued to bleed for some time, and a doctor was sent for. Therewas great cheering by the spectators as they saw me bearing through thewaters, this bleeding, but still living youth, and some ladies andgentlemen, who had been watching me from the Minerva Hotel, threw out ofthe window, several shillings and half-crown pieces. If my memory servesme rightly, I got £1 10s. I thought myself handsomely rewarded; but whatpleased me more was the gratitude of the boy's mother; for I have alwaysconsidered gratitude the richest reward I could receive: more thangrateful thanks for what I had done, this poor woman would have foundit difficult to have given me, but most grateful she was, and I feltboth satisfied and delighted. But let me explain: On going to see theboy, next morning, I found him very ill in bed, and his mother, thinkingI had gone for something for saving her child's life, said, 'I have nomoney to give you, Sir, but my husband's half-pay will be due in a fewdays, and I'm sure you shall have half of it. ' I replied, 'I'm sure Ihave not come for anything you have, my good woman, for I never takemoney from those I save, or from their relatives. ' She seemedoverwhelmed with grateful feelings, and I had some difficulty inpersuading her that I did not want money, and that I would nottake it if offered me, and I believe, to this day, that if I hadsaid to her, 'You must give me your eight-days' clock and yourchest of drawers, ' she would willingly have given them to methere and then. _Witness. _--Richard Curtis. 

_Twenty-sixth. _--MISS HILL. (1836. )

This young woman, when landing at New Holland, ran down the plank, whenher foot slipped and she fell into the water, at the low side of thejetty. I sprang to her assistance, but she was fast among some pieces oftimber. We were both in great peril, the tide was coming in, and had itreached a foot higher, we should both have been drowned. We were soplaced as to be compelled to dive under water before we could reach theshore. I told her that there was no other way of our being saved, andthat the attempt must be made at once, and without waiting for herconsent, I grasped her in my arm, and under the water we went. Thepeople thought we should have been drowned, but we soon got clear of thejetty; some threw us one thing and some another; at length JamesNicholson got into a boat, took us in, and landed us safe ashore. Iwent to a public house, where I got a glass of brandy, and borrowed theostler's clothes, and I ailed nothing afterwards. The young womanremained at New Holland all night, and took her departure next morning, without leaving behind her even a single expression of verbal gratitudefor what I had done for her. For some time it was reported that she wasthe daughter of Sir Rowland Hill, post-master general, but I wrote tothat Knight, and found that she did not belong to his family. She made afine appearance and was well dressed, but when I think of the shabby wayin which she left the scene of her distress, I can't call her a lady. Iam devoutly grateful that I was the means of saving her, but the casewould not have been made thus prominent, had not several gentlemen ofHull, who were present on the occasion, refused to let the case slip. _Witnesses_--Robert Todd, Captain Thomas Oswell. 

_Twenty-seventh. _--HANNAH WEBSTER. * (1837. )

This I regard as a most wonderful deliverance. Some said she fell, others that she jumped, from the Barton horse-boat into the Ferry-boatdock, Hull. Thomas Spencer, who was working at what was then called 'Theknock-em-down jetty, ' saw the woman drop into the water, and called out, 'A woman overboard. ' I hastened to her and soon got her ashore, when shewas completely exhausted, and we sent for a doctor. A gentleman came tome and said 'Did you fetch yon woman out of the water?' 'Yes, Sir, ' wasmy reply, when he made this strange and unaccountable remark--'If youhad let her stop in I would have given you half-a-crown, but as it is, Ishall not give you anything. ' 'Thank you, Sir, but I'm glad she's out, notwithstanding; and I would rather save that woman than I would haveall the half-crowns in Hull, ' was my indignant reply. I never stood toask whether a drowning person was rich or poor, friend or foe, drunk orsober. If a person was overboard I did my best to rescue that personfrom drowning. We took this poor, despised woman to a house inHumber-street, and I gave my word that all expenses should be paid. Shelodged in Mill-street, and was a widow, thirty seven years of age, andhad two children. I went to see her next morning, but she had gone, so Ihad all expenses to pay. I have always thought this woman was one ofthose poor, unfortunate, and despairing ones, so touchingly described byHood:--

 'Mad from life's history, Glad to death's mystery Swift to be hurled, Anywhere, anywhere, Out of the world. '

_Witnesses_--William Taylor, George Horsefield. 

_Twenty-eighth. _--MISS ELLGARD. * (1837. )

This young woman, who, there is reason to suspect, was a similarcharacter to Mrs. Webster, fell from McDonald's wharf, into Toronto Bay, America. I had in charge at this time a vessel belonging to Mr. Garsides, and when walking down to the wharf, one cold night, in themonth of October, I heard a heavy splash in the water, and the nextmoment a loud scream. I ran to the place and saw this woman strugglingin the water. She was very difficult to get at, but at last I caughthold of her, and soon landed her on the wharf. A man was waiting toreceive her, and they instantly walked off. A few days after, however, she called at Mr. Baker's, 'Black Swan' Inn and asked for me, and ongoing to the door she told me that I had saved her life, and that shewas twenty-nine years of age. Now there had been some strange reportsabout her and the man who met her; indeed it was commonly believed, inToronto, that he had pushed her overboard. But she said, 'The report isfalse. I _fell_ overboard. ' She thanked me very kindly; I urged her totell me her name, which she did, after I had promised not to tellanyone; this made me suspect that there was something wrong inconnection with her being overboard. She urged me to accept some money, but I would not for I am sure her gratitude amply satisfied me for whatI had done for her. _Witnesses_--Thomas Thomas, John Baker. 

_Twenty-ninth. _--JANE GOUGH. * (1843. )

When seven years old, she fell into Hessle harbour; her mother gave thealarm, and in a few moments I was in the water and saved her. I rememberbut little about _this case_, but the girl's father often says, whenreferring to myself, 'That man saved my child's life twice, and thesecond time was as good as the the first. ' I will explain the secondcase. Miss Gough, many years after her deliverance, married Mr. Shaw, acaptain, and together they have brought up a family of children, inrespectable circumstances. Mrs. Shaw knew me well, but I had not seenher for many years, when this strange event took place:--I was captainof the Dock Company's steamer, and on going one dark night into theVictoria Dock, I found a deep timber-laden vessel, with her stem uponthe bank and her stern in the channel, and she was rapidly filling withwater. I at once went to her assistance, and having fastened a strongrope to her, and then to my packet, I tried, first in one way and thenin another, to pull her off, but she seemed immoveable; and I began tofear I should not accomplish my object. But I always believed in thatlittle catch, 'Have you not succeeded yet? Try, try again. '

and _we did_ try again; and after trying many ways but in vain, we putthe tow-rope on board, and running our packet at full speed, off thevessel came. All this time there was no person on board except thecaptain's wife and her children. So I put them ashore, and went on boardthe vessel myself, and let go the anchor. Now, I did not know who thewoman was until she offered me a sum of money, for what I had done. Itold her I did not want aught, and that she was heartily welcome to thetimely service I had rendered her. She then said--and I shall neverforget it--'Mr. Ellerthorpe, you don't seem to know who I am?' I said, 'No, I don't;' when, to my surprise, she answered, 'I am that littlegirl, Jane Gough, whom you saved from drowning in Hessle harbour. ' Myfeelings were indescribably pleasant and joyous. _Witnesses_--Jane Shaw, John Gough. 

_Thirtieth. _--WILLIAM TURNER. (1844. )

This deliverance took place one dark night, when we were roundingFlambro Head, and while a strong wind was blowing and a heavy searolling. Turner, while doing something at the main sheet, fell over thevessel's side. I caught him, and got him on board, with a quickness thathas always surprised me. Mr. Turner, who is at present foreman of theHumber Dock Company, Wharfage department, thus writes:--'I am one of thepersons whom Mr. Ellerthorpe has saved from a watery grave. In the year1844, and during a voyage from Scarborough to Hull, in the yacht, "Gossamer, " I fell overboard while crossing Burlington Bay. He sprang tomy assistance and saved me, otherwise I should have been drowned. Iremember also, when coming over the Humber Dock Bridge, one night, aboutnine o'clock, I saw an old lady fall from a height of about twenty feet, into the lock-pit. Soon after I heard a tremendous splash, and to mysurprise, I found it was "Our Hero, " who had plunged his carcase intothe lock to rescue the old lady from her perilous position, which he didmanfully. I also saw him rescue John Eaby. In the great and terriblestruggle which took place in the water, Mr. Ellerthorpe bore up with thegreatest coolness imaginable, although at a great risk of losing hislife. --William Turner. '

_Thirty-first. _--JOHN ELLERTHORPE. (1846. )

He was my son, and first-born child. Mr. G. Lee, the gentleman who firstgave me employment in connection with the Hull Dock Company, had engagedme to teach his son the art of swimming. We went to the Stone FerryBaths, for that purpose, and wishful that my own sons should learn thisinvaluable art, I took John with us. When we got to the baths, I foundthe water was too warm to bathe in, so Mr. Lee and myself went into oneof the adjoining rooms and had a long conversation about swimming, whilethe two boys were left behind. At length I went to test the temperatureof the water, it was remarkably clear, and, to my horror, I saw my sonprostrate at the bottom of the bath! My feelings can be better imaginedthan described. Instantly, and without either throwing off a singlegarment or putting my watch from my pocket, I plunged into the bath andbrought him up. He was full of water, and frothed at the mouth, and wasvery ill for a long time after. _Witness_--Mr. G. B. Lee, Jun. 

_Thirty-second. _--THOMAS ROBINSON. * (1846. )

He belonged to a schooner, lying in the Junction Dock, Hull. I waswalking near the dock, when I saw a great many people running from everydirection, and was soon told that a man had fallen overboard. I ran tothe spot, and for some time I could not ascertain the nature of thecase. At length the captain of the schooner, said, 'He went down closeto the vessel, and has been seen twice. ' Instantly I dived to the bottomof the dock, but could not see him. I swam to and fro for some time, andat last saw him under the vessel; he seemed quite dead, but I seized himand brought him up. They were busy with the grappling irons, but as hewas under the vessel, the probability is he would never have been gotout of the water alive. I went home and got some dry clothes on, andwhen I returned and inquired how he was, I was told he rapidlyrecovered. I have never seen this young man, or heard a word of him fromthat day to the present. He was a sailor, and may have been in Hullsince then, but if he has, he never made himself known to me. _Witnesses_--John Moody, John Kidd. 

_Thirty-third. _--WATSON. * (1846. )

While going on the Humber bank, to Hessle, I passed some youths who werebathing, but took little or no notice of them until I had got about 300yards past them, when I saw some men running from a field close by, andheard a youth call out, 'A boy is drowning. ' I ran back, and swam to thelad, and soon brought him out and laid him on the bank. I drank a glassof grog and smoked a pipe, and then returned to Hull, for a change ofraiment. I caught a severe cold on this occasion, for I had got half wayto Hessle when I saved this boy, and had on my wet clothes for nearlythree hours. I have never, that I am aware of, seen that boy since. Noram I quite certain about his name; some one said they called him Watson;but a man who saw me save him told me he would let me know the boy'sright name, but he never did. Somebody disputed my saving the lad, so Igot a paper signed by a man who witnessed the whole affair, and whosename was Johnson. _Witness_--Mr. Johnson. 

_Thirty-fourth. _--SAMUEL DAVIS. (Nov. 6, 1850. )

He was employed on board a 'mud tug' that was used for removing mud fromHull Harbour into the Humber. I saw this tug in a sinking state, andcalled out to the men to escape from her at once. All left her and gotinto a boat, except Davis; he was rather lame, but had time enough tomake his escape as well as the rest. The men had not left the 'tug' morethan five minutes, when she capsized, and Davis was thrown into thewater. I was on board a 'tow boat' at the time, and between the drowningman and myself, there lay three heavily-loaded ballast lighters. Iturned my steamer astern, and by jumping from one lighter to another, Isoon reached Davis. I felt confident I could save him, and having a mudscraper in my hand, I threw the end of it to him, and said, 'Now, don'tbe afraid, you'll soon be all right. ' I did save him, but alas!--and myhand trembles while I write it--the first utterance that fell from hislips was a fearful oath, 'D---- my eyes!' O, how grieved I was to hear aman, just at the point of death, utter such an expression. We soon gothim on board of our packet, and put him in some warm and dry clothes. OnFriday night, December the 6th, 1867, a fire broke out in Hull, and myson Joseph, was there, and sprung the rattle, giving the alarm, and thefirst man that came to the spot was Davis. One of my son's companionscalled out, 'Ellerthorpe!' when Davis said, 'Is John Ellerthorpe thatyoung man's father?' 'Yes, ' was the reply. 'Ah!' said Davis, 'he savedmy life, and but for him I should not have been here to-night. ' I trustthe Lord will yet save him, and that I shall meet him and others whom Ihave rescued, at the right hand of the great Judge. 

_Thirty-fifth. _--A BOY--NAME UNKNOWN. * (1850. )

At this time I was captain of the Hull Dock steam tug. One night, abouteleven o'clock, the railway goods station was on fire, and I wassummoned from my bed to go and remove our packet, which was moored closeto where the fire had broken out. In the space of two hours, three menfell overboard, all of whom I rescued, with the assistance of others. Soon after I had to take the Dock Company's fire-engine on board ourpacket, as they could not find enough water on shore. The wind wasblowing a heavy gale, and before I could get the packet to a convenientplace, sufficient water had been found, and the engine was not needed. While I was busy with the packet, a man was drowned, and I felt greatlydistressed on his account. So I went and sat down on the paddle-box andplaced a boat hook at my side, to be ready should any one fall into thewater. I had not sat many moments when I saw a youth, about seventeenyears of age, fall overboard. I jumped from the paddle-box on to thedock wall, and ran as fast as I could to the spot. While the fire wasblazing before me I could see the boy distinctly, but when I got pastthe fire it was pitchy dark, and I lost all trace of the drowning youth. Thousands of people were thronging and shouting in every direction, andI lost all hopes of saving the youth, who was now submerged in thewater. But when I could not get any further, for the press of thepeople, I threw in the boat hook; it was eighteen feet long and the tidewas very high. I knelt with one knee on the wall, and felt the boy atabout fifteen feet under water. The hook caught the bottom of hiswaistcort, and I felt him take hold of it with both his hands. I nevercould ascertain the boy's name, but the whole case was fully reported inthe local newspapers at the time, and hundreds, yea, thousands of peoplenow in Hull, well remember it. Witnessed by thousands. 

_Thirty-sixth. _--GEORGE PEPPER. * (1852. )

George was the son of my shipmate, who witnessed the whole affair. Hewas a scholar in the Trinity House school, but it being Easter Monday, he had a holiday, and came to spend the afternoon on board, with hisfather. The packet started suddenly, and the rope by which she had beenfastened to the pier, struck the boy, and overboard he went. The packetwas in motion, but I leaped into the water, while George's father wentto fetch a boat hook, but it is my opinion the boy would have beendrowned had I waited for the hook. The boy's father was a good swimmer, but he has often told me that he always wanted to think a few momentsbefore he durst leap into the water. However, I saved his son in a fewmoments, and without much difficulty; indeed, when his mother said tohim, 'George, what did you think when you was in the water?' he replied, 'O, mother, I hadn't time to think, for Mr. Ellerthorpe caught medirectly. ' Next morning, George was ready for school and I was ready formy work, and scarcely any one knew aught of the affair. The fact was, both Pepper and myself were to blame in not warning the boy of thedanger that had nearly cost him his life. George is now a young man, andsails, I believe, from the port of Hull, and he seems to think as muchof his deliverance now as he did fifteen years ago. _Witness_--HenryBolton. 

_Thirty-seventh. _--ROBERT WOODMAN. * (1854. )

He was a youth belonging to the brig 'Janet, ' of South Shields, whichwas leaving the Victoria Dock, Hull, and he had the misfortune, whileunfastening the check-rope, attached to the 'Dolphin, ' to falloverboard. For some time he struggled in the water, helpless, and it wasapparent that he was drowning. At the time I was on board the DockCompany's tug, which was about thirty yards from the spot, when, fortunately, I happened to see the youth, and I immediately sprang intothe water with all my clothes on. I succeeded in seizing the boy as hewas sinking, and placed him in such a position as enabled me to keep himabove the water, when I made the best of my way to the brig's boat, afew yards off. The poor lad, in his almost insensible state, got upon myhead and clung to me tightly, and in a few moments, so entwined himselfaround my arms as to render me almost incapable of swimming, and theprobability at that time was, that both of us would be drowned. I sawand felt my perilous position, as he threatened to draw me again intothe water, by his desperate struggles; but at last, with the strengthand force of desperation, I managed to reach the painter of the boat, which fortunately being 'taut' from the ring, enabled me to raise myselfand the youth out of the water, and we were both got into the boat, though in a most exhausted condition; indeed I had to be conveyed home. The boy soon recovered and left the dock the next tide, and I never sawhim again. But I wrote to the captain of the ship, and received thisbeautiful letter from the youth's father:--

 My Dear Sir, --The captain of the brig 'Janet' has sent me the very kind letter from you, wishing to know the age and name of my boy, which I am glad to tell you. His name is Robert Woodman, and he is seventeen years of age. I live in London, and I am very sorry to tell you that it is not in my power to give you anything or I would most gladly have done so. But do accept my sincere thanks; and I do hope, Sir, that if it should please God to spare my son to manhood, that he will in some way present you a proof of his gratitude for the great deed of daring that you have done for him; for the captain said the boy could not have been saved had it not been for you. Please to accept my most grateful thanks for your great kindness to my poor boy. Yours truly, Woodman. 

Now, I can truthfully say, that this letter paid me well for the greatrisk I had run, as it gave me great pleasure. Some time after, the'Janet' returned to Hull, and I went on board to see if I could find theyouth, but the bird had flown, for the captain told me he had run awayfrom his ship, and that he had no idea where he was. The captain wasglad to see me and wanted me to have a glass of grog, but I refused, having become, a short time before, a pledged abstainer from allintoxicating drinks. 

_Thirty-eighth. _--ANN MARTIN. * (1860. )

While the Humber Dock gate was being closed, this woman, who wasforty-eight years of age, came up to the bridge, and refusing to waituntil the proper time for passing, she attempted to step from one halfof the bridge to the other, and in making the attempt, she fell, headfirst, into the water below. It was high tide at the time, and she wasrapidly carried away by the stream. The night was dark and I was veryill, but when I heard that a woman was overboard, I ran to the spot; butalas! I could not see her, and for a moment I thought there was nochance of saving her. But knowing that assistance must be immediatelyrendered or the woman would be out of sight, and beyond the reach ofhelp, I plunged into the water and soon brought her to the bridge. Theylet down a boat hook to which we both clung, and then a ladder, up whichto ascend. But I told them I would rather have a boat, which was soonbrought and we were landed in safety. While clinging to the hook, thewoman, as might be expected, was full of alarm, but I knew she was safeenough, so to allay her fears, and wile away a few moments of painful, but unavoidable waiting, I jocosely said to her, 'Hold fast now, Missus. You are as safe now as though you were watching the pot boil over. ' Sheafterwards told me that the most pleasant sensation she ever experiencedin her life, was at the moment when she felt some one had hold of her inthe water. This woman has manifested the liveliest gratitude for what Idid for her, and she never crosses the bridge without calling at myhouse to enquire after me, and she often says, to my good wife, 'Youknow I aint right if I don't see the master about. ' She was very poor atthe time I saved her, but on the following Christmas she brought me a_duck_ for my dinner. I refused to take it, for I knew she could notafford to give me it; but she said, 'You must take it; I meant givingyou a Goose, but I could'nt afford to buy one. Now do take the duck, do, Sir. ' I saw it would grieve her if I refused, so I took it; _and this isthe first, and only occasion that I have taken aught from those whom Ihave rescued_. And I am sure in this case, it was more blessed to givethan it was to receive, for the woman was both satisfied and delighted. The gratitude of this poor woman, and also that of her family, seemsunabated. _Witness_--William Turner. 

_Thirty-ninth. _--JOHN EABY. * (July 30, 1861. )

Police Constable Green, 69, was on duty at the South-end about half-pastten o'clock, on the morning of the above date, and about one hour beforehigh water, when he saw Eaby, in a fit, fall from the quay into theHumber Dock basin. He immediately called out, 'A man overboard, ' andwith the assistance of another man, got the grapplings and caught holdof Eaby by his clothes, but he being of great weight, they tore asunder, and he again dropped into the water. Green then called for furtherassistance, when our friend ran to the rescue, and urged by Eaby'sfearful condition, and the benevolent feelings of his own noble spirit, he immediately jumped into the water and seized the drowning man. Fromthe effects of the fit, the man struggled desperately. Our friend triedto get a rope round him, but could not; he got his hand into hispreserver's mouth, and would have drowned him, had not Mr. Ellerthorpehad so many opportunities of trial in such cases. Eaby's firstexpression on coming out of his fit was, 'What are you doing here?' whenhis deliverer replied, 'Havn't I as much right here as you have?' thenEaby went off into another fit. By this time a boatman, named JohnTickells, came to our friend's assistance, and was joined by Robert Ash, gateman, Humber Dock, who slipped the grappling rope into the boat. Theythen both seized Eaby, and got him into the boat and tied his legs, otherwise, so desperate was he, he would have split the boat up. Theythen assisted our friend into the boat. Eaby struggled so desperatelythat the men had great difficulty in holding him in the boat. He wastaken to his house, 20, Dagger Lane, where he was attended by Mr. Lowther, surgeon, accompanied by policeman Green. He soon escaped, without clothes, and, followed along the street by a crowd of people, ran into No. 11, Fish Street, and got into one of Mr. Alcock's beds. Hewas thirty-seven years of age, and had been subject to fits for years, which were often very violent. _Witnesses_--William Turner, WilliamSteadman. 

This rescue--the last of a large number that Mr. Ellerthorpe was thehonoured instrument of achieving--was witnessed by hundreds ofspectators, who were filled with admiration and wonder. These were seenin their countenances and heard in their shouts of applause, as hestruggled with this poor unfortunate man. Not only so, but it led thepublic to raise a subscription for Mr. Ellerthorpe. Two working men, Mr. William Turner, and Mr. William Steadman, who witnessed the humane andheroic conduct of their fellow townsman, took the initiative, and howhard they worked, and how nobly they accomplished their object, will beseen from our next chapter. 

The above list of thirty-nine persons saved by our friend, contains_three little girls_, _fifteen youths_, _six women_, and _fourteen men_, in the strength and vigour of their days; and _one old man_ burdened bythe weight of seventy-five years. 

They were saved at the following places: (America, ) Quebec, _two_;Toronto, _one_; Barton, _one_; Castleford, _one_; Humber Bank, _one_;Burlington Bay, _one_; London, _two_; New Holland, _three_; Hessle, _five_; Hull, _twenty-two_. 

These deliverances took place in the following years: 1820, _two_; 1822, _one_; 1824, _one_; 1825, _two_; 1826, _one_; 1828, _two_; 1830, _one_;1833, _three_; 1834, _three_; 1835, _three_; 1836, _seven_; 1837, _two_;1843, _one_; 1844, _one_; 1846, _three_; 1849-50, _two_; 1852, _one_;1854, _one_; 1860, _one_; 1861, _one_. 

But though Eaby was the last person our friend actually rescued, hisreadiness to imperil his own life, that he might save the lives ofothers, did not expire on that ever memorable occasion. A clergymancalled to see him, and amongst other things, said, 'Now Ellerthorpe, your work is done; God has honoured you above most men, be satisfied;remember the old adage, "the pitcher goes often to the well, but getsbroken at last. "' Our friend shook his head and said, 'Do you think, Sir, I could see a man overboard and not plunge in after him? No, Sir. 'And though upwards of sixty-one years of age, and suffering acutely attimes from his oft exposures in the water and cold, he yet thought asdeeply and felt as strongly as ever for his drowning fellow creatures;and on two or three occasions his old zeal rose to furnace heat. Inproof of this we give the following extracts from the Hull papers:

[Sidenote: A SAILOR DROWNED. ]

 A Sailor Drowned. --On Monday last, an inquest was held at the Parliament-street Police-station by Mr. P. F. Thorney, the borough coroner, on view of the body of Thomas Bates, who had been a seaman on board the screw steamer 'Irwell. ' On Saturday evening, about eight o'clock, the deceased fell from the forecastle deck of the above-named vessel into the Humber Dock lock pit. Mr. John Ellerthorpe, the foreman at the gates, immediately jumped in after him, and though both were taken out within five minutes, by the dock gateman, Bates was pronounced to be dead by Mr. Lowther, surgeon, who was summoned to the spot. A verdict of accidental death was returned. --_Hull News, Feb. 14th, 1863. _

Respecting this case our friend says, 'Mr. Bates spoke to me in thewater, and said, "I shall soon be all right, " and I thought he wouldtoo. The water was piercingly cold, and I went and changed my clothes, and when I returned to see how the poor man was, Dr. Lowther hadpronounced him dead. I never felt such a sense of distress as I did atthat moment; I did my very best to save him; indeed, Mr. Lowther says, "The man died in an apoplectic fit. " It was deeply distressing to seethe poor widow, when her husband was pronounced dead; she was overcomeby the suddenness of the stroke, and Mr. Dale Brown kindly sent her homein a cab. This man, and Ashly Taylor (aged 75 years), are the onlyinstances out of upwards of forty I have rescued, of death taking placein consequence of their being in the water. '

 A Man in the Humber Dock. --Yesterday a man, named George Taylor, who is frequently employed in connection with the landing of fish, &c. , and who resides in the 'Trippett, ' while in a fit fell into the Humber Dock, at the South-west corner, near to where the 'Alster' steam vessel was lying. His fall was seen by some men who were standing near at the time and they at once got some boat-hooks to draw him out. Mr. Ellerthorpe, the foreman of the Humber Dock Bridge, whose humanity and gallantry in saving people from drowning, has won for him the title of the 'Hero of the Humber, ' was ready to plunge in after the poor fellow, had he not been readily recovered by the hooks. On being got on shore, he was brought into the Bridge watch-house and properly attended to. Before recovering he had several fits. He was eventually sent home wrapped in blankets. --_Eastern Morning News_, December 13th, 1866. 

 Man Overboard. --About two o'clock on Saturday, whilst Mr. John Ellerthorpe was busy at the Mytongate Bridge passing a vessel through, he heard something splashing in the water, which he thought was a dog. He called out to a lighterman, named George Woolass and another man who were on board of the vessel, to bring a boat and get the animal out. A boat was obtained, and the splashing was found to be caused by a man who had fallen overboard. On getting him out it was found he belonged to one of the fly-boats, and had he remained many seconds more in the water he must have been drowned. --_Hull Advertiser_, March 2nd, 1867. 

[Sidenote: HIS EFFORTS IN THE WATCH-HOUSE. ]

We have seen in several instances, that our friend, after having rescuedthe drowning, remained with them until all fears of immediate death weretotally dissipated. Indeed his kindly ministrations in the watch-houseof the Humber Dock Company, have been scarcely less remarkable than hisexploits in saving the drowning from the water. In that room is the'Royal Humane Society's apparatus for the recovery of persons apparentlydrowned or dead, accompanied with directions for the proper treatment ofsuch cases. ' And there our friend stood for hours together, in his wetclothes, during the piercing cold of winter and the oppressive heat ofsummer, endeavouring to restore suspended animation. He says, 'I alwaysfelt very anxious about those I had rescued, and in dangerous casesgenerally remained with them until they came round. By remaining in mywet clothes on these occasions I have often seriously damaged my health;but I felt so anxious about them that I often forgot altogether my ownwet state. Dr. Henry Gibson says I have seriously injured myconstitution by these long exposures in wet clothing, and I am afraid heis right, and that it will shorten my days. '

[Sidenote: A REMARKABLE INSTANCE. ]

We give one instance of his ministrations in this watch-house:--

About three o'clock on the morning of July the 23rd, 1865, he suddenlyawoke out of a profound sleep, and thought he heard a boy call out, 'There is a man overboard. ' He sprang from his bed, threw up the window, but not a person could he see, not a sound could he hear, not a rippleon the water could he discern, to indicate danger. He concluded he hadbeen dreaming, but when about to leave the window he saw one of hisfellow workmen running with the grappling iron. The old Spanish proverbsays, 'that when a man's house is on fire he does not stay to considerif the shoe pinches, ' and so absorbed was our friend by the fear thatsome one was drowning that, without shoes on his feet, and with nothingbut his night shirt to cover him, he ran down stairs, leaped over twochains, thrown across the bridge, and in a few moments he was beside theman with the 'grapplings, ' who had also heard the cry but could not tellwhence or from whom it had come. The surrounding waters lay calm andundisturbed by a single ripple, and there was nothing to indicate thatanyone had sunk. At our friend's request, his companion sprang into aboat, and let down the grappling iron, and, strange to say, brought upMr. Thomas Hogg, of Ulceby, Lincolnshire. They at first pronounced himdead, but after cleansing his mouth and nostrils he was thought tobreathe; he was at once taken to the watch-house, where our friend, withfresh anxiety and awakened hope, applied the Royal Humane Society'sapparatus, and with complete success. The process was continued till sixo'clock, when scores of persons were gathered round the watch-house. Theman then said to Mr. Ellerthorpe, 'Come master, it is time you were inyour own house; you're not fit to be here amongst all these folks. ' Itwas not till the man thus spoke that our friend was aware of hishalf-naked state. All did well on this occasion, but Mr. Ellerthorpe'sconduct was exceptionally noble. 

[Sidenote: HIS EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF THE BRAVE. ]

The last to claim recognition and reward for his own humane and gallantdeeds, Mr. Ellerthorpe has ever proved himself the first and foremost insecuring them on behalf of others. The following letter, received inanswer to an urgent appeal which he made on behalf of an aged anddestitute couple, will illustrate what I mean:--

 Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Marine Department, _Whitehall, 16th January, 1863_. 

 Sir, --I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th ult. , calling attention to the fact that the late Charles Anderson, who lost his life in endeavouring to save the lives of others from shipwreck, has left a father and mother unprovided for, and to inform you that my Lords have this day forwarded to the Receiver of Wreck, at Hull, an order for the amount of five pounds (£5) to be paid to the parents of the deceased. 

 I am, Sir, John Ellerthorpe, Esq. , Your obedient servant, Humber Dock Gates, Hull. JAMES BOOTH. 

[Sidenote: HIS APPEAL TO THE BOARD OF TRADE. ]

In December, of the same year, he made a similar appeal to the Board ofTrade, on behalf of some Hull seamen, and received the followinganswer:--

 Board of Trade, Whitehall, _4th February, 1864_. 

 Sir, --I am instructed by the Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council for Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 16th December last, calling their Lordships' attention to the services rendered on the 4th December, by some fishermen of Hull, to the crew of the schooner 'John Thomas, ' of Carnarvon, and I am to inform you in reply, that my Lords have presented the sum of five pounds (£5) to be divided amongst the crew of the 'Washer, ' as a mark of their appreciation of their gallant conduct, and ten pounds (£10) to the owners of the smack as compensation for loss of time, &c. 

 The Receiver of Wreck has received instructions to pay the above-mentioned sums to the parties in question. 

 I am, Sir, John Ellerthorpe, Esq. , Your obedient Servant, Humber Dock Gates, J. H. FARRER. Kingston-upon-Hull. 

The following letter explains itself:--

 Humber Lock Gate, Hull. _February 17th, 1863. _

 _To the Secretary of the Royal Humane Society. _

 Sir, --I take the liberty of addressing you in consequence of an accident having occurred, last week, in the Lock Pit of the Humber Dock Gates, of this town. A man fell from a steamer going out of the Dock, whom I followed into the water in the hope of being able to save his life; but although he was not more than a minute and a half in the water, and he spoke to me when I had hold of him, the surgeon pronounced him to be dead when taken to the men's watch-house close by. A similar instance took place about three years ago. I wish to know if, in a case of this kind, a surgeon is justified in pronouncing life to be extinct without having previously used the means for restoring suspended animation. We have the Royal Humane Society's apparatus always close at hand, but rarely used. Having the honour to hold the Society's silver medal, as well as its testimonial on vellum, and also a silver medal from the Board of Trade for saving life from drowning on many occasions, I feel much interest in this subject; and I shall feel much obliged if you will give me instructions how to proceed in the event of a similar case taking place. I believe the Royal Humane Society issue printed instructions how to treat cases of suspended animation. If you will send me some of them I shall feel greatly obliged to you. 

 I am, Sir, with respect, Your obedient servant, JOHN ELLERTHORPE. 

Our friend received the following answer:--

 Royal Humane Society, Office, No. 4, Trafalgar-square, W. C. _February 18th, 1863. _

 Sir, --In reply to your note of the 17th, I beg to say that in the course of ten days or so, I will send some of the instructions issued by this Society for the treatment of those who are apparently dead from drowning, and you can place them in your room. Of course I am unable to give an opinion as to whether the medical man called in, in the case you refer to, was or was not right, as I am not cognizant of the whole state of the case; but I will suggest that, in all future cases which you may have to treat, you will persevere in your attempts at recovery for at _least_ half-an-hour before you give up the patient as dead. 

 Yours faithfully, LAMBTON J. H. YOUNG, Mr. J. Ellerthorpe. Secretary. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE HONOURED HERO. 

[Sidenote: THE HONOURED HERO. ]

No labour is ever lost that seeks to promote the welfare of men. At theoutset there may be difficulties and opposition, but patience andperseverance will in the end bring their reward. And if the warriorrejoices in the number of his victories, the patriot in the extension ofhis country's liberties, the statesman in the success of his peculiarpolity, and the philanthropist in the mitigation of human woes, how muchpurer and stronger must be the joy of the man who has been the means ofsaving the lives of his fellow-creatures? Alexander, Emperor of Russia, whose armies had won many a victory on the field of battle, once rescueda man from drowning, and he ever afterwards said that _that_ was thehappiest day of his life. As no living individual, perhaps, has saved somany lives, on so many separate and distinct occasions, and underequally perilous circumstances, as our friend, so we may infer that hispersonal joy was proportionately great. He always did his best to savehuman life, having made that one of the chief objects of his existence, and he reaped a rich recompense. He says, 'I always thought it as muchmy duty to try and save the drowning, as it was their duty to try andsave themselves; and I always felt myself amply recompensed, and highlysatisfied, when I got them out of the water and saw they were all right. Physically, I often felt much exhausted by the efforts I had made, andcould eat no food, nor could I take rest, for hours after rescuing thedrowning. But I was filled with a pleasure I could not describe;sometimes my feelings found vent in tears, and at other times in loudand hearty laughter; and when questioned as to my feelings, I could onlysay, "I can't tell you how I feel. " I had this thought and feelingrunning through me, throbbing within me, "I have saved a fellow creaturefrom drowning. " And that imparted to me a happiness which no amount ofmoney, and no decorations of honour, could have given me; a happinesswhich no man can conceive, far less describe, unless he has himselfsnatched a fellow creature from a watery grave. '

[Sidenote: HIS PERSONAL JOY. ]

[Sidenote: THE GRATITUDE OF THOSE WHOM HE RESCUED. ]

Our friend also reaped a rich reward in the gratitude of many whom hehad the pleasure of saving. And we have seen that he could receive nohigher gratification than this. King Charles, the First, had such anunhappy manner that, even in granting a favour, he often grieved thosewhom he obliged. And we know that almost as much depends upon the mannerof doing a kindness, as upon the act itself. Indeed, in some instances, even a frank and positive refusal will give less pain than an ungraciousand grudgingly bestowed favour. Now, we hesitate not to say that, whatMr. Ellerthorpe did, was kindly and generously done. And he always feltthat the cheers of the multitude as he bore the rescued to the shore, and the spontaneous thanks of those whom he had saved, surpassed invalue any tribute of money which could have been placed in his hands. Wordsworth, referring to the overflowing gratitude which had gone beyondthe worth of the trivial favours bestowed, says:

 'Alas; the gratitude of men Hath oftener left me mourning. '

But our friend performed the noblest deeds, and grateful returns werealways as pleasant to him as cold water to a thirsty soul. He says, 'Iwas always well satisfied if they manifested gratitude, but I mustconfess, that when they never came near me, nor in any way communicatedwith me, as was the case with some whom I have saved, --for instance, Mr. Leeson and Miss Hill--I was not satisfied. My pleasure at theremembrance of what I did for them is mixed with pain. It may be aweakness of mine, but an ungrateful man is, in my opinion, one of thebiggest sinners in the world. I hate ingratitude, and I can affirm, thatno rewards I have received from societies and individuals have evergiven me half the pleasure that the gratitude of some of those I rescuedgave me. '

And can we wonder that he should thus write? Shakespeare says:--

 'I hate ingratitude more in a man Than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, Or any taint of vice whose strong corruption Inhabits our frail blood. '

Ingratitude for favours conferred is a most unnatural disposition, andis reproved even by the brute creation; for they manifest a stronginstinctive feeling of gratitude towards their benefactors. 'The oxknoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib. ' Some time ago, asteamer sunk beneath the surging wave, with upwards of two hundred soulson board. The captain, who was as noble a man as ever steered a vessel, sank with the rest of the passengers and crew. Fortunately, however, hecame up again, and seizing a plank, he clung to it until rescued by avessel that happened to be passing. 'Ah, ' said he, on telling the storyafterwards, 'If my heart's affection ever clung to anything besides mywife, and my mother, and my child, it was to that plank; it saved mylife. ' And yet, some forgot our friend, whose skilful hand and braveheart bore them through the foaming waters to land. 

[Sidenote: HIS SERVICES RECOGNISED BY THE GREAT. ]

All did not. 'You shall lodge in my heart, and I will never ask you forrent, ' said a grateful Irishman to one who had done him a favour. Andour friend found a welcome and a home in the warmest affections of manyof those whom he rescued. The blessing of many who were literally readyto perish came upon him. W. Turner, whom our friend saved in BurlingtonBay, says, 'What a mercy it is that God has provided such a man as Mr. Ellerthorpe, to render assistance when assistance is required at hishands; for he is ever willing at any moment, and at the first call, torisk his life. I question whether there is such another man in theworld. He has a good and kind heart, and in his general conduct displayskind feelings towards all and everybody. I hope he will remain long withus, and that at last we shall meet him in heaven, never to part again. 'Robert Tether, speaking of his deliverance, says, 'Some one said to meon the occasion, "My boy, you ought ever to remember that man, " and Ido remember him and will never forget him. If I had but a shilling inthe world, John Ellerthorpe should have half of it, if he needed it. Ican say that from the time he delivered me I have always liked to seehim, and I never think the place is right if I do not see him there. Heshall never want if I can help him. May he live long, and always haveplenty. ' These, and similar expressions of gratitude, recorded on formerpages of this work, were more valuable, in our friend's estimation, thanstores of gold. 

[Sidenote: HIS INTERVIEW WITH LORD WENLOCK. ]

Though Mr. Ellerthorpe never urged his claims to public recognition, yetwe rejoice to state that his humane and gallant deeds were not permittedto pass unnoticed and unrewarded. Persons of high distinction, and ofgreat authority in the social world, spoke to him words of greeting, commendation, and encouragement. Lord Wenlock, having had recounted tohim some of the incidents recorded in the last chapter, said, 'Howpleasant it is, Ellerthorpe, to have the satisfaction, while living, ofhaving done our fellow creatures good. '

Captain Wilson, whose gallant conduct enabled him, during the AmericanWar, to re-capture his ship, 'Emile St. Pierre, ' from a greatly superiorforce, and who received, for his valorous deed, a silver tea and coffeeservice from 170 merchants of Liverpool, and also 2, 000 guineas from theowners of the 'Emile St. Pierre, ' paid a visit to Hull, and requested tohave an interview with Mr. Ellerthorpe. In company with Captain Hurst, he went to the Humber Dock Gates to see him. They shook each others handfor some time; at length, Captain Wilson said, 'I'm glad to see you. Ihave often heard of your bravery in saving your fellow men fromdrowning, and I have sometimes wished I could see you; you are what Icall a brave, clever fellow. They say I have done a clever action, but Imay never do another. But your life has been crowded with deeds ofgallantry. Go on and prosper, my good fellow, and may God bless you; andrest assured if I again come near where you are, I shall come and seeyou. ' It must have been a pleasing sight to have seen these two men, ofbrave hearts and noble deeds, grasp hands in recognition of each othersservices. 

Towards the close of the year 1835 the following statement appeared inthe Hull newspapers:--

 'We understand some gentlemen are interesting themselves in favour of Ellerthorpe by representing his repeated exertions in the cause of humanity, and sending the particular cases to the Royal Humane Society. We shall be ready to receive any subscriptions for the purpose of rewarding one so highly deserving recompense from his fellow men. Ellerthorpe is married and has two children. '--_Nov. 23, 1835. _

The appeal to the Royal Humane Society was sent, and Mr. Ellerthorpereceived the following response:--

 Society's House, _January 21st, 1836. _

 The Secretary of the Royal Humane Society is directed to inform John Ellerthorpe that at an adjourned general court of the Institution, held on the 18th inst. , the Honorary Medallion of the Society was unanimously conferred on him for his courage and humanity in saving the lives of nine persons at different times. 

 John Ellerthorpe, Barrow, near Barton-on-Humber, Lincoln. 

[Sidenote: THE MEDALLION OF THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY. ]

The Medallion bears this inscription:--

[Illustration: HOC PRETIUM CIVE SERVATO TVLIT

_J. Ellerthorpe_, SIT OB SOW

DOVO DAT

_Soc. Reg. H. V. M. _

1836. ]

[Sidenote: ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY'S THANKS ON VELLUM. ]

The following testimonial, inscribed on vellum, accompanied themedallion:--

[Illustration]

Royal Humane Society, INSTITUTED 1774. 

FOR THE RECOVERY OF PERSONS APPARENTLY DROWNED OR (DEAD). 

_Patron_--The King. _Patroness_--The Queen. 

_President_--His Grace the Duke of Northumberland, K. G. 

 * * * * *

At a General Court holden at the Society's House, Chatham-place, Blackfriars, on Monday, the 18th day of January, 1836. 

Colonel Clitherow, _Vice President_, in the chair, it was resolvedunanimously--

 That the noble courage and humanity displayed by

 JOHN ELLERTHORPE, a Seaman of the New Holland Steam Packet, on the 19th of November, 1835, in jumping overboard to the relief of a Sailor, named Robert Brown, at Hull, whose life he saved; and the repeated heroism which Ellerthorpe has on former occasions manifested for the preservation of human life, wholly regardless of the risk he himself incurred, and by which he saved eight persons from drowning, has called forth the most lively admiration of this General Court, and justly entitles him to the Honorary Medallion of the Institution which is hereby unanimously awarded him. 

 Northumberland, _President_. Besleley Weshopp, _Secretary_. James Clitherow, _Chairman_. 

[Sidenote: APPEALS ON BEHALF OF MR. ELLERTHORPE. ]

In the year 1846, a number of merchants and gentlemen sought to securefor our friend the highest rewards the Royal Humane Society couldbestow; but to their application they received the following answer:--

 Royal Humane Society, Office No. 3, Trafalgar Square, _8th July, 1846_. 

 Dear Sir, --In reference to your letter of yesterday's date, I beg to inform you that the pecuniary rewards of this Society are limited to London and its environs. But honorary rewards are given for cases which may occur at any distance, upon the particulars being well authenticated by persons who witnessed the exertions of the claimant. 

 Should John Ellerthorpe have risked his life on the occasion you now allude to, and thereby merit an _Honorary_ Testimonial from the Society, I shall be most happy in submitting the particulars to the committee, on their being forwarded agreeably with the enclosed instruction paper. 

 I remain, dear Sir, H. D. R. Pease, Esq. , J. P. Yours very obediently, Hesslewood, near Hull. J. CHARLIER, _Sec. _

A second application was made to the Royal Humane Society, in 1852, whenthe following reply was returned:--

 Royal Humane Society, Office No. 3, Trafalgar Square, _28th September, 1852_. 

 Dear Sir, --In reply to your letter of yesterday's date, I beg to inform you that the cases alluded to in the statement of John Ellerthorpe are all _out of date_ for any reward from this Society. Perhaps you are not aware that he has already received the Silver Medal of this Institution for the case in 1835, which was laid before the committee at the proper period, viz. , within one month after the occurrence. 

 I therefore beg to return you the statements, and remain, dear Sir, yours obediently, J. CHARLIER, Jas. R. Pease, Esq. , Hesslewood, Hull. _Sec. _

[Sidenote: LARGE CONGRATULATORY MEETING IN HULL. ]

In the year 1861, and soon after our friend had rescued John Eaby from awatery grave, the people of Hull made an effort to reward their braveand gallant townsman, who had rescued from their own docks and aroundthe pier, not fewer than twenty-three persons. A committee was formed, under the presidentship of Mr. John Symons, a member of the TownCouncil, and a man of untiring energy and philanthropic disposition. Mr. Symons thus states the origin and success of this movement:--

 'Hull, _Sept 13th, 1867_, 72, Queen Street. 

 Dear Sir, --I must apologise for my seeming neglect in not complying earlier with your request respecting Mr. Ellerthorpe: the fact is, my public duties allow me but little leisure for writing. However, I will try to refresh my memory as to the way in which that kind, humane, undaunted man, received recognition. In July, 1861, the local papers contained an account of a young man named Eaby, who, while in an apoplectic fit, fell into the dock basin; the tide was running down rapidly and the wind was blowing strong. Mr. Ellerthorpe, while on duty at the dock gates, saw the man struggling and beating the water into foam; he immediately plunged from the wall, and after a fearful struggle between the two, the young man being violently affected, both were saved. This act was witnessed by several people, amongst whom were two warm-hearted working men, named Steadman and Turner. The following day they called upon me, with a written list of twenty-nine lives saved by Mr. Ellerthorpe. The account savoured of romance, but then it was signed by living witnesses, who corroborated the truth of the statements made. The men asked me to assist them in getting up some public demonstration in favour of Mr. Ellerthorpe. I told them I would lend my humble aid, but they must obtain some man of mark for their chairman, to take the initiative. They applied to several gentlemen, but in vain, all refused. They pleaded hard that I would act as chairman, and sooner than allow the thing to die away, I consented, although, at the time, entirely unused to address large public audiences. The mayor, W. Hodge, Esq. , granted us the use of a large room at the Town Hall, and then we issued large placards calling upon the people to attend and publicly congratulate Mr. Ellerthorpe on his recent narrow escape, and likewise to open a subscription for presenting him with a testimonial. The meeting was a crowded one, but principally composed of working men. I was not in the least disheartened by this; for long before I had got through the list of persons saved by John Ellerthorpe, the large county-court room rang with cheer after cheer pealing forth ever and anon. When, for the first time, was enrolled the long, distinguished list of lives saved from drowning by the hitherto obscure and humble servant of the Humber Dock Company, such heroism and bravery 'touched' the souls of a few present who could afford to subscribe. 

 [Sidenote: COUNCILLOR SYMON'S ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING. ]

 The following letter from Dale Brown, Esq. , was then read:--

 Pilot Office, Hull, _Aug. 8, 1861_. 

 Sir, --Having made an engagement for Friday evening before I knew of your meeting, I cannot possibly attend. 

 Had one of our townsmen returned from India or the Crimea, after destroying half as many lives as Mr. Ellerthorpe has been instrumental in saving, he would have been considered a 'hero, ' and rewarded accordingly. Surely it is more blessed to save than to destroy. Should the object of the meeting be to raise a fund for acknowledging Mr. Ellerthorpe's gallantry, I shall gladly contribute my mite. I am, Sir, yours obediently, Mr. John Symons. DALE BROWN. 

 I then recounted the interview with Mr. Ellerthorpe before attending the meeting, when I asked him 'what he wished in the matter, ' when he made this reply, Sir, I feel sufficiently rewarded in my own breast, without receiving any reward excepting the approbation of heaven, and the satisfaction of having won for myself the gratitude of my fellow townsmen. ' This was responded to by loud and long cheering. I then called upon Mr. W. Turner to move the first resolution, and Mr. Steadman to second it, because they were the pioneers of the movement. _Just at this crisis of the meeting John Eaby came forward and publicly thanked Ellerthorpe for what he had done_, which called forth the most exciting cheering. Then the late Rev. Charles Rawlings (Wesleyan) rose from amongst the people, and, in a sententious speech delivered with a stentorian voice, asked, 'How much does the meeting feel towards a testimonial, ' and offered the first donation as a proof of _his feeling_ for Mr. Ellerthorpe. Our fears were then scattered to the wind; the vessel I saw was well launched. Another gentleman, Mr. Henry Taylor, came forward and said, in anticipation of a subscription being made towards a testimonial to Mr. Ellerthorpe, he had already collected a nucleus of £35. A committee was then formed of which I was chosen chairman, Mr. E. Haller, secretary, and Mr. Taylor, treasurer. Three cheers were then given for the success of the 'Testimonial Fund, ' and when I rose and christened John Ellerthorpe, 'The Hero of the Humber, ' and 'Champion Life Buoy of England, ' the people rose _en masse_ cheering in the most enthusiastic manner. The next morning found the Humber Dock foreman a household word. I will not weary you with recapitulating the result of our labours. From the Premier of England down to the humblest dock labourer, all vied with each other in subscribing to the homage of this valorous, humane man. 

 And, sir, I think a moral may be drawn from this, --that no person, however humble he may be in his circumstances, but has it in his power to bless the world. One man can do so by deeds of valour, another by hard and plodding industry, and a third by thought and mental efforts. It has been well said, 'they build up a loftier population making man more manly. ' It is evidently our duty to lend a helping hand in the hour of need, either by our wisdom, power, or benevolence. This thought should act as an incentive, more or less powerful, on each person, and make him restless until he becomes satisfied that he is doing something to ameliorate the condition of his fellow men. Men should thus fulfil their mission until called to receive their reward, namely, 'Rest for their souls under the tree of Life. '

 I am, dear Sir, yours respectfully, Mr. H. Woodcock. JOHN SYMONS. 

[Sidenote: A WORKING MAN'S LETTER. ]

The following letter, addressed to Mr. Symons, is given as a specimen ofthe feeling with which the working men of Hull regarded this movement:--

 Hull, _Aug. 9th, 1861_. 

 Mr. Chairman, --I cannot let the present opportunity pass without thanking the committee for the movement they have taken in this affair. It shows that such acts of humanity may appear to slumber for a time in the breasts of Englishmen until they can bear it no longer, then out it must come; and permit me to add that the moment I heard of the movement to present some token of respect to Mr. Ellerthorpe, it put me in mind of the time when I was a boy about eight years of age: I was sailing a small boat aside of the steps of what is commonly called, Sand South End, in the old harbour, when I over-reached myself and fell in. A boy was with me at the time who ran up the steps and shouted out, 'A boy overboard. ' A gentleman, who then lived in Humber Street, was sitting in his front room, he immediately ran out, leaped into the water, took hold of me just as I was going down for the third time, and saved my life from a watery grave. I have always reverenced that gentleman ever since. His name is Mr. Bean, and he was for several years an alderman for the borough. What, then, must be the feelings of the thirty-nine who have been saved at the eminent risk and peril of Mr. Ellerthorpe's life? We may help each other in a pecuniary point of view, but very few amongst us have the nerve, power, and ability to leap into the ocean and render assistance to our fellow men. I have therefore great pleasure in subscribing five shillings towards anything you may be disposed to present Mr. Ellerthorpe with. 

 I am, my dear Sir, your obedient servant, WM. ALLEN. 

[Sidenote: POETIC TRIBUTE OF RESPECT TO 'THE HERO. ']

Our friend's name had become familiar as a household word in all circlesof society, in the town and neighbourhood of Hull, and great numberslent their influence to this effort to acknowledge the unequalledbravery of their fellow townsman, whom we must, henceforth acknowledgeas the 'Hero of the Humber. ' The 'Hull Daily Express' contained thefollowing poetic tribute of respect to our 'Hero. '

 'Amid all changes evermore unfolded By mental throe, by accident of time, Mankind shall venerate the men who moulded Heroic actions with an aim sublime! O! ye who shine along life's desert places, Who've lived for others' good to help and save, Affection hails ye with profound embraces And bows before a brother truly brave! One whose gallant deeds in noble brotherhood, Nobler far than warrior's valiant strife, Have found their own reward in others' good And proved a blessing in preserving life. 

 And WHO IS HE of whom this land is proud, Whose name we honour and whose worth is known? He's one who does his duty in the crowd, A worker there--and yet he stands alone! Without pretension, who by deeds endears His name afar beyond his native strand, A son of toil--yet one of Nature's peers! Whose worth's acknowledged in his native land! His is the praise well won for gallant action In saving life along our Humber shore, And there are many hearths where recollection Returns to him in blessings evermore!

 And he is worthy!--for in his soul implanted There is a noble usefulness--his choice For others' good, which bards of old have chanted To those who, like him, have made hearts rejoice. O! should these lines be found in after days-- A tribute to his fair and honoured name-- Let such accord to him the meed of praise, Tell of his bravery and his worth proclaim! All honour to thee, Ellerthorpe, and thine, And as duty calls thee to thy post each morn, May good attend thee and its graces shine, And lead thee upward and thy name adorn. '

[Sidenote: VOTE OF THANKS FROM THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY. ]

The following petition, signed by W. Hodge, Esq. , Mayor, and upwards ofsixty of the leading ministers, merchants, and gentlemen of Hull, wasforwarded to the Royal Humane Society:--

 To the Honourable the Court of the Royal Humane Society. 

 We, the undersigned, members of the municipal corporation, the Trinity House, and the Dock Company at Kingston-upon-Hull, and merchants of that borough, beg most respectfully to submit to the consideration of your honourable court, the services of John Ellerthorpe, now a foreman in the service of the Dock Company of this borough, who, during the course of the last forty years has, by the providence of God and his own intrepidity, rescued from a watery grave no fewer than twenty-eight persons, often at the great risk of his own life, as may be seen from the statement of particulars hereto annexed. 

 On a former occasion, on the 18th of January, 1836, you were pleased to award to Ellerthorpe a medallion and certificate on a representation being made to the society of his having saved eight persons from drowning while employed as a mariner in the New Holland Ferry. 

 Considering that the number of persons he has now saved amounts to twenty-eight, we take the liberty of bringing Ellerthorpe's further claims before your notice, believing that you will think with us that his further successful exertions in the cause of humanity, in saving so many persons from drowning, merit some additional mark of your approval. 

 We are, Your honourable court's most obedient servants. 

In response to this appeal the society awarded to our 'Hero' an especialvote of thanks, of which more _anon_. 

The following appeal was made to Lord Palmerston:

 Yarmouth and Rotterdam Steam Packet Office, Kingston-upon-Hull, _30th August, 1861. _

 My Lord, --The enclosed documents relate to a series of, perhaps, unequalled acts of daring on the part of an inhabitant, a working man, of this borough, in rescuing persons from drowning. He has succeeded, at the repeated risk of his own life, in saving no fewer than twenty-nine persons from a watery grave. 

 The Court of the Royal Humane Society having, in respect of the twenty-ninth case, and in reply to the enclosed petition, awarded him their 'Thanks on Vellum, ' a committee of his fellow townsmen has been organised to ensure for him some more substantial award. 

 From your lordship's well-known appreciation of heroic benevolence, the committee has ventured to lay his case before you, in the hope that you would deem it worthy of your distinguished patronage. 

 I have the honour to be, on the part of the committee, Your Lordship's Most humble and obedient servant, EDWARD HALLER, _Hon. Sec. 'Ellerthorpe Testimonial. '_

[Sidenote: RECEIVES £20 FROM THE ROYAL BOUNTY. ]

In reply, _His Lordship_ forwarded from the _Royal bounty_ the handsomedonation of £20. The following is the letter announcing this gift:--

 13632 Treasury, Whitehall, S. W. , 61 17th _September_, 1861. 

 Sir, --I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners to Her Majesty's Treasury to acquaint you that, upon the recommendation of Viscount Palmerston, the Paymaster General has been authorised to pay you the sum of £20, as of Her Majesty's Royal bounty. 

 I am, Sir, your obedient servant, GEO. W. HAMILTON. 

 Mr. John Ellerthorpe, Kingston-upon-Hull. 

The Board of Trade was next appealed to as follows:

 Hull, 8th _August_, 1861. 

 _To the Right Honourable Thomas Milner Gibson, President of the Board of Trade, London. _

 Honourable Sir, --I beg most humbly to lay before your honourable Board the case of John Ellerthorpe, foreman of the Humber Dock gates at this place, who saved the life of John Eaby under most trying circumstances, and at great risk of his own life. 

 On the 30th of July last the said John Eaby was seized with a fit and fell into the dock basin, a depth of nearly twenty feet from the top. John Ellerthorpe, hearing his cries for assistance, spontaneously leaped into the water, and after struggling with the man in that dangerous condition, eventually succeeded in saving his life. 

 I likewise humbly beg to inform your honourable Board that this is the twenty-ninth person's life the said John Ellerthorpe has been the exclusive means of saving from a watery grave. 

 If your honourable Board should deem his actions of humanity worthy of your honourable Board's notice, a committee of the working men of this town is in formation to present him with a memorial, and if your honourable Board consider him worthy of any remuneration, I will communicate the same to the chairman of the committee, who will forward any information your honourable Board may require. 

 I remain your most humble and obedient servant, THOMAS RAWLINSON. 

 2, Wellington-street, Hull. 

[Sidenote: RECEIVES A SILVER MEDAL. ]

In answer to this appeal, the Board of Trade, through Sir EmmersonTennant, struck a silver medal to the honour of Mr. Ellerthorpe. 

The Sovereign having awarded our 'Hero' with a gift of £20, and theRoyal Humane Society and the Board of Trade having decorated him withtheir marks of honour, it remained for the inhabitants of Hull to showtheir appreciation of the humane and gallant deeds of their fellowtownsman. Such deeds as our 'Hero' _had_ performed are not less heroicthan feats of valour on the battle-field, and well deserve _public_recognition as well as reward from private associations. 

 * * * * *

[Sidenote: PRESENTATION MEETING IN HULL. ]

The long-looked-for presentation took place in the Music Hall, JarrattStreet, Hull, on Wednesday evening, November the 6th, 1861. Upwards offour hundred persons sat down to tea, and the local papers state thatgreater enthusiasm was, perhaps, never witnessed than during thisremarkable meeting. The room was gaily decorated with bannarets, andsuspended over the chair was a large flag, bearing the followingmotto:--

'LONG LIVE ELLERTHORPE, THE HERO OF THE HUMBER!'

Grace having been chanted and justice done to the sumptuous tea, thepublic meeting began. Mr. John Symons occupied the chair, and he wassurrounded on the platform by a large number of ministers, gentlemen, merchants, mechanics, and working men. 

[Sidenote: CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS. ]

 The Chairman said:--It was a common custom of persons not novices situated similarly to himself, to preface their remarks by saying that some person of higher local distinction ought to occupy the honourable position as chairman, and that was his request to the committee. But as such a person was not secured, he felt proud of the position he occupied amongst them. He little thought that the movement would have proved so successful when he embarked in it, for with but little effort we have received the free-will offerings of £170. Of course printing, advertising, and other incidental expenses were incurred, and cannot be dispensed with in order to succeed in similar objects. The Royal Humane Society had awarded to Ellerthorpe an especial vote of thanks; the Board of Trade, through Sir Emmerson Tennant, had struck a silver medal in his honour; and last, but not least, the popular Premier of England had forwarded from the royal bounty the handsome donation of £20. Thus the movement so humbly began, resembled the 'little spring in the mountain rock, ' which became a brook, a torrent, a wide rolling river. By narrating the lives saved by Ellerthorpe's unprecedented bravery, they had struck a chord in the innermost recesses of the heart of the benevolent portion of the people. He was surprised to find that no one had recognised Ellerthorpe's heroism before. During a period of forty years he had saved the lives of upwards of thirty persons. But however tardily it may appear to some, ultimately, eternal justice will assert itself. John Ellerthorpe never required, never expected any public recognition of his services. The only praise sought by him was--

 'What nothing earthly gives or can destroy, The soul's calm sunshine and the heartfelt joy. '

 in being the means of saving so many lives from premature death by drowning. Never let it be said the days of chivalry were over in England while we have such a nobleman as a Lord Beauclerc[3] of Scarborough, and a commoner called Ellerthorpe at Hull. He believed with those who say that the men who dares the 'tempests' wrath, ' and the 'billows' madden'd play' on the errand of saving life, to be as great heroes as those who 'seek for bubble reputation at the cannon's mouth. ' He would rather be a bearer of thirty blessings than the hero of one hundred fights. No true history of Hull could be written which did not contain the record of Ellerthorpe's name, and the glorious deeds he had performed. Nor could he conclude without expressing the heartfelt hope that the 'Hero of the Humber' might long live to enjoy the splendid gifts about to be presented to him, and when disease shall overtake him in his declining days, may the contents of that purse procure for him the means whereby his pillow of affliction may be smoothed and softened. 

 * * * * *

 The Rev. C. Rawlings then expatiated, in a most powerful address, on the life-saving labours of Mr. Ellerthorpe, which was listened to with a rapt attention, and when he resumed his seat it was amidst a tempest of applause. 

 * * * * *

 Mr. Taylor, the treasurer, then presented the gold watch and guard, and a beautiful purse containing one hundred guineas. The Watch bears the following inscription:--

 [Illustration]

 PRESENTED TO JOHN ELLERTHORPE, _(By Voluntary Subscriptions) together with a_ Purse containing One Hundred Guineas, He having saved Twenty-nine Persons from Drowning. Hull, Nov. 6th, 1861. 

 [Sidenote: RECEIVES A PURSE OF ONE HUNDRED GUINEAS. ]

 THE PURSE BEARS THIS INSCRIPTION:--

 [Illustration]

 THIS PURSE, CONTAINING One Hundred Guineas; ALSO, A GOLD WATCH & GUARD, IS PRESENTED TO JOHN ELLERTHORPE, _Foreman of the Humber Dock Gates_, BY VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTIONS, HE HAVING SAVED TWENTY-NINE PERSONS FROM BEING DROWNED. _Hull, November 6th, 1861. _

 Mr. Alderman Fountain, amid loud applause, and in a few appropriate words, then presented to Mr. Ellerthorpe the following vote of thanks, inscribed on vellum, from the Royal Humane Society:--

 [Sidenote: ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY'S THANKS. ]

 [Illustration]

 Royal Humane Society, INSTITUTED 1774. Supported by Voluntary Contributions. _Patron_--Her Majesty the Queen _Vice Patron_--H. R. H. The Duke of Cambridge, K. C. , G. C. , M. G. _President_--His Grace the Duke of Argyll, K. T. 

 * * * * *

 At a Meeting of the Committee of the Royal Humane Society, holden at their Office, 4, Trafalgar Square, on Wednesday, the 21st of August, 1861. 

 Present--Thos. Eld. Baker, Esq. , Treasurer, in the chair. It was resolved unanimously--

 That the noble courage and humanity displayed by

 JOHN ELLERTHORPE, Foreman of the Humber Dock, in having on the 30th July, 1861, jumped into the Dock Basin at Hull, to the relief of John Eaby, who had accidentally fallen therein, and whose life he saved, has called forth the admiration of this Committee, and justly entitles him to its sincere thanks, inscribed on Vellum, which are hereby awarded, he having already received the Honorary Silver Medallion of this Institution for a similar act in 1835. 

 Argyll, _President_. Lambton J. H. Young, _Secretary_. Thos. Eld. Baker, _Chairman_. 

[Sidenote: MEDAL FROM THE BOARD OF TRADE. ]

The medal, which is said to be a fine specimen of artistic beauty andelegant workmanship, bears the following device:--One side of the medalrepresents a group on a raft. One of the men is seated on a spar, wavinga handkerchief, as a signal to a small boat seen in the distance;another is supporting a sailor who appears in a drowning state. There isalso a female holding a child in her arms, the sea having a stormyappearance. The group forms a most interesting allegory. On the obverseside is a large profile of Her Majesty, the border bearing the followinginscription:--

 'Awarded by the Board of Trade for Gallantry in Saving Life. --V. R. '

Engraved round the edge are the following words:

 'Presented to John Ellerthorpe in Acknowledgment of his repeated Acts of Gallantry in Saving Life. 1861. '

It is enclosed in an elegant Morocco case, the lid of which hasinscribed upon it, in gilt letters:--

 'Board of Trade Medal for Gallantry in Saving Life at Sea, Awarded to John Ellerthorpe. '

In presenting this handsome testimonial, Mr. Brown said:--

 He quite agreed with the Chairman that the last great day alone would reveal the consequences of Ellerthorpe's bravery. He had to present to him what he might fairly call a _national testimonial_, as it was from a branch of our national institutions--the Board of Trade. He had very great pleasure in presenting it to him, and he earnestly prayed that none of his children might ever have to do for him what he had done for his own father. He wished him long life to wear the _medal of honour_. 

 [Sidenote: THE HERO'S ADDRESS. ]

 Mr. Ellerthorpe then advanced to the front of the platform, and with a heart throbbing with hallowed feeling and eyes filled with tears, he said; I cannot find words with which to express adequately the gratitude I feel at so much kindness having been extended to me, not only by the attendance of the large audience I see before me, but by the numerous testimonials that have been presented to me. I never expected any reward for what I have done, and I have before now refused many offers of rewards that have been made to me by the friends of many whom I have been the means, in the hands of God, of rescuing from a watery grave. I do, however, feel proud at receiving these testimonials, and I trust they will be preserved by my children, and by my children's children, as mementos of my country's acknowledgments of the service I have rendered my fellow-creatures; and yet I feel that I derive far more satisfaction from the consciousness that I have done my duty to my fellow-creatures, in their hour of danger, than I do from the splendid presents you have made me. I hope I shall ever be ready in the future to do as I have done in the past, should circumstances require it of me. --He was greeted with loud applause both at the commencement and conclusion of his speech. 

 A vote of thanks was then passed to the Treasurer and Secretary, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Haller, who responded. The Rev. J. Petty also spoke. 

 Mr. Pearson (ex-Mayor) then moved a similar vote to the committee. In doing so, he said that it was most remarkable that they had allowed a man like Ellerthorpe to have saved so many as thirty persons from drowning before any public recognition of his services had taken place. As it was, a hundred guineas were far below his merits, and he was sure that the merchants of the town had been remiss in their duty in respect to this matter. 

 Mr. Rufford returned thanks on behalf of the committee. 

 Rev. C. Rawlings proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, shaking him warmly by the hand, and congratulating him on the part he had taken in this noble movement. 

 The Chairman, in responding, said, he had merely done his duty in the matter; his work had been a pleasure to him, and he had received many valuable lessons, the good impressions of which he hoped would endure in his mind through life. Seeing that we live surrounded with water, and that casualties are occurring almost weekly, he thought it was the duty of the people of Hull to stimulate others to follow Mr. Ellerthorpe's example. He should always look back with pride and pleasure to that evening's meeting. 

 'When time, who steals our years away, Shall steal its pleasures too, The memory of the past will stay, And all its joys renew. '

 He then called upon the audience to close the present meeting as they did the inaugurating meeting, by cheers for the 'Hero of the Humber and England's Champion Life Buoy, ' which was responded to by the company rising, _en masse_, cheering most tumultuously. 

 The National Anthem was then sung. Mr. Morrison, organist, and a party of vocalists, enlivened the proceedings, which were very liberally interspersed with enthusiastic applause on every mention of the 'Hero's' name. 

[Sidenote: LIST OF SUBSCRIPTIONS. ]

It is but right to state that the entire sum collected towards the'Ellerthorpe Testimonial Fund' amounted to £197 10s. , and that about£133 in cash was handed over to the 'Hero of the Humber. '

Mr. Hudson, artist, Queen St. , presented to Mr. Ellerthorpe a photographportrait. 

[Footnote 3: This brave nobleman was at Scarborough during one of themost fearful and disastrous storms that ever swept the Yorkshire coast. He had no sleep on the previous night on account of the storm, and onSaturday he said to a friend 'I shall have a sound sleep to-night. 'Alas! before he closed his eyes in sleep, and while nobly endeavouringto rescue a number of drowning sailors, a huge wave carried him out tosea, and he perished in the 'mighty waters. ']

CHAPTER IX. 

MR. ELLERTHORPE'S GENERAL CHARACTER, DEATH, ETC. 

In physical stature, Mr. Ellerthorpe was about five feet seven incheshigh, and weighed about ten stones. His build was somewhat slender for asailor. He stood erect. His countenance was hard and ruddy, andindicated long exposure to weather. His ordinary expression wasindicative of kindness, blended with great firmness. When spinning hisyarns, or describing his exploits, his eye kindled, and his face, lit upwith smiles, was expressive of intense sympathy. 

To his wife (who has just followed him to the skies, July, 1880, ) heproved himself a kind and provident husband, _i. E. _ _houseband_, asTrench renders the word. Even during his wicked and drunken career henever forgot his matrimonial vow, to 'love, honour, and cherish' thepartner of his life; and hence, he never but once took any portion ofhis regular wages to spend in drink, and the sum he then took was aboutfifteen shillings. 

Of fourteen children, but four survive their parents, two sons and twodaughters. The father strove hard to give them what is beyond allprice--a good education. His eldest son, (who has long been on theMetropolitan newspaper staff, ) when a boy displayed a strong instinctivelove of learning, and when, on one occasion, his father urged him todevote less time to his books, and to form the companionship of a acertain youth, he replied, 'No. He spends as much money in cigars aswould buy a library, and consumes as much time in smoking them as wouldenable him to learn half a dozen dead languages. '

[Sidenote: HERO'S GENERAL CHARACTER. ]

Mr. Ellerthorpe proved himself a good servant, discharging his dutiesfaithfully and honourably. During fourteen years he occupied theresponsible position of foreman of the Humber Dock Gates, Hull. And whenit is borne in mind that Hull is the third port in the kingdom, and thatit is annually visited by 30, 000 seamen in connection with its foreignand coasting traffic, and that, in the same time, about 20, 000 smallvessels, connected with the inland navigation, enter and leave the port, it will be seen that the duties of our friend were numerous andimportant. But the force and transparency of his character, hisundoubted honesty, his indefatigable industry, and his unweariedattention to the duties of his office, won for him the confidence andrespect of his employers, the esteem of his fellow workers, and the goodopinion of the merchants of the port. Dale Brown, Esq. , says:--

 Dock Office, Hull, _Sept. 11th, 1867_. 

 Sir, --I have known Mr. John Ellerthorpe as an active, energetic, Christian man, for upwards of eighteen years, and during the past six years he has been under my immediate control. 

 His wonderful daring and success in saving the lives of drowning persons, have now become matters of history, and have been fully recognised by the late Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, the Royal Humane Society, and the local officials in Hull, by whom he is best known and valued. 

 I am, Sir, yours very obediently, DALE BROWN, _Supt. Dock Master_. Rev. Henry Woodcock. 

The following appeared in the Hull newspapers, November the 9th, 1864. 

[Sidenote: PRESENTATION TO THE HERO. ]

 'Presentation to the 'Hero of the Humber. '--On the 6th of November, 1861, a public presentation of a gold watch and a purse containing upwards of 100 guineas, was made to Mr. John Ellerthorpe, of Hull, known thenceforth as the 'Hero of the Humber, ' on account of his having saved twenty-nine persons from drowning. To commemorate that interesting event, as well as to add another to Mr. Ellerthorpe's well earned honours, a few friends met last Evening at Mr. Rawlinson's, 'Sykes Head, ' Wellington Street. After a well-served supper, Mr. Councillor Symons, who, in the absence of Mr. Alderman Fountain, presided, called upon Mr. John Corbitt (of the Air and Calder Company), who presented to Mr. Ellerthorpe a purse containing twenty-three and a half guineas, subscribed by the leading shipping firms of Hull. 

 'Mr. Corbitt said:--The subscription was proposed by Mr. W. Dyson, sen. (Bannister, Dyson, & Co. ), and has been most warmly and heartily taken up by all the leading firms, who were most ready and forward to mark their sense of the obligations of the shipping interest to Mr. Ellerthorpe's assiduous attention to duty, obliging disposition, and untiring activity at his post night and day (Applause). All present knew how valuable those services were, and how much the dispatch of business depended upon them. It had been a pleasing duty to himself to receive the subscriptions, they were tendered in such a willing and hearty spirit (Cheers). Mr. Corbitt then presented to Mr. Ellerthorpe the purse, which contained the following inscription:--

 [Illustration]

 THIS PURSE, CONTAINING 23-1/2 Guineas, _Subscribed by Trading Merchants of Hull_, Was presented by Mr. J. Corbitt to MR. JOHN ELLERTHORPE, For his unwearied zeal and attention to the requirements of the Trade of the Port by Penning Vessels in and out of the Humber Dock. 

 Nov. 8th, 1864. 

 'Mr. Ellerthorpe suitably acknowledged the presentation, and thanked Mr. Corbitt and the subscribers for their kindness. As for himself, he had certainly striven to secure the interests of the port, but he had only done his duty, as he hoped he ever should be able to do, without the prospect of any such reward as that. It, however, gave him unfeigned pleasure to find that anything he had done could be so highly appreciated. He hoped to live to advance the interests of the town and of commerce. --Several loyal and complimentary toasts followed, and the proceedings throughout were of a most pleasant and agreeable character. '

[Sidenote: HIS DECLINING HEALTH. ]

To the eye of a stranger, our friend's cheerful countenance and erectform, during the last few years of his life, indicated a robust state ofhealth, giving the promise of a green old age. Such, however, was notthe case. His employment as Foreman of the Humber Dock Gates, was veryarduous, exposing him to all kinds of weather, day and night, accordingto the tides, and he found it telling seriously upon his health. Hisfrequent plunges into the water, in storm and in calm, at midnight aswell as at midday, in times of chilling frost as well as in times ofwarmth, sometimes top-coated and booted, and at other times undressed, also helped to sap his naturally strong frame. 

[Sidenote: HIS LAST AFFLICTION. ]

In a private note he remarked, 'It is with difficulty I can talk, attimes, and my breathing is so bad, that I am now unable to address theBand of Hope children. The other night, and after I had been in bedabout three hours, I was seized with an attack of shortness of breathwhich lasted four hours, and I thought I should have died in thestruggle. But it pleased the Lord to restore me, and since then I havefelt a little better. I now suffer greatly from excitement, and need tobe kept still and quiet, but my present situation does not allow me muchquiet. In fact, I am afraid, at times, that I shall be forced to leaveit, for I think, and so does Dr. Gibson, that the watching, night afternight, let the weather be as it may, is too much for me. But I leavemyself in the hands of God, knowing that he will never leave me norforsake me. '

Dr. Gibson, his medical attendant, wrote the writer thus:--

 Hull, _26th Sept. , 1867_. 

 Dear Sir, --I received your letter this morning, respecting John Ellerthorpe, a man well known for many years past, and greatly esteemed by the people of Hull, on account of his great daring, and humane and gallant conduct in saving such a large number of human lives from drowning. 

 As his medical attendant, I regret to say, that his frequent plunges into the water, at all seasons of the year, and long exposure in wet clothes, have seriously injured his health and constitution. 

After the 'Hero's' death the same gentleman wrote:--'Mr. Ellerthorpe hadgenerously attempted to save the lives of others at the expense ofabridging his own life. '

Mr. Ellerthorpe knew the great source of religious strength andsalvation, and trusting entirely in the merits of Jesus Christ, he founda satisfying sense of God's saving presence and power to the very last. He would often say, 'my feet are on the Rock of Ages. I cannot sinkunder such a prop, as bears the world and all things up. ' Hisaffliction, water on the chest, and an enlargement of the heart broughton by his frequent plunges into the water, and exposure to wet and cold, was protracted and very severe. He found great difficulty in breathingand had comparatively little rest, day or night, for five months. Dr. Gibson said to him on one occasion, 'Mr. Ellerthorpe, you cannot livelong unless I could take out your present heart and give you a new one. ''Ah, ' said he, with the utmost composure, 'that you cannot do. ' Oftenafter a night of restlessness and suffering he would say to his dearwife:--'Well, I have lived another night, ' to which she would reply, 'Oyes, and I hope you will live many more yet. ' 'No, ' he would say, 'Ishall not live many more; I feel I am going, but it is all right. '

[Sidenote: HIS TRIUMPHANT DEATH. ]

During his last illness he had, as was to be expected, many visitors, but he loved those best who talked most about Jesus. He seemed painedand disappointed when the conversation was about the things of earth, but he was delighted and carried away when it was about the things ofheaven. When his medical adviser gave strict orders that visitors shouldnot be allowed to see him, his pale face and lack-lustre eyes grewbright, and he imploringly said, 'Do let those come who can pray andtalk about Jesus and heaven. '

The ministers of his own denomination, the Revs. G. Lamb, T. Ratcliffe, T. Newsome, J. Hodgson, F. Rudd and others often visited him, and wouldhave done so much more frequently, but for the nature of his complaintand the orders of his medical attendant. Mr. John Sissons, his firstclass leader, Mr. Harrison, his devoted companion and fellow labourer inthe work of God, and others of his lay brethren, frequently visited him, and all testify to the happy state of soul in which they found him. TheRev. J. Hodgson, in one of his visits, found him in great pain, butbreathing out his soul to God in short ejaculatory prayers. His oldpassion for the conversion of souls was strong in death. Mr. Hodgsontold him of some good missionary meetings they had just been holding. 'And how many souls had you saved?' was the ready inquiry. 'You willsoon be at home, ' said Mr. Harrison, during his last visit, to which hereplied, 'Yes, I shall, my lad. ' During the Rev. T. Newsome's visit Mr. Ellerthorpe expressed himself as wonderfully happy and anxiously waitingthe coming of his Lord. Toplady's well known verse was repeated by thepreacher:--

 'And when I'm to die, To Jesus I'll cry; For Jesus hath loved me, I cannot tell why; But this I can find, We two are so joined, He'll not reign in glory And leave me behind. '

'Ah, ' said the dying man, now rich in holiness and ready for the skies, 'THAT IS IT. ' He soon afterwards expired in the full triumph of faith, on July 15th, 1868. 

CHAPTER X. 

THE HERO'S FUNERAL. 

The following account of the 'Hero's' funeral is taken, unabridged, from_The Eastern Morning News_. 

[Sidenote: HIS FUNERAL. ]

[Sidenote: THE FUNERAL PROCESSION. ]

All that was mortal of John Ellerthorpe, 'The Hero of the Humber, ' wason Sunday consigned to the grave. Well did his many noble actionsentitle him to the proud and distinguished title by which he was sofamiliarly known. It may be questioned whether his career has anyindividual parallel in the world's history. The saviour of forty livesfrom drowning, during sixty-one years' existence, could not fail to beexalted to the position of a great hero, and the worship which was paidto his heroism assumed no exaggerated form, though it was intense andabiding. He bore his honours meekly, and his funeral partook of thecharacter of the man, unpretending, simple, earnest. No funeral pomp, nofeverish excitement, but a solemn, subdued spectacle was witnessed. Thehighest tribute which could be paid to departed worth was accorded tothe memory of the Hero of the Humber. Thousands of his fellow-townsmenfollowed the funeral _cortege_ on its way to the Cemetery, and when theprocession reached the last resting-place of the deceased, the numberswelled into vast proportions, and a perfect consciousness of thesolemnity of the event appeared to influence the conduct of the vastmultitude. The silence was deep, and almost unbroken by any sound savethe frequent exclamations of sincere regret. No man, howeverdistinguished, has had more solemn homage paid to him than JohnEllerthorpe. There were many features of resemblance in the burial ofCaptain Gravill, and in the Cemetery, not far from each other, now liethe remains of two men whose moral attributes and actions will everstand conspicuous in the history of men. 

The announcement that the _cortege_ would leave the residence of thedeceased at half-past twelve drew many hundreds to the house, anxious, if possible, to obtain a look at that which contained the body of himwhose acquaintance numbers of them had esteemed it an honour to possess. At the time appointed the body was placed in the hearse, and the familyand friends of the deceased, as they entered the coaches, were watchedby hundreds who sympathised in no common degree with their deepaffliction and irreparable loss. The coaches were followed by thegatemen of all the docks and others who had been associated with thedeceased. Mr. Dumbell, the Secretary of the Dock Company, Mr. DaleBrown, Superintendent Dock Master, and Mr. Gruby, headed the procession, thus evincing the deep respect they entertained for Mr. Ellerthorpe. Contrary to expectation, the procession proceeded to the Cemetery by thefollowing route:--Railway-street, Kingston-street, Edward's-place, Waverly-street, Thornton-street, Park-street, and Spring-bank. It hadbeen expected that the procession would have gone along the Market-placeand Whitefriargate, and thence to the place of interment, and thestreets were thronged with an anxious multitude. The disappointment wasvery great. 

When the _cortege_ reached Thornton-street, part of the congregation ofthe Primitive Methodist chapel at which the deceased had been in thehabit of worshipping when in health, joined the procession, and at oncebegan to sing. Nothing could exceed the impression of the scene fromthis point. As the lowly strains arose tears were trickling down many ahard, rough face, whilst a spirit of holy quietude appeared to pervadeothers. Few funerals have been characterised by greater impressiveness. All the avenues at the cemetery were crowded, and hundreds had beenwaiting or a long time to meet the procession. 

The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. George Lamb, for whom thedeceased had long cherished a great affection, and it is needless to saythe reverend gentleman was greatly affected. The coffin having been laidin the grave, and the burial service having been read, Mr. Lamb spoke asfollows, amidst profound silence:--

[Sidenote: REV. G. LAMB'S ADDRESS. ]

'We have come here to-day, my friends, to perform the last duties overthe body of the dear friend who has passed away, we doubt not, to abrighter and a better world. The Hero of the Humber, the man who hassaved a large number of human beings from a watery grave, who has mademany a family rejoice by his heroism, has himself succumbed to the handof death. But, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ he was notafraid to die. I have been frequently comforted as I have conversed withhim during his last illness, and have heard him rejoice in the prospectof that hour, and seen his anxiety--yes, his anxiety to leave thepresent world because he had blooming hope of a brighter and betterinheritance. My dear friends, you and I will soon finish our course. Thegreat question we ought to ask ourselves individually is "Am I preparedto die? If my corpse were here, where John Ellerthorpe lies, where wouldmy soul be? Am I prepared for entering the mansions of everlastingbliss?" Many of you know he lived a godless, prayerless and sinful lifefor many years, but by the gospel of the grace of God his heart becamechanged. He abandoned his evil ways, consecrated himself at the foot ofthe cross, to be the Lord's for ever, and by God's saving mercy, he wasenabled to hold on his way to the last, rejoicing in the prospect ofthat hour when he should leave the bed of affliction and this sinfulworld, to be carried into that clime and those blessed regions where hewould be with the saved for ever. That God can change your hearts, mydear friends. Oh, by the side of this open grave, may some here to-daybe yielded to God; may you now consecrate yourselves and become thesaved of the Lord. God grant his blessing may rest upon the mourningwidow and the bereaved family, and that they after the toils of thewarfare of earth, may with their dear husband and father be found beforethe throne of God. May those who have long enjoyed the friendship of ourdeparted brother be ultimately numbered with the blessed in in thekingdom to come. '

[Sidenote: FAREWELL HYMN. ]

Before the mourners departed, the beautifully affecting hymn, beginningwith

 'Farewell, dear friends, a long farewell, '

was sung. 

We may state that most of the ships in the docks indicated respect byhoisting colours half-mast high. --_Eastern Morning News. _

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[Transcriber's Notes:

Contractions are inconsistently used, such as both "did'nt" and"didn't, " and have been retained as in the original in both cases. 

There were many printers errors and typos in this book. The obviousones have been silently corrected. Others that might be cases ofold spellings have been retained. 

Page 19--I suspect "of" is missing in the phrase, "that he would havebeen unworthy (of) the name of a Christian" but I did not change itin the text. 

Page 120--The paragraph that begins "After the 'Hero's' death" wasoriginally included in the preceding blockquote, but it doesn't seemto be part of the quoted letter, so I moved it out into the surroundingtext. ]