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Title: The Hero of the Humber; Or, The History of the Late Mr. John Ellerthorpe

Author: Henry Woodcock

Release date: February 6, 2007 [eBook #20520]
                Most recently updated: January 1, 2021

Language: English

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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 AND
CHRISTIAN USEFULNESS; HIS UNEQUALLED SKILL AS A SWIMMER, AND HIS
EXPLOITS ON THE WATER, WITH A MINUTE ACCOUNT OF HIS DEEDS OF DARING IN
SAVING, WITH HIS OWN HANDS, ON SEPARATE AND DISTINCT OCCASIONS, UPWARDS
OF FORTY PERSONS FROM DEATH BY DROWNING: TOGETHER WITH AN ACCOUNT OF HIS
LAST 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's
definition of a hero,--'a man eminent for bravery,' he said he was not
satisfied 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 was
certainly one of the most extraordinary men ever born. There was more
power concentrated in that brain than in any brain probably born for
centuries. That he was a great man in the sense of being a man of
transcendent power, there was no doubt; but his life was tainted with
selfishness from beginning to end, and he was not ready to admit that a
man whose life was fundamentally tainted with selfishness was a hero. A
greater hero than Napoleon was the captain of a ship which was run down
in the Channel three or four years ago, who, when the ship was
quivering, and the water was gurgling round her, and the boats had been
lowered to save such persons as could be saved, stood by the bulwark
with a pistol in his hand and threatened to shoot dead the first man who
endeavoured to get into the boat until every woman and child was
provided for. His true idea of a hero was this:--A hero was a man who
must have ends beyond himself, in casting himself as it were out of
himself, and must pursue these ends by means which were honourable, the
lawful means, otherwise he might degenerate into a wild enthusiast. He
must 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 who
were so excessively given to certain ideas and objects of their own,
that they lost all the proportion of their nature. There were other
heroes, who, by giving undue prominence to one idea, lost the just
proportion of things, and became simply men of one idea. A man to be a
hero must pursue ends beyond himself by legitimate means. He must pursue
them as a man, not as a dreamer. Not to give to some one idea
disproportionate weight which it did not deserve, and forget everything
else which belonged to the perfection and excellence of human nature. If
he did all this he was a hero, even if he had not very great powers; and
if he had great powers, then he was a consummate hero.'

Now, if we cannot claim for the late Mr. Ellerthorpe 'great powers' of
intellect, we are quite sure that all who read the following pages will
agree that the title bestowed upon him by his grateful and admiring
townsman,--'The Hero of the Humber,' was well and richly deserved. He
was a 'Hero,' though he lived in a humble cottage. He was a man of
heroic sacrifices; his services were of the noblest kind; he sought the
highest welfare of his fellow-creatures with an energy never surpassed;
his generous and impulsive nature found its highest happiness in
promoting the welfare of others. He is held as a benefactor in the fond
recollection of thousands of his fellow countrymen, and he received
rewards far more valuable and satisfying than those which his Queen and
Government bestowed upon him: more lasting than the gorgeous pageantries
and 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 of
his fellow townsmen.

The noble river Humber, upon which the town of Kingston-upon-Hull is
seated, may be considered the Thames of the Midland and Northern
Counties of England. It divides the East Riding of Yorkshire from
Lincolnshire, during the whole of its course, and is formed by the
junction of the Ouse and the Trent. At Bromfleet, it receives the little
river Foulness, and rolling its vast collection of waters eastward, in a
stream enlarged to between two and three miles in breadth, washes the
town of Hull, where it receives the river of the same name. Opposite to
Hedon and Paul, which are a few miles below Hull, the Humber widens into
a vast estuary, six or seven miles in breadth, and then directs it's
course past Great Grimsby to the German Ocean, which it enters at Spurn
Head. No other river system collects waters from so many important towns
as this famous stream. 'The Humber,' says a recent writer, 'resembling
the trunk of a vast tree spreading its branches in every direction,
commands, by the numerous rivers which it receives, the navigation and
trade of a very extensive and commercial part of England.'

The Humber, between its banks, occupies an area of about one hundred and
twenty-five square miles. The rivers Ouse and Trent which, united, form
the 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. Ellerthorpe
rescued thirty-one human beings from drowning.

For the rapid sale of 3,500 copies of the 'Life of the Hero,' the Author
thanks a generous public. A series of articles extracted from the first
edition appeared in '_Home Words_.' An illustrated article also appears
in Cassell's '_Heroes of Britain in Peace and War_,' in which the writer
speaks of the present biography as '_That very interesting book in which
the history of Ellerthorpe's life is told_. (P. 1. 2. PART XI.) The
Author trusts that the present edition, containing an account of '_The
Hero's_' last affliction, death, funeral, etc., will render the work
additionally 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 is
deservedly proud. There is the Charter house, a monument of practical
piety of the days of old. There is the Literary and Philosophical
Institute, with its large and valuable library, and its fine museum,
each of which is most handsomely housed. There is the new Town Hall, the
work of one of the town's most gifted sons. There is the tall column
erected in honour of Wilberforce, in the days when the representatives
of the law were expected to obey the laws, and when the cultivation of a
philanthropic feeling towards the negro had not gone out of fashion.
There is the Trinity House, with its magnificent endowments, which have
for more than five centuries blessed the mariners of the port, and which
is now represented by alms-houses, so numerous, so large, so externally
beautiful, and so trimly kept as to be both morally and architecturally
among the noblest ornaments of the town. There is the Port of Hull
Society, with its chapel, its reading-rooms, its orphanage, its seaman's
mission, all most generously supported. There is that leaven of ancient
pride which also may be classed among the institutions of the place,
and which operates in giving to a population by no means wealthy a habit
of respectability, and a look for the most part well-to-do. But among
none of these will be found the institution to which we are about to
refer. The institution that we are to-day concerned to honour is
compact, is self-supporting, is eminently philanthropic, has done more
good with very limited means than any other, and is so much an object of
legitimate pride, that we have pleasure in making this unique
institution more generally known. A life-saving institution that has in
the course of a few brief years rescued about fifty people from
drowning, and that has done so without expectation of reward, deserves
to be named, and the name of this institution is simply that of a
comparatively poor man--John Ellerthorpe, dock gatekeeper, at the
entrance of the Humber Dock.'

Such was the strain in which the _Sheffield Daily Telegraph_, in a
Leader (March 17th, 1868), spoke of the character and doings of him whom
a 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 the
year 1806. His ancestors, as far as we can trace them, were all
connected with the sea-faring life. His father, John Ellerthorpe, owned
a 'Keel' which sailed between Rawcliffe and the large towns in the West
Riding of Yorkshire, and John often accompanied him during his voyages.
His mother was a woman of great practical sagacity and unquestionable
honesty and piety, and from her young John extended many of the high and
noble qualities which distinguished his career. Much of his childhood,
however, was passed at the 'Anchor' public house, Rawcliffe, kept by his
paternal grandmother, where he early became an adept swearer and a lover
of the pot, and for upwards of forty years--to use his own language--he
was 'a drunken blackard.'

When John was ten years of age his father removed to Hessle. About this
time John heard that flaming evangelist, the Rev. William Clowes, preach
near the 'old pump' at Hessle, and he retired from the service with good
resolutions in his breast, and sought a place of prayer. Soon after he
heard the famous John Oxtoby preach, and he says, 'I was truly converted
under his sermon, and for sometime I enjoyed a clear sense of
forgiveness.' His mother's heart rejoiced at the change; but from his
father, who was an habitual drunkard, he met with much opposition and
persecution, and being but a boy, and possessing a very impressionable
nature, John soon joined his former corrupt associates and cast off, for
upwards 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 the
banks of a well navigated river, the Humber, and, in his boyhood, he
liked not only to be on the water, but _in_ it. He also accompanied his
father on his voyages, and when left at home he spent most of his time
in the company of seamen, and these awakened within him the tastes and
ambition of a sailor. He went to sea when fourteen years of age, and for
three years sailed in the brig 'Jubilee,' then trading between Hull and
London. The next four years were spent under Captain Knill, on board of
the 'Westmoreland,' trading between Hull and Quebec, America. Afterwards
he spent several years in the Baltic trade. When the steam packet,
'Magna Charter,' began to run between Hull and New Holland, John became
a sailor on board and afterwards Captain of the vessel. He next became
Captain of a steamer that ran between Barton and Hessle. He then sailed
in a vessel between Hull and America. In 1845, he entered the service of
the Hull Dock Company, in which situation he remained up to the time of
his death.

[Sidenote: HIS YOUTHFUL CAREER.]

Fifty years ago our sailors, generally speaking, were a grossly wicked
class of men. A kind of special license to indulge in all kinds of sin
was given to the rough and hardy men whose occupation was on the mighty
deep. Landsmen, while comfortably seated round a winter's fire,
listening to the storm and tempest raging without, were not only struck
with amazement at the courage and endurance of sailors in exposing
themselves to the elements, but, influenced by their imagination,
magnified the energy and bravery that overcame them. Peasants gazed with
wild astonishment on the village lad returned, after a few years
absence, a veritable 'Jack tar.' The credulity of these delighted
listeners tempted Jack to 'spin his yarns,' and tell his tales of
nautical adventures, real or imaginary. Hence, he was everywhere greeted
with a genial and profuse hospitality. The best seat in the house, the
choicest drinks in the cellar, were for Jack. Our ships of commerce,
like so many shuttles, were rapidly weaving together the nations of the
earth in friendly amity. Besides, a romantic sentiment and feeling,
generated to a great extent by the victories which our invincible navy
had won during the battles of the Nile, and perpetuated by Nelson's
sublime battle cry, 'England expects every man to do his duty,' helped
to swell the tide of sympathy in favour of the sailor. Under these
circumstances Jack became Society's indulged and favoured guest; and yet
he remained outside of it. 'Peculiarities incident to his profession,
and which ought to have been corrected by education and religion, became
essential features of character in the public mind. A sailor became an
idea--a valuable menial in the service of the commonwealth, but as
strange and as eccentric in his habits as the walk of some amphibious
animal, 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, and
invite foot passengers inside, while he 'kept on deck,' or in any way to
scatter his hard earnings of a twelvemonth in as many hours, was
considered frolicsome thoughtlessness, which was more than compensated
by 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; low
music halls and dingy taverns and beer shops presented their
attractions; and there the 'jolly tars' used to swallow their poisonous
compounds, and roar out ribald songs, and dance their clumsy fandangoes
with the vilest outcasts of society. 'It is a necessary evil,' said
some; 'it is the very nature of sailors, poor fellows.' While the
thoughtless multitude were immensely tickled with Jack's mad antics and
drolleries. Generous to a fault to all who were in need, Jack's motto
was:--

    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 youth
and early manhood. The loud ribald laugh, the vile jest and song, the
midnight uproar, the drunken row, the flaunting dress and impudent
gestures of the wretched women who frequent our places of ungodly
resort--amid such scenes as these, did he waste his precious time and
squander away much of his hard earned money. But though a wild and
reckless sailor, his warm and generous heart was ever impelling him to
noble and generous deeds. If he sometimes became the dupe of the
designing, and indulged in the wild revelry of passion, at other times
he gave way to an outburst of generosity bordering on prodigality,
relieving the necessities of the poor, or true to the instincts of a
British 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 dissipated
scenes of a sailor's life, John would sometimes think of those youthful
days--the only sunny spot in his life's journey--when he 'walked in the
fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.' Serious thoughts
would rise in his mind, and those seeds of truth, sown in his heart
while listening to Clowes and Oxtoby, and which for years seemed dead,
would be quickened into life. He had often wished to hear Mr. Clowes
once more, and on seeing a placard announcing that he would preach at
the opening of the Nile Street Chapel, Hull (1846), he hastened home,
and, sailor-like, quaintly observed to his wife, 'Why that old Clowes is
living and is going to preach. Let's go and hear him.' On the following
Sunday he went to the chapel, but it was so many years since he had been
to God's house that he now felt ashamed to enter, and for some minutes
he wandered to and fro in front of the chapel. At length he ventured to
go in, and sat down in a small pew just within the door. His mind was
deeply affected, and ere the next Sabbath he had taken two sittings in
the chapel.

About this time, the Rev. Charles Jones, of blessed memory, began his
career as a missionary in Hull. He laboured during six years, with great
success, in the streets, and yards, and alleys of the town; and scores
now in heaven and hundreds on their way thither, will, through all
eternity, have to bless God that Primitive Methodism ever sent him to
labour in Hull. The Rev. G. Lamb prepared the people to receive him by
styling him 'a bundle of love.' John went to hear him, and charmed by
his preaching and allured by the grace of God, his religious feelings
were deepened. Soon after this, and through the labours of Mr. Lamb, he
obtained 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 the
following Sabbath morning, he went. As he sat in that old room in West
Street Chapel, a thousand gloomy thoughts and fearful apprehensions
crossed his mind, and casting many a glance towards the door, he '_felt
as though he must dart out_.' But when Mr. John Sissons, the leader of
the class, said, with his usual kind smile and sympathizing look:--'I'm
glad to see you,' and then proceeded to give him suitable council and
encouragement, John's heart melted and his eyes filled with tears; and,
on being invited to repeat his visit on the following Sabbath, he at
once 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 enemy
will try to sow tares, but if you resist the devil he will flee from
you,' 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 got
home he said to his wife, 'I've been to class, and what is worse, I have
promised to go again, and I dar'nt run off.' Mrs. Ellerthorpe, who had
begun to watch with some interest her husband's struggles, wisely
replied, '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 last
week they will say I've got it off by memory.' On the following Sabbath
morning he was in the street half resolved not to go to class, when he
thought, 'Did'nt my friend say the devil would tempt me and that I was
to resist him? Perhaps it is the devil that is filling me with these
distressing feelings, but I'll resist him,' and, suiting his action to
his words, in a moment, John was seen darting along the street at his
utmost speed; nor did he pause till, panting and almost breathless, he
found himself seated in the vestry of the Primitive Methodist Chapel,
West Street. He regarded that meeting as the turning point in his
spiritual history, and in the review it possessed to him an undying
charm. There a full, free, and present salvation was pressed on the
people. The short way to the cross was pointed out. The blessedness of
the man whose transgression is forgiven was realized. The direct and
comforting witness of the Holy Spirit to the believer's adoption was
proclaimed. And there believers were exhorted to grow richer in holiness
and riper in knowledge every day. And while John sat and listened to
God's people, he felt a divine power coming down from on high, which he
could not comprehend, but which, however, he joyously experienced. He
joined the class that morning and continued a member five years, when he
became connected with our new chapel in Thornton Street. Around these
services in the old vestry at West Street, cluster the grateful
recollections of many now living and of numbers who have crossed the
flood. How often has that room resounded with the cries of penitent
sinners and the songs of rejoicing believers?

[Sidenote: VISITS HIS MOTHER.]

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

But was he mad? Did not the pentecostal converts 'eat their meat with
gladness and singleness of heart, praising God?' Did not the converts in
Samaria 'make great joy in the city?' Did not the Ethiopian Eunuch,
having obtained salvation, '_go on his way rejoicing_?' And Charles
Wesley, 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 their
joy as the dupes of the devil have to give expression to theirs; and
though the religion of the Saviour requires us to surrender many
pleasures and endure peculiar sorrows, yet it is, supremely, the
religion of peace, joy, and overflowing gladness.

Mr. Ellerthorpe was never guilty of proclaiming with the trumpet tongue
of a Pharisee, either what he felt or did, and though he kept a
carefully written diary, extending over several volumes, and the reading
of which has been a great spiritual treat to the writer of this
book,--revealing, as it does, the secret of that intense earnestness,
unbending integrity, active benevolence, and readiness for every good
word and work by which our friend's religious career was
distinguished,--yet of that diary our space will permit us to make but
the 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 in
the 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 to
the 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 own
family.

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's
sake. 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 will
warrant us to say. He sometimes missed the mark, and came short of his
aim. He suffered from a certain hastiness of temper, and ruggedness of
disposition, which, to use his own words, 'cost him a vast deal of
watching and praying. But the Lord,' he adds, 'has helped me in a
wonderful manner, and I believe I shall reap if I faint not.' The
following extracts from his diary will give some idea of his inner
experience:--

[Sidenote: HIS DIARY.]

[Sidenote: HIS INNER EXPERIENCE.]

'_January 1850. 5th._--I feel the hardness of my heart and the
littleness of my love, yet I am in a great degree able to deny myself to
take 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 power
over temptation, and over myself than I had some time since, but I want
the witness of full sanctification. _8th._--What is now the state of my
mind? Do I now enjoy an interest in Christ? Am I a child of God? It is
suggested 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 is
very hard and stubborn, that I am proud and haughty and very bad
tempered, but God can, and I believe he will, break my rocky heart in
pieces. _March 3rd._--This has been a good Sabbath; we had a good prayer
meeting at 7 o'clock, a profitable class at 9, in the school the Lord
was with us, and the preaching services were good. _4th._--Last night I
had a severe attack of my old complaint and suffered greatly for many
hours, but I called upon God and he delivered me. _16th._--I am in good
health, for which, and the use of my reason, and all the blessings that
God 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 feel
ashamed of myself that I love him so little. _19th._--I am ill in body
but 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 deeply
sorry. May God forgive me, and may I sin no more. _May 6th._--O God make
me faithful and give to thy servant the spirit of prayer. Like David, I
want to resolve, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth"; like Mary I
want 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, and
thank God it has been a feast to my soul. I have attended one prayer
meeting, two class meetings, three preaching services. Bless God for
these means of grace. My little book is full and I do trust I am a
better man than when I began to write my diary. _29th._--My dear wife is
very ill, but the Lord does all things well. I know that He can, and
believe that He will, raise her up again and that the affliction of her
body will turn to the salvation of her soul. _30th._--I am now laid
under fresh obligations to God. He has given me another son. May he be a
goodly 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 a
day 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 of
God I overcame. _August 20th._--Sunday.--How thankful I am that God has
set one day in seven when we can get away from the wear and tear of life
and worship Him under our own vine and fig tree none daring to make us
afraid. It is all of God's wisdom, and mercy, and goodness. _September
11th._--To-night I put my wife's name in the class book; may she be a
very good member, such a one as Thou wilt own when Thou numbers up Thy
jewels. _October 11th._--I did wrong last night, being quite in a
passion at my wife, which grieved her. Lord help me and make me never
differ with her again. _12th._--I feel much better in my soul this
morning and will, from this day promise in the strength of grace, never
to 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 my
present 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 been
busy with the sunken packet all day and hav'nt had time to get to
prayer. My soul feels hungry. _29th._--This has been a day of prayerful
anxiety about my son; he has passed his third examination, God having
heard my prayer on his behalf. _Feb. 24th._--I have been to the teetotal
meeting and have taken the pledge, and I intend, through the grace of
God, to keep as long as I live. _March 1st._--The Rev. W. Clowes is
still alive. May the Lord grant that he may not have much pain. While
brother Newton and I were in the room with him we felt it good; O the
beauty of seeing a good man in a dying state. May I live the life of the
righteous and may my last end be like Mr. Clowes's. _2nd._--The first
thing I did this morning was to go and inquire after Mr. Clowes. I found
that life was gone and that his happy spirit had taken its flight to
heaven. _4th._--I am more than ever convinced of the great advantage we
derive from entire sanctification; it preserves the soul in rest amid
the toils of life; it gives satisfaction with every situation in which
God 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 not
love a continual calm, rather he preferred the storm. He did not believe
that 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 port
whether he made sail or not, whether he minded his helm or not. He knew
he couldn't _drift_ into port. With waterlogged and becalmed Christians
or those who heaved to crafts expecting to drift to the celestial
heaven, he had but little fellowship. Such he would cause to shake out
reefs and have yards well trimmed to catch every breeze from the
millenial trade winds.




CHAPTER III.

HIS CHRISTIAN LABOURS.


Having become a subject of saving grace, Mr. Ellerthorpe felt an earnest
desire that others should participate in the same benefit. Nor was there
any object so dear to his heart, and upon which he was at all times so
ready to speak, as the conversion of sinners. He knew he did not possess
the requisite ability for preaching the gospel, and therefore he sought
out a humbler sphere in which his new-born zeal might spend its fires,
and in that sphere he laboured, with remarkable success, during a
quarter 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 his
disposal, he would often visit as many as twenty families per day, for
weeks together. When Cholera, that mysterious disease, with its sudden
attacks, its racking cramps, its icy cold touch, and its almost
resistless progress, swept through the town of Hull, in the year 1849,
leaving one thousand eight hundred and sixty,--or one in forty of the
entire population,--_dead_, our friend was at any one's call, and never
refused a single application; indeed, he was known as a great visitor of
the sick and dying, and was often called in extreme cases to visit those
from whom others shrank lest they should catch the contagion of the
disorder. The scenes of suffering and distress which he witnessed
baffled description. On one occasion he entered a room where a whole
family were smitten with cholera. The wife lay cold and dead in one
corner of the room, a child had just expired in another corner, and the
husband and father was dying, amidst excruciating pain, in the middle of
the room. John knelt down and spoke words of Christian comfort to the
man, who died in a few moments.

[Sidenote: HE VISITS THE SICK.]

For years, he was in the habit of accompanying Mr. Jones, when visiting
the miserable garrets, obscure yards, and wretched alleys in Hull, and
was considered his 'right hand man,' in helping to hold open-air
services. 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 the
intervals of public worship, on the Sabbath day, when he might have been
enjoying himself in the circle of his family, on a clean hearth, before
a bright fire, he was pointing perishing sinners to the Lamb of God.
When our new and beautiful chapel in Great Thornton Street was
discovered to be on fire, at noon,--March, 1856, he was at the bedside
of an afflicted woman, Mrs. Wright, speaking to her of her past sins and
of 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 could
no longer pay his daily visits to the sick, which greatly distressed
Mrs. Wright and others; but duty called him elsewhere and he obeyed its
voice. He says, 'I durst not make any fresh engagements to visit the
sick, and up to the present time (1867) I have rarely been able to
visit, except on the Sabbath day, all my time being required at the dock
gates. 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 zeal
invigorated.'

Those who are most averse to religion in life, generally desire to share
its benefits in death. Their religion is very much like the great coats
which persons of delicate health wear in this changeable climate, and
which 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 when
thy chastening was upon them.'

[Sidenote: ACCOMPANIES MR. JONES.]

Nor would we intimate that none truly repent of their sins and obtain
forgiveness, under such circumstances. Though late repentance is seldom
genuine, 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. Our
friend was the means, in the hand of God, of leading many, when worn by
sickness and at the eleventh hour of life, to the Lamb of God. His
carefully 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 to
Coultam Street, a number of well-dressed young men overheard our
conversation, and began to shout after us and call us approbrious names.
Mr. J. talked with them, but to no purpose. Four months after, Mr. Jones
and 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 needed
special counsel and advice, I used to call my friend to my aid. Well, we
met with a young man who burst into a flood of tears, and casting an
imploring 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 who
were so impertinent to you one Sunday when you were returning from
Hessle; do forgive me, sir." "I freely forgive you," replied my friend,
"you must ask God to forgive you, for it is against him you have
sinned." We then prayed with him, and asked God to forgive him. He was
suffering from a broken leg, and I often used to visit him after our
first interview. He obtained pardon, and rejoiced in Christ as his
Saviour. He was a brand plucked from the burning.'

[Sidenote: SICK-BED REPENTANCE.]

But Mr. Ellerthorpe also tells us that though he visited, during
twenty-five years, hundreds of persons who cried aloud for mercy and
professed to obtain forgiveness, on what was feared would be their
dying beds, yet, he did not remember more than five or six who, on
being restored to health, lived so as to prove their conversion genuine.
The rest returned 'like the dog to its vomit, and the sow that was
washed to her wallowing in the mire.' The Sabbath-breaker forgot his
vows and promises, and returned to his Sunday pleasures. The swearer
allowed his tongue to move as unchecked in insulting his Maker as
before. The drunkard thirsted for his intoxicating cups and returned to
the scenes of his former dissipations; and the profligate, who avowed
himself a 'changed man,' when health was fully restored, laughed at
religion as a fancy, and hastened to wallow in the mire of pollution. He
had scarcely a particle of faith in sick-bed repentances, but believed
that in most instances they are solemn farces.

Deeply affecting and admonitory are some of the instances he records. He
says, 'One night an engineer called me out of bed to visit his wife, who
was attacked with cholera. While I was praying with _her_, _he_ was
seized with the complaint. I visited them again the next day, when the
woman died, but the husband, after a long affliction, recovered. He
seemed sincerely penitent and made great promises of amendment. But,
alas! like hundreds more whom I visited, he no sooner recovered, than he
sought to shun me. At length he left the part of the town where he
resided 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 met
him, and it used to pain me to see the dodges he had recourse to in
order to avoid meeting me in the street.'

He also records the case of a carter who resided in Collier Street. He
was attacked with small pox, and was horrible to look at and infectious
to come near, but being urged to visit him, 'I went to see him daily for
a 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 the
husband and father would be dead in a few hours. We all prayed that God
would spare him, and spared he was. I continued to visit him thrice a
day, and he promised that he would accompany me to class when he got
better. At that time he seemed as though he would have had me ever with
him. One day, as I entered his room, he said, "O Mr. Ellerthorpe, how I
love to hear your foot coming into my house." I replied, 'Do you think
it possible that there will come a time when you will rather see any
one's face and hear any one's voice than mine?' "Never, no never," was
his reply. I answered, 'Well, I wish and hope it may never happen as I
have supposed.' Now, what followed? He went once to class, but I could
not attend that night, having to watch the tide, and he never went
again. I have seen him in the streets when he would go anywhere, or turn
down any passage, rather than meet me; and when compelled to meet me he
would look up at the sky or survey the chimney tops _rather_ than see
me.'

[Sidenote: ADMONITORY INSTANCES.]

'On one occasion, when visiting at the Infirmary, going from ward to
ward, and from bed to bed, I met with a young man, S. B----. He was very
bad, and was afraid he was going to die. I talked with him often and
long, pointing him to the Saviour, and prayed with him. With penitential
tears and earnest cries he sought mercy, and at length professed to
obtain salvation. He recovered. One Sunday, when at Hessle, visiting my
dying mother, I met this young man, and I shall never forget his
agitated frame, and terrified appearance, when he saw me. He looked this
way and that way; I said, 'Well, B----, are you all right? Have you kept
the promises you made to the Lord?' A blush of shame covered his face. I
said 'Why do you look so sad? Have I injured you?' 'No, Sir.' 'Have you
injured me?' 'I hope not,' was his reply. 'Then look me in the face; are
you beyond God's reach, or do you think that because he has restored
your health once, he will not afflict you again? Ah! my boy, the next
time may be much worse than the last. And do you think God will believe
you if you again promise to serve him? He looked round him and seemed as
though 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, and
when roused by the prospect of death and judgment, it speaks in terrible
tones. The notorious Muller denied the murder of Mr. Briggs, until, with
cap on his face and the rope round his neck, he submitted to the final
appeal and acknowledged, as he launched into eternity, 'Yes, I have done
it.' But the cries of these persons seem to have arisen, not from an
abhorrence of sin, but from a dread of punishment; they feared hell, and
hence they wished for heaven; they desired to be saved from the
consequences of sin, but were not delivered from the love of it. Need we
wonder 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, that
shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh
reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting.'

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

[Sidenote: HIS SELF-DENIAL.]

And perhaps one of the most painful trials a visitor of the sick endures
is, to go moneyless to a chamber that has been crossed by want, and
whose inmate is utterly unable to supply his own necessities; but when
the visitor can relieve the physical as well as the spiritual
necessities of the sufferer, with what a buoyant step and cheerful heart
he enters the abode of poverty and suffering! And his words, instead of
falling like icicles on the sufferer's soul, fall on it as refreshing as
a 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 to
relieve the needy, Mr. Ellerthorpe abstained from the use of tobacco, of
which, at one period of his life, he was an immoderate consumer. One
Sabbath morning, while he and Mr. Harrison were visiting the sick, they
met two wretched-looking boys, fearfully marked with small pox (from an
attack of which complaint they were beginning to recover), and crying
for a drink of milk. Their father, who was far advanced in life, could
not supply their wants. John's heart was touched, and he thought, 'Here
am I, possessed of health, food, and raiment, while these poor children
are festering with disease, but scantily clothed, and not half fed. A
sixpence, 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 house
daily, for which they would pay. It was with a radiant face, and a
tremble of glad emotion in his voice, that our friend, in relating this
circumstance to us one day, said:--'I felt a throb of pleasure when I
did that little act of kindness, such as I had never felt before,' when,
quick as lightning, the thought crossed his mind, 'Why I smoke six
pennyworth of tobacco every week!' and there and then he resolved to
give up the practice. On the next Friday, when Mrs. Ellerthorpe was
setting down on paper a list of the groceries wanted, she proceeded, as
usual, to say, 'Tea--Coffee--Sugar--_Tobacco_--,' 'Stop,' said her
husband, 'I've done with that. I'll have no more.' Now, Mrs. E. had
always enjoyed seeing her husband smoke; it had often proved a powerful
sedative to him when wearied with the cares of life, and the numberless
irritations of his trying vocation, and therefore she replied,
'Nonsense, you will soon repent of that whim. I shall get two ounces as
usual, and I know you'll smoke it.' 'I shall never touch it again,' was
his firm reply, and ever after kept his word.

[Sidenote: HIS TEETOTALISM.]

A world full of misery, both temporal and spiritual, surrounds us, and
which might be effectually relieved, were all Christians, many of whom
are laggard in effort and niggard in bounty, to manifest a tithe of the
self-denial which Mr. Ellerthorpe practiced. 'What maintains one vice,
would support two children.' Robert Hall says:--It is the practice of
self-denial in a thousand little instances which forms the truest test
of character.' Mr. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley, was on one occasion
driven close for means to discharge the claims of the poor, when he said
to 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 of
the poor.' And at a meeting held the other night, a donation was
announced thus:--'A poor man's savings from tobacco, £5.' And are there
not tens of thousands of professors who could present similar offerings
if they, in the name and spirit of their great Master, tried? Do we not
often come in contact with men who complain that they cannot contribute
to the cause of God and humanity, who, at the same time, indulge in the
use of snuff, tobacco, or intoxicating drinks; all of which might be
laid aside to the gain of God's cause, and without at all lessening
either the health, reputation, or happiness of the consumer? And are
there not others, of good social position, who do not give as much to
relieve the temporal sufferings of their fellow creatures, during twelve
months, as it costs them to provide a single feast for a few well-to-do
friends? The merchant who sold his chips and shavings, and presented the
proceeds to the cause of God, while he kept the solid timber for
himself, 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 of
intemperance than our brave sailors, fishermen, and rivermen. Foreigners
tell our missionaries to convert our drunken sailors abroad, and when
they wish to personify an Englishman, they mockingly reel about like a
drunken man. And what lives have been lost through the intemperance of
captains and crews! The 'St. George,' with 550 men: 'The Kent,' 'East
Indiaman,' with most of her passengers and crew: 'The Ajax,' with 350
people: 'The Rothsway Castle,' with 100 men on board, with many others
we might name, were all lost through the drunkenness of those in charge
of the vessels. Of the forty persons whom our friend rescued from
drowning, a very large percentage got overboard through intemperance. We
read that on the morning following the Passover night in Egypt, there
was not a house in which there was not one dead, and it would be
difficult to find a house in our land, occupied by sailors, in which
this monster evil has not slain its victim, either physically or
morally.

[Sidenote: HIS DRUNKEN FATHER.]

Our friend, speaking of his own family, says:--'I owe my Christian name
to the favour with which drunkenness was regarded by my relatives. Soon
after I was born, one of my uncles asked, "What is the lad's name to
be?" "Thomas," replied my mother. "Never," said my uncle, in surprise,
"we had two Thomas's, and they both did badly; call him John. I have
known four John's in the family, and they _were all great drunkards, but
that was the worst that could be said of them_." 'So it appears,' said
our friend, 'that at that time it was thought no very bad thing for a
man to get drunk, if he was not in the habit of being brought before the
magistrate for theft, &c.' John's father was one of the four drunkards.
In early life he became a hard drinker, and he continued the practice
until a damaged constitution, emptied purse, a careworn wife, and a
neglected family, were the bitter fruits of his inebriation. 'He drank
hard,' says John, 'spending almost all his money in drink, and was at
last forced to sell his vessel and take to the menial work of helping to
load and unload vessels. At length he went to sea, and for a long time
we 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 pleasure
to minister to his necessities, it often grieved me to think of the
cause of his altered circumstances.'

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

[Sidenote: IMITATES HIS FATHER.]

And was this Christian woman wrong in calling the public house the
devil's ground? We have 140,000 of these houses in our land, and are
they not so many reservoirs from whence the devil floods our country
with crime, wretchedness, and woe? Is it not there that his deluded
victims, in thousands of instances, destroy their fortune, ruin their
health, and form those habits which wither the beauty, scatter the
comforts, blast the reputation, and bury once happy families in the tomb
of disgrace? And is it not at the public house that the sounds of
blasphemy, cursing, and swearing, sedition, uncleanness, laciviousness,
hatred, quarrels, murders, gambling, revelling, and such like, are
begun? And you might as reasonably expect to preserve your health in a
pest-house, your modesty in a brothel, and high-souled principles
amongst gamesters, as to expect to preserve your religious character
undamaged amid the impure atmosphere of a public house. Can a man go
upon hot coals and his feet not be burnt? One hour spent around the
drunkard's table has often done an amount of harm to the cause of God
and 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, and
I don't want to be better than my father.' And, alas! for our friend, he
early imbibed the tastes and followed the example of his father, for
drink got the mastery of him. Speaking of his boyhood, he says, 'I
remember a man saying to my father, "Your son is a sharp lad, and he
will make a clever man, if only you set him a good example, and keep him
from drink." To which my father replied, "O drink will not hurt him; if
he does nothing worse than take a sup of drink he'll be all right; drink
never hurt anyone." But, alas! my father lived to see that a "little
sup" did not serve me, for I have heard him say with sorrow, "The lad
drinks hard." But he was the first to set me the example, and if
parents wish their children to abstain from intoxicating drinks, they
should set the example by being abstainers themselves. The best and most
lasting way of doing good to a family is for parents first to do right
themselves.' But with such a training as John had, what wonder that he
became a 'hard drinker.' For years previous to his marriage his
experience was something like that of an old 'hard-a-weather' on board a
homeward-bound Indiaman, who was asked by a lady passenger, 'Whether he
would not be glad to get home and see his wife and children, and spend
the summer with them in the country?' Poor Jack possessed neither home,
nor wife, nor chick nor child; and his recollections of green fields and
domestic enjoyments were dreamily associated with early childhood. And
hence a big tear rolled down his weather-beaten but manly cheek as he
said to his fair questioner, 'Well, I don't know, I suppose it will be
another _roll in the gutter, and away again_.' Our friend was for years
a 'reeling drunkard,' and often, during this sad period of his
existence, 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 the
fable--who declined the invitation to the lion's den, because he had
observed that the only footsteps in its vicinity were towards it and
none from it. He further saw that to indulge in the use of intoxicating
drinks, and then pray, 'Lead me not into temptation,' savoured less of
piety than of presumption. He attended a temperance meeting at which the
Rev. G. Lamb spoke of the importance of Christian professors abstaining
for the good of others, as well as for their own safety. John felt that
his sphere of action was limited in its range and insignificant in its
character; yet he knew he possessed influence; as a husband and father,
and as a member of civil and religious society, he knew that his
conduct would produce an effect on those to whom he was related, and
with whom he had to do. 'No man liveth to himself.' He knew how to do
good, and not to have done it would have been sin. And that thought
decided him. At the close of the meeting, persons were invited to take
the pledge of total abstinence, but not one responded to the invitation.
John saw, sitting at his right hand, a man who had been a great
drunkard, and whose shattered nerves, unsteady hand, and bloodshot eyes,
told of the sad effects of his conduct. Placing his hand on this man's
shoulder, he said, 'Will you take the pledge?' 'I will if you will,' was
the man's reply. 'Done,' said John, and scarcely had they reached the
platform, 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 the
Teetotal Meeting, and I have taken the pledge, and I intend, through the
grace of God, to keep it as long as I live.'

From that night John became a practical and pledged abstainer from all
intoxicating drinks, and induced many a poor drunkard to follow his
example. No man stood higher than he in Temperance circles. He adorned
_that_ profession. In his extensive intercourse with his fellow men, he
proved himself the fast friend and unflinching advocate of total
abstinence, having delivered hundreds of addresses and circulated
thousands of tracts, in vindication of its principles.

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

[Sidenote: THE AGED CLERGYMAN.]

An aged clergyman present said, 'I always give you Hull folks great
credit for being teetotalers.' 'And why the people of Hull more than the
people of any other place?' asked John. 'Because your water is filthy
and 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 both
with brandy and without, and if you felt as I feel, I am sure, sir, you
would discontinue the practice of brandy drinking.' 'Oh, I suppose you
are one of those men who get all the drink you can and when you can get
no more you turn teetotaller,' was the rejoinder. 'You are mistaken,
sir; for I can call most of the persons present to witness, that I laid
aside the intoxicating glass when I possessed the most ample means and
every opportunity of getting plenty of drink, and at little or no cost
to 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 signed
the pledge; and you must pardon me, sir, when I say, that if you felt as
I feel, you would, as a minister of the gospel, pursue the same course.'
'O!' said he, with indignation lowering in his countenance and
thundering in his voice, 'I have taken my brandy daily for years, and it
never did me any hurt.' 'Granted,' replied our friend, 'but if you can
drink with safety, can others? Have you never seen the evil effects of
tampering with the glass? Have none of your acquaintances or friends
fallen victims to drunkenness? Let me give you a case, sir. One of my
former employers had a son who, up to the twentieth year of his age, had
never tasted intoxicating drinks. But he had a weak constitution and a
slender frame, and the doctor ordered him to take a little brandy and
water twice a day. He did so, and began to like it. He soon wanted it
oftener, and told the man to make it stronger, and the man did as he was
told. One day he had put but a few drops of water into a large glass of
brandy, but the young gentleman said, 'Did'nt I tell you to make it
stronger? Let the next glass be stronger.' He soon called _for the next
glass_, 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't
have it stronger, for the glass you have just drank was "neat" as it
came from the bottle.' 'And is that a fact,' exclaimed the young
gentleman. '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 the
passengers, and when the train arrived at Howden station, they gave
forth a spontaneous burst of applause. The clergyman sat ashamed and
speechless, and, on leaving the train, refused to shake hands with our
friend who had administered to him this well-timed and well-merited
rebuke.

[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 nautical
phrases, won for him a ready hearing. Whenever he rose on the platform
eyes beamed and hearts throbbed with delight. Not that his hearers
expected to listen to an eloquent speech, or to be amused by
laughter-exciting and fun-making eccentricities, but he rose with the
influence of established character, combined with an ardent temperament,
a ready wit, and a face beaming with the sunshine of piety towards God
and good-will to men. Besides, there was a just appreciation of his many
deeds of gallantry, some of which he occasionally related, and which
rarely failed to fill his hearers with admiration for the brave heart
that could prompt and the ready skill that could perform them. Hence, he
was listened to in the town and neighbourhood of Hull with an amount of
sympathy, attention, and respect which no other advocate of total
abstinence, 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 person
of Mr. Ellerthorpe, and it was in connexion with its services that he
found his most congenial employment. 3,000,000 of the inhabitants of
our country are now pledged abstainers from intoxicating drinks, and
this number includes upwards of 2,000 ministers of the Gospel. But
thirty years ago this cause was regarded with disfavour even by the
religious public. Hence, when Mr. Ellerthorpe and others sought to form
a Band of Hope in connexion with the Primitive Methodist Sabbath School,
Great Thornton Street, Hull, they met with much opposition from several
members of the Society, and also from some of the teachers in the
school, who were 'tipplers,' and could not endure the idea of a Band of
Hope. But the Band was formed, with Mr. Ellerthorpe as president, and it
soon numbered three hundred members. Before his death he saw upwards of
thirty of these Juvenile Bands formed in Hull. He attended most of their
anniversaries, throwing a flood of genial merriment, just like dancing
sunlight, over his young auditors. Hundreds of these 'cold water
drinkers' sometimes listened to him on these occasions, and as he
related some of the scenes of his eventful life, their young hearts
throbbed and their eyes filled with tears.

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

[Sidenote: TOTAL ABSTINENCE.]

But admitting, for the sake of argument, that you can drink with safety
to yourself, can you drink with safety to others? 'No man liveth to
himself.' We are all a kind of chameleon, and naturally derive a tinge
from that which is near us. Our friend attributes his early drunkenness
to the influence and example of his father. You should view your
drinking habits in the light of these passages of Scripture, 'Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others.' 'It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor
anything whereat thy brother stumbleth or is made weak.' So that you may
look 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, and
criticise it as often as you please, still it remains true, that to
drink is _doubtful_, while to abstain is _safe_, and that we are as
morally bound to choose the latter as if a voice from heaven said, 'This
is the way, walk ye in it.' 'Let us not, therefore, judge one another
any more, but judge this rather that no man put a stumblingblock or an
occasion, 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 of
all 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 art
that is easily acquired; it is healthy and pleasurable as an exercise,
being highly favourable to muscular development, agility of motion, and
symmetry of form; and it is of inconceivable benefit as the means of
preserving or saving life in seasons of peril, when death would
otherwise prove inevitable. Mr. Ellerthorpe early became an accomplished
swimmer; he often fell overboard, and but for his skill in the art under
consideration he would have been drowned. He also enjoyed the happiness
of 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-line
of two thousand miles, indented by harbours, few and far from each
other, and with a sea-faring population of half a million, it seems as
necessary that the rising generation should learn to swim as that they
should be taught the most common exercises of youth. And yet 'this
natatory art' is but little cultivated amongst us. On the Continent, and
among foreigners generally, swimming is practised and encouraged far
more than it is in England. In the Normal Swimming school of Denmark,
some thirty years ago, there were educated 105 masters destined to teach
the art throughout the kingdom. In France, Vienna, Copenhagen,
Stockholm, Berne, Amsterdam, &c., similar means were adopted, and very
few persons in those countries are entirely destitute of a knowledge of
the art. But so generally is this department of juvenile training
neglected by us as a people, that _only one in every ten who gain their
livelihood on the water_ are able to swim.

[Sidenote: HULL SWIMMING CLUB.]

Mr. Ellerthorpe, in a characteristic letter, says: 'I think no
schoolmaster should regard the education of his scholars complete unless
he has taught them to swim. That art is of service when everything else
is useless. I once heard of a professor who was being ferried across a
river by a boatman, who was no scholar. So the professor said, "Can you
write, my man?" "No, Sir," said the boatman. "Then you have lost one
third of your life," said the professor. "Can you read?" again asked he
of the boatman. "No," replied the latter, "I can't read." "Then you have
lost the half of your life," said the professor. Now came the boatman's
turn. "Can you swim?" said the boatman to the professor. "No," was his
reply. "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 that
if those fathers who spend so much money on the intellectual education
of their children, would devote but a small portion of it to securing
for them a knowledge of the art of swimming, they would confer a great
blessing on those children, and also on society at large. I would have
every one learn to swim females as well as males; for many of both sexes
come under my notice every year who are drowned, but who, with a little
skill in swimming, might have been saved. Not fewer than forty men and
boys were lost from the Hull Smacks alone during the year 1866, of whom
twenty 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 was
a practical lesson on the value of the art of swimming. He contended
that the youths of Hull ought to be taught this art, and pleaded that a
sheet of water which had been waste and unproductive for twenty years
should be transformed into a swimming bath. The local papers favoured
the scheme, and Alderman Dennison, moved in the Town Council, that £350
should be devoted to this object, which was carried by a majority. The
late Titus Salt, Esq., who had given £5,000 to the 'Sailor's Orphan
Home,' said at the time, 'I think _your corporation ought to make the
swimming bath_ alluded to in the enclosed paper; _do ask them_.' 'The
private individual who gives his _fifty_ hundreds to a particular
Institution,' to use the words of the _Hull and Eastern Counties'
Herald, Oct. 10th_, 1857, 'has surely a right to express an opinion that
the municipal corporation ought to grant _three_ hundreds, if by so
doing the public weal would be provided. If the voice of such a man is
to be disregarded, then it may truly be said that our good old town has
fallen far below the exalted position it occupied when it produced its
Wilberforce and its Marvel.'

For upwards of forty years Mr. Ellerthorpe was known as a fearless
swimmer and diver, and during that period he saved no fewer than forty
lives by his daring intrepidity. In his boyhood, he, to use his own
expression, '_felt quite at home in the water_,' and betook himself to
it as natively and instinctively as the swan to the water or the lark to
the sky. 'This art,' to use the words of an admirable article in the
_Shipwrecked Mariners' Magazine_ for October, 1862, 'he has cultivated
so successfully that in scores of instances he has been able to employ
it for the salvation of life and property. Perhaps the history of no
other living person more fully displays the value of this art than John
Ellerthorpe. Joined with courage, promptitude, and steady
self-possession, it has enabled him repeatedly to preserve his own life,
and what is far more worthy of record, to save not fewer than
thirty-nine of his fellow creatures, who, humanly speaking, must
otherwise have met with a watery grave.'

[Sidenote: HIS RECKLESS DARING.]

It is but right to state that, in the early period of his history, a
thoughtless disregard of his own life, and an overweening confidence in
his ability to swim almost any length, and amid circumstances of great
peril, often led him to deeds of 'reckless daring,' which in riper years
he would have trembled to attempt. Respecting most of the following
circumstances he says, 'I look upon those perilous adventures as so many
foolish and wicked temptings of Providence. I have often wondered I was
not drowned, and attribute my preservation to the wonder-working
providence 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, reckless
daring another. Two or three instances will illustrate this. A few years
ago Blondin, for the sake of money, jeopardized his life at the Crystal
Palace, by walking blindfolded on a tight-rope, and holding in his hand
a balancing pole. In so doing he was foolhardy, but not heroic. But a
certain Frenchman, at Alencon, walked on one occasion on a rope over
some burning beams into a burning house, otherwise inaccessible, and
succeeded in saving six persons. This was the act of a true hero. When
Mr. Worthington, the 'professional diver,' plunged into the water and
saved six persons from drowning, who, but for his skill and dexterity as
a swimmer, would certainly have met with a watery grave, he acted the
part 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 about
one hundred and twenty feet--merely to gratify sensational sightseers,
or to put a few shillings into his own pocket, he acted the part of a
foolhardy man. Can we wonder that he was within an ace of losing his
life in this mad exploit? And when John Ellerthorpe dived to the bottom
of 'Clarke's Bit,' to gratify a number of young men who had 'more money
than 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 imminent
danger by dancing on ropes, swinging on cords, tying themselves into
knots 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 true
hero, and was justified in perilling his own life, considering that by
so doing the safety of others might be secured.

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

       *       *       *       *       *

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

'My first attempt at swimming took place at Hessle, when I was about
twelve years of age. There was a large drain used for the purpose of
receiving the water from both the sea and land. My father managed the
sluice, which was used for excluding, retaining, and regulating the flow
of water into this drain. It was a first rate place for lads to bathe
in, and I have sometimes bathed in it ten times a day; indeed, I regret
to say, I spent many days there when I ought to have been at school. I
soon 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 who
was much older and bigger than myself, and in a rage he took me up in
his arms and threw me into the harbour. I soon felt safe there, nor did
I leave the harbour till I had crossed and recrossed it thirty-two
times. The next day I swam the whole length of the harbour twice, and
from that day I began to match myself with expert swimmers, nor did I
fear swimming with the best of them. Some other lads were as venturesome
as myself, and we used to go up the Humber with the tides, for several
miles at once. I remember on one occasion it blew a strong gale of wind
from S.W., several vessels sank in the Humber, and a number of boats
broke adrift, while a heavy sea was running: I stripped and swam to one
of the boats, got into her, and brought her to land, for which act the
master of the boat gave me five shillings. During the same gale a keel
came ashore at Hessle; I stripped and swam to her and brought a rope on
shore, by the assistance of which, two men, a woman, and two children
escaped from the vessel. The tide was receding at the time, so that they
were enabled, with the assistance of the rope, to walk ashore. There are
several old men living now who well remember this circumstance.

[Sidenote: SWIMS ACROSS THE HUMBER.]

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

'On another occasion myself and some other lads played truant from
school, 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 to
throw 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 back
I won't tell your father and mother.' But I refused to return, for at
that time I felt no fear in doing what I durst not have attempted when I
got older.

[Sidenote: SWIMS IN HESSLE HARBOUR.]

'On several occasions some young gentlemen, who were scholars at Hessle
boarding school, got me to go and bathe with them. They had plenty of
money, and I had none; and as they offered to pay me, I was glad to go
with 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 way
from him at the time, but I did all I could to reach and rescue him. He
was very ill for some days, and the doctor forbade him bathing for a
long time to come. This deterred us from bathing for awhile, but we soon
forgot it. We agreed to have a swimming match, and the boy that swam the
farthest was to have _sixpence_. We started at three o'clock in the
afternoon from the third jetty below Hessle harbour, and went up with
the tide. One of the boys got the lead of me and I could not overtake
him until we got opposite Cliffe Mill, about a mile and a half from
where we started. He then began to fag, while I felt as brisk as a lark
and fresher than when I began. I soon took the lead, and when I got to
Ferriby Lane-end, I lost my mate altogether. However, I knew he was a
capital swimmer, and I felt afraid lest he should turn up again, so I
swam as far as Melton brickyard, and fairly won the prize. I had swam
about 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 lad
came running to me and said, "Jack, there's some of those Hull chaps
bathing, and they say they can beat thee." I didn't like that; and when
I got to them, a young gentleman said, pointing to me, "Here is a lad
that shall swim you for what you like." One of them said, "Is he that
Ellerthorpe of Hessle?" "No matter who he is," replied the young man,
"I'll back him for a sovereign," when one of the young gentlemen called
out, "It is Jack Ellerthorpe, I won't have aught to do with him, for he
can go as fast feet foremost as I can with my hands foremost, he's a
first-rate swimmer." By this time I was stripped, and at once plunged
into the river. I crept on my hands and knees on the water, and then
swam backwards and forwards with my feet foremost, and not one among
them could swim with me. I showed them the "porpoise race," which
consisted in disappearing under the water, and then coming "bobbing" up
suddenly, at very unlikely spots. I then took a knife and cut my
toe-nails in the water. The young gents were greatly delighted, and
afterwards 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; for
after I had swam two or three miles my spirits seemed to rise, and my
strength increased. When other lads seemed thoroughly beaten out, I was
coming to my best, and the longer I remained in the water the easier and
faster 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 for
Beverley. He was a wild, drunken, half-crazy fellow, and I remember he
came 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 was
ferryman, 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's
reply. At that time, however, there was a ballast lighter at Cliffe, and
my father and I went to see if we could borrow the lighter's boat; we
succeeded, and as it was a great distance from the water (the tide being
low), my father asked the Cliffe men to help in launching it, when about
thirty of them came to his assistance. Mr. Burton left a guinea to be
spent 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 run
to Barton for a post-chaise, but before we got to the shore the boat ran
aground, so out of the boat I jumped, and away I ran, until I came to a
pool of water, about twelve feet deep. Almost mad with excitement, I
sprang 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, and
when I returned with the chaise he gave me a sovereign, the first I ever
had, so you may be sure I was mightily pleased. I found my father and
the 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," for
I 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 and
gave the sovereign to my mother, and we were both highly delighted to
possess so large a sum of money.

'The following amusing circumstance took place in 1836-7, when I
belonged to the Barton and Hessle packet. One day we had put on board
the "tow boat" a great number of fat beasts, belonging, if I remember
rightly, to Mr. Wood, of South Dalton. The "tow boat" was attached to
the steamer by a large thick rope. We had not got far from Barton when
the boat capsized, and we were in an awful mess. The boat soon filled
with water; some of the beasts swam one way and some another, while
several got entangled in the rails attached to the boat's side, and were
every moment in danger of breaking their legs. So seizing an axe I
jumped into the water and cut away the rails, and then went in pursuit
of the oxen, heading them round in the water and causing them, by shouts
and gestures, to swim for the land. Most of them were driven back to
Barton and landed safely, others swam across the Humber and were landed
at Hessle. I was up to my chest in water and mud for nearly three hours
swimming backwards and forwards after the beasts; sometimes I had hold
of their tails, and anon had to meet them and turn them towards the
shore. 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-boat
plying between Winteringham and Brough. One Sabbath-day I was taking a
load of beasts from Brough to Winteringham, and when we had got about
half way across the Humber, the boat upset, and the beasts were thrown
into the water. I was afraid they all would be drowned, and, in spite of
all I could do, some of them were. I jumped overboard and drove some of
them back to Brough, while others swam to the Lincolnshire side of the
river. I was swimming about after the beasts for five hours, chasing
them backwards and forwards, turning them this way and that, and doing
what nobody but myself would have done. At length, several men came to
our 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. I
kept my wet clothes on until they dried on my back. This was one of the
most wretched days of my life. My anxiety about the beasts, the
exhaustion brought on by my efforts to get them safe to land, and the
sense of misery and degradation I felt when I thought of the plight I
was found in on the blessed Sabbath-day, I shall never forget.

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

[Sidenote: HE IS CAST OVERBOARD.]

When sailing from Hull to Barton, one night in the year 1842, John was
thrown overboard. The night was dark, the wind was blowing a heavy gale
from the west, and every moment the spring-tide, then at its height,
carried him further from the packet, which soon became unmanageable. The
boat was launched, but the engineer, who had charge of it, became
greatly agitated and much alarmed, and uttered the most piteous cries.
'I felt more for him than I did for myself,' says John, 'and though one
moment lost in the trough of the sea, and the next on the crest of the
billows, 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 the
water half-an-hour I reached the boat in safety. All this time I had on
the following garments, made of very stout pilot-cloth: a pair of
trousers, a double-breasted waistcoat, a surtout coat, and a heavy great
coat, which came down to my ancles, a thick shawl round my neck, and a
new pair of Wellington boots on my feet. I had in my pockets the
following 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 my
clothes, 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 poor
man, and only just earning a livelihood, I could not brook the thought
of having to get a new "rigging." When a wave carried me a great way
from the boat, I unbuttoned my coat and prepared to throw it off, that I
might more easily swim to land. And when it seemed certain I should have
to make this attempt, I felt for my knife, that I might cut off my
boots, and I believe I could have done it; but, after a desperate
effort, I approached within a few yards of the boat, when I again
buttoned my coat. I felt confident I could have reached the shore--a
distance of one mile--had I been compelled to make the trial. My
Wellington boots had nearly cost me my life, as they were heavy and
difficult 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 which
our friend greatly excelled, namely, that of diving. There are few
divers who do not feel a kind of exultation in their power over the
element, and in their ability to move under the surface of the water
with ease and pleasure. Half a century ago, diving was a difficult and
dangerous art, demanding great skill and endurance; but modern science
has given the professional diver an almost perfect accoutrement, by
means of which he can literally walk down to the bottom of the sea, and
telegraph for as much air as he requires. Hence, it has been utterly
deprived of all dramatic element. Properly managed, the thing is as easy
as going up in a balloon, or going down a coal pit; but our friend
excelled in 'real naked diving.'

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

His first attempt at fetching anything from under water took place when
he was about sixteen years of age. The vessel in which he then sailed
was being painted at 'Clark's Bit,' Castleford, when John accidentally
let his brush fall overboard, and it sank to the bottom. The Captain was
furious for about an hour, when, having handed the lad another brush, he
went into the town. John could not brook the hour's grumbling to which
he had been subjected, and hence, scarcely had the Master left the
vessel, 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 hastily
put on his clothes, and when the Master returned, John held up the
brush, and with that comical twinkle of the eye and humorous expression
of the countenance, so common with sailors, said, 'Here's your brush.
Sir.' 'What brush?' asked the Master. 'The brush I lost overboard an
hour ago,' said John. 'That's a lie.' replied the Master, 'how could you
get it?' 'I dived to the bottom and brought it up,' was the lad's
response. Now Clark's Bit, in those days, was supposed to be of fabulous
depth; indeed, the Master, using a common expression, said, 'You can't
have fetched it up from the bottom, for there is no bottom to Clark's
Bit.' John was unabashed by this charge of falsehood, and with honesty
beaming in every feature of his face, he answered with untrembling
tongue, 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 at
the risk of losing his brush. However, several witnesses came forward
and declared they had seen him plunge into the water and bring up the
brush. From that time John was famous in the neighbourhood, as a great
diver.

'At the time of this occurrence,' he writes, 'a number of young
gentlemen were being taught, at a school at Castleford, by the Rev. Mr.
Barnes. They had plenty of money, and I had little enough, and they
would 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, and
for the sake of money, I often dived to the bottom, and never, that I
remember, without bringing up the money. I got at last that I would not
go down for less than a shilling, and I have sometimes got as much as
five shillings a day. I have dived to the bottom of Clark's Bit hundreds
of times, and there are numbers of people at Castleford, at the present
day (1868), who recollect these youthful exploits, which took place
upwards of forty years ago. And I may add that, I have often had the
impression that but for that paint-brush I should never have been the
diver I afterwards became. God overruled these foolish acts, for good,
and what I did for mere pleasure and gain, prepared me to rescue
property 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 is
well worthy of being recorded. 'The barque "Mulgrave Castle," says the
writer of the article in the _Shipwrecked Mariners' Magazine_, 'laden
with timber from the Baltic, was waterlogged in the Humber; there was in
the cabin of the vessel a small box containing money and papers which
the captain was anxious, if possible, to secure. Ellerthorpe dived into
the cabin, groped his way round it, and after two or three attempts
succeeded in bringing up the box and its contents.' This was in the year
1835. 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 annals
of our friend need not shun comparison with those of any other man
within Her Majesty's dominion. It appears that, amid his wicked and
wayward career, he had a 'deep and unaccountable impression' that one
part of his mission into the world was to save human life. Beyond
dispute, one of the best swimmers of his time, he was never, after his
boyhood, satisfied with swimming as a mere art. It was naught to him if
it did not help to make his fellow men better, safer, and braver. It
will be seen that the first person he rescued from drowning _was his
own father_, and that event ever afterwards nerved him to do his best to
save his fellow-creatures. Indeed the desire to rescue the drowning
burnt in his soul with all the ardour of an absorbing passion. It was
the spring of his ready thoughts; it controlled his feelings and guided
his actions; it prompted him to face the greatest difficulties without
the 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's
exploits in saving life date from the year 1820, and from that time to
the present it may be safely asserted that he has never _hesitated_ to
risk his own life to save that of a fellow-creature. The danger incurred
in jumping overboard to rescue a drowning person is very great. Many
expert swimmers shrink from it. Ellerthorpe has encountered this risk
under almost every variety of circumstance. He has followed the
drowning, unseen in the darkness of the night, in the depth of winter,
under rafts of timber, under vessels at anchor or in docks, from great
heights, and often to the bottom in great depths of water, and what is
very remarkable, never in vain. _Fortuna fortes favet_ (fortune favours
the brave), is an adage true in his case. He never risked his life to
save another without success.'

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

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

But he shall tell _his own_ simple, noble tale. 'During the last
forty-eight years I have done all that lay in my power to rescue my
fellow-creatures, when in drowning circumstances. By night and by day,
in darkness or in light, in winter or in summer, I was always ready to
obey the summons when the cry, "a man overboard," fell on my ears. And I
have had to rescue the drowning in widely different ways. Sometimes I
seized them tightly by the right arm, and then, hold them at arm's
length, soon reached the land. In some instances they seized me by my
shoulder or arm, when, leaving hold of them, and, throwing both my hands
into the water, I managed to reach the shore. In other instances I found
them so exhausted that they were incapable of taking hold of me, and in
these cases, I had to carry them as a mother would carry her child. And
in two or three instances, I thought they were dead, and, with feelings
easier imagined than expressed, I bore them up in my arms; when
suddenly, and with great strength, they sprang upon my head, and oftener
than once, under these circumstances, I was on the point of being
drowned. Some of those whom I saved were much heavier and stronger than
myself, and when they got hold of me I found it difficult, and sometimes
impossible, to shake them off. When I rescued Robert Brown, the night
was pitchy dark, and for some time I could not see him; and when I got
to him he clutched me in such a manner as to prevent my swimming. When I
seized the young Woodman, I thought he was dead, but, after a few
moments, he made a great spring at me, and clutched hold of my head in
such a way as to prevent me swimming for some seconds. When pinioned
closely, I generally adopted this plan, which proved to be the best
under the circumstances:--I threw myself on my back and pushed the
drowning person on before me, and in this way I managed to keep them up
for a time, and with comparative ease to myself. I often said to persons
in 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 to
act thus, but whenever they could, they got upon me; for "a drowning
person will catch at a straw." I believe I have fetched out of the water
not fewer than fifty drowning persons, and, with scarce an exception,
they tried to seize me, and thus rendered their deliverance a matter of
great difficulty. In fact, it would be comparatively easy to fetch a
drowning man out of water if he would just take hold of one's arm, and
thus 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, and
when almost out of breath, I have plunged into the water, and in that
state had to struggle with those on the point of drowning. I remember
that, on one occasion, when staying at a public house in America, the
landlord came running into the room, and cried out, "a man overboard." I
ran 200 yards, and on reaching the spot I was out of breath, when in I
plunged, but soon found I could not stay under the water for more than a
few seconds. The water was clear and fresh, with long grass at the
bottom; but alas! I could not find the young man, and he was drowned. I
arrived too late to be of any service, for it was found afterwards that
he had pulled himself on the bottom of the river with the long grass to
a distance of fifty yards from the spot where he fell in.

'My first object, after I had plunged into the water, was to catch a
sight of the drowning person, and if I could once do that, I always felt
confident I should soon have him in my grasp. It is a most difficult
thing to search for a drowning person, especially in muddy water. I had
to make this attempt again and again, and sometimes the fear has crept
over me that my exertions would be in vain, when I made the most
prodigious and exhausting efforts. And that I have never failed, in a
single instance, is to me a source of great gratitude to God, "in whose
hand 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 returned
home; but after a short rest, I again went to the pier, when I was told
that, during my short absence, a cabman, named Sharpe, had fallen into
the harbour and was drowned. I was filled with indescribable distress at
the news, and said, "If I had been here I would have saved him, despite
my broken leg. At least I would have tried." A man, who professed to be
a great swimmer, was present, and he answered, "O, I can swim as well as
you can," when my muscles began to quiver, and my blood to throb, and I
replied, in no very good temper, I assure you. "I dispute that, unless
you 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 having
tried to save a drowning person and fail, than have the miserable
satisfaction 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 to
try." "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 creature
drowning, ought to plunge into the water to rescue that person. Indeed,
I have seen two or three instances where men, who could not swim
themselves, have jumped into the water to save the drowning, and in
every instance the consequences have nearly been fatal. Before a person
makes such an attempt, he should have tested his own ability to swim. If
he can float himself and believes he can save the drowning person, he
ought to make the attempt, and God will help him. This is not mere
theory, but what I have felt again and again. Ever after my conversion
to 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 of
Jehovah, 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. He
taught my hands to war with the waters, and my fingers to grasp my
precious freight. When struggling with the boy Woodman, these words came
forcibly 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 to
the house of God at night, and return public thanks to the Almighty.
Ministers in the town, and especially the Wesleyan ministers, have often
returned thanks to God from the pulpit, on the following Sabbath. On the
morning following the deliverance, I generally went to see the rescued
person, and sought to improve the event by impressing their mind with
the uncertainty of life and with the importance of being prepared for
death.

[Sidenote: JOHN'S STATEMENT.]

'In the following list I have given, as far as my memory and knowledge
enabled me, a true and faithful account of the persons whom I have
rescued from drowning. Extracts from newspapers, and letters from the
parties themselves, and also from many who were eye-witnesses of their
deliverance, have been freely used. There are several whom I have, at
different times, saved from a watery grave, not included in this list,
but as these events produced but little impression on my mind at the
time of their occurrence, and as I am utterly unable to give either the
names of the parties, or the time when I saved them, I can make no
reliable mention of them at present, _though I hope_ to be able to do so
at some future time. I sincerely believe, however, that if I had kept a
strict account of all these deliverances, instead of having to record
thirty-nine cases, I should have been able to have recorded upwards of
fifty. I regret now that I did not keep such a record. Every now and
then I meet with persons who greet me as their deliverer. Two young men
have done so within the last four months. And very pleasant to my mind
it is to meet a fellow creature whom I have been the means, in the hands
of a wonder-working Providence, of saving from a watery grave. But all
the cases mentioned in the following chapter, except William Earnshaw
and Captain Clegg, have been signed by living witnesses, and most of
them were reported in the local newspapers, at the time of their
occurrence. Many of these persons are still living; some of them I see
almost daily, and _they_ can speak for themselves. If I have made a
mistake in spelling their names, or in relating the time when, or the
circumstances under which, I saved them, I shall be glad to be
corrected. And if I have offered an unkind reflection on any of my
fellow creatures, or recorded a boastful sentence respecting what my
fellow townsmen have been pleased to call my "deeds of daring," I hope
to be forgiven by God, whose I am and whom I serve. Finally: as a large
circle of my friends are anxious to have a true record of all the lives
I have saved, I shall be highly pleased if any whom I have rescued, but
whose names I have not recorded, will send me a few lines that may add
to the interest of this little book, should a second edition be called
for.'

[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 I
saved 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 it
cost my father a shilling each time he employed a man to assist him
across, he often took me with him instead of a man, and thus saved the
shilling. One morning, he took Mr. Thompson, corn miller, to Barton, and
engaged to fetch him back at night; and there was this agreement between
them, that my father was to receive the fare whether Mr. T---- returned
or not. He did not return that night, though we waited for him until
nine o'clock. The snow was then thick on the ground, the wind was
blowing 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 be
off.' We were soon in the boat, but had not got many yards, when my
father fell overboard. I remember crying out most piteously, 'Oh, my
father is overboard,' when I instantly plunged into the water and soon
had fast hold of him. He had sunk to the bottom, a depth of sixteen
feet, for when he came up he was covered with mud. We came up close to
the boat's side, and, making a tremendous spring, I got hold of the
boat's gunnel, and after a few moments my father also got hold of it
with 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 hold
while I fetch the Hull horse-boatmen?' whom we had left at the
water-side house, when he replied, 'Yes, but be very sharp, my lad.' I
then swam to the house, and called out, 'My father is overboard;' and
when 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 him
into the boat, while Mr. Wood, the landlord, brought him a glass of
brandy, which he drank. We could not persuade him to leave the boat, so
we 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 met
us there, and I said, 'Mother, my father has been overboard, fetch
somebody to help him out of the boat.' He was stiff and cold, but with
the aid of Mr. Wright we got him ashore. Mr. W. brought him some mulled
ale and a glass of rum, which I then thought very good. We then wrapped
him in several thicknesses of warm clothing. I was much perished at the
time, but soon felt all right. Not long before this, my mother had given
me a severe flogging for bathing so often; so I looked into her face and
said, '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 was
there;'[2] when my father faintly added, 'Yes, if he had not been there
I should never have come to the top of the water.' And if he had he
would have been drowned, for he could not swim a yard; and had he
shouted, no one was near to render him assistance. But, thank God, I was
there, and answered the end of a gracious Providence, and that was
enough. 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 was
with him; so I often had to accompany him when I would much rather have
been at a warm fireside, or asleep in bed. _Witnesses_--John Thrush,
Luke Dixon.

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

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


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

There were two brothers, Robert and William, sons of Mr. Earnshaw, of
Hessle. They were about my own age, and, like myself, they were very
fond of bathing. Their mother used to blame me for taking them into the
water so often; but it was less my fault than theirs, for they used to
fetch me from school--and I have known them give the schoolmaster a
shilling 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 and
then began to swim; at length I heard some one call out 'William
Earnshaw is drowning!' I was then a hundred yards from him, but I
hastened to the bank and ran as fast as I could, until I got opposite
him, when I again plunged into the drain and swam to my young friend's
rescue. His brother was weeping, and said, 'All is over with him,' and I
thought so too. I could but just see the hair of his head, when I darted
at him and gave him a great push, but he was too far gone to take hold
of 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 began
to breathe, and, after a while, came round. At that time I was in great
disgrace with Mrs. Earnshaw, and afraid lest, if we told of William's
narrow escape, she would never let us go together again, we vowed to
keep the affair a profound secret. Soon after this the two brothers were
taken ill, and poor William died, and the doctor said this illness was
brought on by their too frequent bathing. They didn't bathe half so
often as I did, but it was evident their constitution could not bear the
water 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 have
described it, so far from blaming me, he would have rewarded me for what
I did for his son. I kept the promise I made to William for upwards of
forty years; but as Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw and their sons are dead, and
as a large circle of my friends are wishful to have a list of the lives
I have saved, I think I am not doing wrong in recording William's
deliverance in this history of my life.


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

This case was very similar to the one I have just described. Robert, who
was 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 some
boys that he could swim across Hessle Harbour; but, in making the
attempt, 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 down
thrice, and was quite exhausted when I got to him, and he was saved, as
it 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 he
reached 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 to
my father's house and sent for his mother and a doctor; but when they
arrived, 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 must
teach him to swim.' I tried hard to do so, but the water always
frightened him, and he never made much out at swimming. A few years
after this he died of the typhus fever, and I believe his soul went to
heaven. _Witnesses_--John Campbell, Francis Pinchbeck.


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

Henry, myself, and others had been bathing in Hessle Harbour, and I had
just left the water and dressed, when a cry was raised, 'Ibotson is
drowning.' 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 got
myself clear, and took him to the bank, amid the shouts and cheers of a
great many spectators. We had great difficulty in walking home, and when
we 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 after
Henry came and thanked me most sincerely for what I had done, and wished
me to teach him to swim. I began at once, and he soon got that he could
swim across the drain; but it was a long time before he durst venture to
swim 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 this
time of need? Could nothing have been done when they saw us sink
together, again and again? Within fifty yards there was a boat, with
boat-hooks and staves, and could no use have been made of these, to
lessen, the peril in which myself and the drowning youth were placed? I
am convinced that great numbers of people are drowned through
spectators not making a little effort at the time. _Witnesses_--George
Twiddle, Robert Riplington.


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

He was bathing in the drain at Hessle, when a large tide was being taken
in, and he began to sink fast. I was at a great distance when the alarm
was given, but I ran to his assistance, plunged into the water, and soon
brought him safe to land. Mr. Booth's gratitude has given me the
greatest satisfaction. I had not seen him for many years, and had
forgotten the circumstance altogether, until I met him at the funeral of
R. 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 forty
years ago, and saved my life?' And in a note I got from him, dated July
31st, 1867, he says, 'Under the blessing of Divine Providence you were
instrumental 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 being
taken in. I shall ever have cause to thank you, as the instrument in
God'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 vessel
from which I lost the brush at Clark's Bit. He went one dark night to
Moreton, and as he did not return at the time expected, I felt very
uneasy about him, and at last I went on the bank of the Trent, in search
of him. When I got near Moreton-bite, I thought I heard a groan; and
after a long search I found my captain, drunk, half in the water and
half 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, as
nothing could have saved him. I struggled with him for three quarters of
an hour, and after great exertions, I got him fairly on the bank. We
were then a mile and a half from our vessel, and did not get on board
until three o'clock next morning. A doctor had to be got, and soon the
captain began to recover. But the keel was delayed two days. He was
afraid lest his wife should get to know the cause of this delay, and he
bound 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 one
came near us, and there was no other chance of his being rescued. I
never allowed this case to be put in the list of those whom I have
saved, but having given a true statement of the case, I think I shall be
pardoned 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 some
ladies on board the 'Sir Walter Scott,' when, being drunk, he fell
overboard, between the smack and the wharf, Irongate, London. There were
but seven feet depth of water, and I had to leap from a height of at
least sixteen feet; but I succeeded in preserving him from what seemed
certain death. He was covered with mud, but was soon washed, and got on
some dry clothes. After I had changed my clothes, and drank a glass of
whisky, I returned to the vessel, and the ladies and gentlemen gave me a
thousand thanks. The captain's name was Nisbet, and ever afterwards he
would have given me almost anything; whenever I met him in London, he
used to call the attention of his passengers to me, and tell them what I
had done. Many a time has he sent for me on board his vessel, and given
me 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 not
more than seven feet of water, and made a rope fast to a man when
there was no other way of his being saved. If I had not seen it I
could not have believed that any man could have done it.' He often
said, '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,' of
Hull. We were bosom friends, and very fond of spreeing about, and spent
much 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 there
was plenty of noise and a fiddle going, that was the place for us. We
have often spent many days' hard earnings in a few hours, amid such
scenes. On this occasion he fell from the bows of the 'Jubilee' while a
strong ebb tide was running. I jumped in after him, and we both went
under a tier of vessels that were hung at the buoy, Battle Bridge,
London. We came to the surface, but were soon carried under another tier
of vessels, and had not the mate have come to our assistance we should
have gone under a third tier, but he came at the last extremity and
saved us. Charles belonged to a very respectable family living at
Snaith, where I once called to see his mother, who was a widow. Her son
Thomas and I became intimate friends, after I had rescued Charles, and
he 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 of
January the 25th, 18--, I saw Thomas put out to sea, and in about half
an hour the boat capsized, and he and five other men were drowned.
Charles got married, and became master of a vessel, but alas! he and
the 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 overboard
into the Diamond Harbour, Quebec, intending to swim to land, but sank at
a distance from the vessel. A boat, manned with foreigners, was passing
at the time, and Captain Knill called to them to pick up Kent. They
pulled 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 captain
then 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. By
this time he had been carried to a great distance from the ship, as the
ebb tide was running strong and fast. I was forward in the boat, and on
reaching the spot where he was last seen, I plunged under the water, and
in 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 right
above me; I soon had hold of him, and though I had to swim against the
ebb 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 my
arm that they had to pull us in together, and even then it was with
great difficulty they broke his hold of me. He was so far gone that for
a long time we did not know whether he was living or dead. At length he
showed signs of life, but recovered slowly, and did not work for several
days. After twenty-five years' separation, I met Kent in the streets of
Hull, and he remembered, with every mark of gratitude, his wonderful
deliverance. My arm was much bruised, and almost as black as a coal. I
could not lift it as high as my head, and I said to the captain, 'I am
afraid I shall not be able to work to-day,' when he kindly said, 'Never
mind the work, surely thou's done enough for one day; take care of thy
arm,' and he gave me something with which to rub it. It remained stiff
for a long time, and gave me great pain. I hope to be pardoned for
adding that, I was a great favourite with Captain Knill, and spent many
hours 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 drunken
sprees, he would call me down to the cabin and there talk to me as a
father would talk to his son. And these friendly counsels produced a
deep impression upon my mind, and did me far more good than a 'blowing
up' would have done. Through respect for him, I used to guard against
drink, but alas! I was often overcome. I cherish an undying respect for
the memory of my dear Captain Knill. _Witnesses_--Captain J. Knill, John
Hickson.


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

He was a sailor on board the ship 'Rankin,' belonging, I think, to
Gilmore and Rankin. He fell overboard with a timber chain round his
neck, 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 one
piece of floating timber to another; however, I soon reached him, and
brought him up with the chain round his neck. He was completely
exhausted, and it was half an hour before he could walk. This man's
captain 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 to
go; 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 my
captain, I went on board the 'Rankin,' when the captain shook hands with
me, and said, 'Captain Knill tells me you won't take any money for
saving one of my crew. I think you ought. Had you saved my life I would
have given you twenty pounds, and I think you ought to take a sovereign
for 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 had
gone for money; and when his captain said, 'Now, what are you going to
give this man for saving your life,' he replied, 'I have nothing to give
him.' I didn't want the poor man's money, nor would I have taken any if
he had had his pockets full. I then went forward to the crew, when the
captain sent us what sailors call 'a mess pot.' I drank a great deal of
rum 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 good
hearty 'English cheer'--such a cheer as only 'jolly sailors' can give.
Captain Knill was pleased that I had been so firm in refusing to take
any money from the poor man, and it was enough for me that _he_ was
pleased. And I can declare, most solemnly, that hitherto I have not
received so much as a halfpenny from any of those whom I have saved. I
have got many a glass of grog, but never any money. _Witnesses_--Captain
J. Knill, John Hickson.


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

She was a little girl, a native of Ulceby, in Lincolnshire, and fell
from the 'Magna Charter' steamer into New Holland harbour. I sprang in
after her while the paddle-wheels of the steamer were in motion, and
brought her ashore, though at a great risk of losing my own life. The
noise of the paddle-wheels, the screams of the girl's mother, and the
confusion and shouts of the passengers, made this a very exciting scene,
but it was very soon over, and the little girl, having got some dry
clothes on, her mother brought her to me, and said to her, 'Now what
will you give this gentleman for saving your life?' when she held out
her little chin and, with a full heart, said, 'A _kiss_.' She gave me a
kiss, 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 satisfied
than when that child kissed me. 'It is said that Cicero had two
courtiers on whom he wished to bestow favours. To one he gave a golden
cup, and to the other a kiss. But the one that got the cup was very
dissatisfied. He said, 'In the kiss I see something more than the cup,
though that is valuable, but in the kiss there is affection, and it
betokens better things.' And I am sure I felt a greater sense of
delight, and higher satisfaction at the moment when that grateful child
kissed me, than I did when my fellow townsmen, with their wonted
generosity, presented me with one hundred and thirty guineas, and other
mementoes of my doings; all of which I prize most highly, and which I
trust will be preserved as heirlooms in my family, as long as the name
of Ellerthorpe shall continue. I have been told that this girl is
married and has a large family, and that she is now living between
Beverly and Hull. Whether this is true I cannot say, but I know she has
never paid me a visit, which I think she might have done, supposing the
above statement to be correct. Should this meet her eye, it may refresh
her memory, and I assure her she would meet with a hearty welcome from
her 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 Humber
Dock basin, one dark night, in the month of November. I was walking on
the dock side at the time, when I heard a splash in the water, and in
less time than it takes to write these few lines, I plunged in after
him, and found him in a drowning state; I seized him, and with the
assistance of some bystanders, soon had him safe on land. He rapidly
recovered 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 saving
his life. He said, 'If ever Jenson comes to Hull again, you may rest
assured he will call and see you, and give you personal thanks.' I said
I should be glad to see him, but that I should not take anything from
him for the little service I had done him. This case was fully reported
in the local papers at the time, and gave rise to a great deal of talk
in the town of Hull, and its vicinity, as many well remember. John
Barkworth, Esq., timber merchant, of Hull (who had known me from a boy),
in company with some other gentlemen, met me one day, and said, 'Well
John, you have saved another man,' and turning to those with him, he
said, '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 last
case! On a dark cold night in November, he hears a splash, and in he
goes and saves a man. Gentlemen, the town ought to do something handsome
for him.' He gave me half-a-crown, and each of the other gentlemen gave
me the same sum. As these gentlemen had plenty of money, and as none of
them had any connection with the man I had saved, I accepted their
gifts, and felt pleased that my services had been acknowledged in the
manner I have described. _Witness_--James Smith.


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

He was seventy-five years of age, and fell from the landing place of the
Grimsby packet, opposite ----street, Hull. At that time I belonged to
the 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 boat
was expected to land, when we heard a great splash in the water, but
could not see anything. We ran to the corner of Pier-street, and there
we saw something in the water, but nothing stirred. At length Mr. Lundie
said, 'I believe it is a man overboard.' I then looked more closely, and
sure enough it was a man. He had on one of those old fashioned great
coats, with three or four capes, and which were worn by gentlemen's
coachmen and boots, forty years ago; and as the capes were blowing about
in all directions, it was with great difficulty I found his head. I had
to turn him up and down, to the right and left, topsy-turvey, before I
could 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 assistance
with a boat. We took the old man to the Humber dock watch-house, and
sent for Dr. Buchan, who used the Royal Humane Society's apparatus, and
also gave the old man a steam or vapour bath. I stayed with him in my
wet clothes till he spoke, and then I went home and got on some dry
raiment. During my absence, they took this old man to Mr. Hudson's
lodging house, in Humber-street. The night was cold, and the old man had
had a warm bath, and to expose him to the night air under such
circumstances 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 is
dead.' _Witnesses_--Richard Curtis, Richard Lundie.


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

Unlike the last case, Richard was a fine boy, only seven years old: he
was 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 Dock
Pier. At the time, I was on the deck of my packet, smoking a pipe, when
I 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 the
boy safe ashore. I then hastened home, got on some dry clothes, and in
less 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 who
saved my boy?' 'I can't say, but I know I saved somebody's boy, is he
yours?' I replied. 'Yes,' said the rejoicing father, 'I'm glad you were
there, what am I in your debt?' 'Nothing, Mr. Chapman. I am as pleased
as you are, and you are quite welcome to what I have done,' was my
reply. He then said, 'Come in here and have something to drink,' when we
went to the Minerva Hotel. Mr. Chapman pulled a handful of sovereigns
from his purse and said, 'Now do take something for saving my boy,' but
I again refused, though I believe to this day he would gladly have given
me £10 if I would have taken that sum; but I never did take anything
from anyone whom I have rescued, though often urged to do so. I think it
was on this occasion that I received £1 from the Hull Royal Humane
Society. Mr. Collinson, a gentleman, was on the pier when I saved Master
Chapman, and he came and asked me what was my name, to what ship I
belonged, where I lived, &c. Soon after, I was called by some gentlemen
into 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 your
face and hear your voice.' He gave me a note to take to the Trinity
House for £1, which I got, and another which I took to Watson and
Harrison's bank, where I got another sovereign. I felt pleased with
these acknowledgments of my services, and oftener than once after this I
was sent to the same places, and got £1 each time, after I had rescued a
human life. The funds of the Trinity House were soon exhausted, and
several gentlemen requested me to prepare a list of the persons I had
saved from drowning at Hull, New Holland, Barton, and Hessle, and to get
it signed by living witnesses. The persons saved by me, for which I had
received no public acknowledgment, numbered five, and they gave me £5.
Altogether I have received eleven sovereigns from the Hull Humane
Society 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. He
fell into New Holland harbour; some said he was in a state of
intoxication. I swam to his assistance and soon saved him. He was very
ill, 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 get
a glass of rum, which I hastily swallowed. My captain was provoked by
(what _he_ thought) this man's niggardly gift, and said, 'John, why did
you drink it? I would have given you a glass of rum without your being
indebted to him.' I am told that this gentleman is often in Hull; if he
is, I am sorry he has never had gratitude enough to give me a call. I
saved his life and he must know it. I may add that a man who could not
swim, jumped overboard to rescue this gentleman, and I had almost as
much trouble in saving him as I had in saving Leeson. _Witnesses_--James
Oswald, James Sorry.


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

At this time I belonged to the 'Magna Charter' steamer, and was watchman
for the night. When I went on board I was not quite sober, and I lay
down on the forecastle. After a while I thought I heard something fall
overboard, when I ran on to the deck, but could not see anything. I
listened with bated breath, but not a sound could I hear; at length I
shouted, but there was no answer. A plank had been put from the 'Ann
Scarborough,' 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 boat
hook and pulled the plank on board our vessel. But after a few moments I
thought I heard something stir, and on taking a light I saw Crabtree,
who was engineer of the 'Ann Scarborough,' stuck in the mud, for the
vessels were dry. I put down a ladder and went to help him, but he was
so fast in the mud that I could do nothing with him. So I ran to
Lawson'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 him
ashore, gave him some brandy, and he was very little worse. The case was
kept a profound secret at the time, and for this reason--Crabtree was
afraid that if his master should get to know of the affair, he would
lose his situation, and as we all thought the same, we promised not to
tell 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. I
was one hundred yards from the boy when the alarm was given, but I ran
as fast as I could, and when I got to the spot, I found great
difficulty in getting near because of the press of the people who were
anxious to see the drowning youth. Some one said, 'He went down just
here,' and in I went, but I had a task to find him because of the
thickness of the water. At last I saw him, and brought him up on one
side of the packet, and caught hold of the paddle-wheels, when the
people, who crowded the deck, rushed to see us, and gave the packet such
a 'lurch over' that we were again dipped overhead in the water. I was
never nearer being drowned than at this moment; but 'mercy to my rescue
flew,' for the captain, who had been asleep in the cabin, rushed on
deck, and seeing our peril, called out, 'You are drowning them,' and got
them to stand on the other side of the vessel, which lifted us right out
of the water. A man then came into the paddle-wheel and took us both
out. I was then completely exhausted and quite insensible. When I came
to myself I was in the watch-house of the Humber Dock Company, and a
doctor was watching over me and administering suitable medical
treatment. I cannot tell how long I was in this state, but I had all my
clothes 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 used
the Royal Humane Society's apparatus for restoring animation to drowning
persons. He soon recovered, but who he was or where he came from I never
knew. I remember the doctor told me his name was Wilson. This was
regarded by the public as an act of great skill and bravery, and was
much talked of at the time. Mrs. Daniel Sykes sent me, through the
medium of the editor of the Rockingham newspaper, £1 10s., and I think
one 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, weighing
fourteen stones; she fell from the pier into the water. Our packet had
just arrived from New Holland, and I was forward making the ... rope
fast, when our engineer called out 'Jack, Jack, there is a woman
overboard.' He ran aft as fast as he could, and when he got there, he
saw me overboard. He often used to say, 'I don't know how that little
fellow got past me, for I ran as fast as I could, and yet when I got
there he was overboard.' I seized this woman with a firm grip, and bore
her to the pier, amid the applause of crowds of people who witnessed the
whole occurrence. Some of them said I swam as fast with this big woman
in my arms as I did when I went towards her; this I think was
impossible, seeing I was but a little man, and that she was such a big
heavy woman. Isaac Whittaker, Esq., who saw me rescue her, gave me
half-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 Blanket
Row, and on going to see her, next morning, I found her ill in bed. She
seemed full of gratitude, and that gave me great pleasure. I have often
seen 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 the
Victoria Hotel, Hull, while on watch. It was the first night of Dacrow's
Circus appearing in Hull, and Brown's mates had gone ashore, either to
see the performance inside, or to hear the music in the streets. I was
watchman that night on board the 'Magna Charter' steamer. A heavy gale
was blowing from the north, accompanied with sleet storms. While closing
the cabin door for the night, I heard a splash, and running aft, I
called out, 'Is anyone overboard?' But there was no answer, for the
pier was deserted, the people having thronged to the circus. I could not
see anything; but at last I thought I heard a voice, and plunging into
the water, I soon found poor Brown; indeed he seized me before I was
aware 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 at
liberty, and made for the shore. I turned round and round a great many
times, and, at last, after a desperate struggle, which I shall never
forget, we reached the steps at the end of the pier. Brown took hold of
the 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 several
minutes before I could recover my breath. I then sat down on one of the
steps and felt very ill, and I thought I should have died on the spot. I
remember seeing the lights, and hearing the music from the shore, but
there was no one near to render me any help. Bye-and-bye I recovered a
little and _crept_ to the top of the steps, where I found poor Brown,
crying most piteously. Two men, Joseph Crabtree and John Young, came
from Lawson's tap-room, and I asked them to get some drink for the
youth, who was in a distressing state, and I would pay for it. They then
took him to Mr. Lawson's, while I tried to make my way home; but
scarcely had I started, when a great trouble stared me in the face, it
was this: Around the circus were thousands of people, and I
thought,--what shall I do? I cannot get through that crowd, and if I
once fall, I shall never get up again, and I felt that I had not
strength 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 overboard
saving a young man, and I can scarcely stand. I feel very bad.' He
replied, 'Yes, thou has to be drowned, and the sooner the better. There
never was such a fool as thou art. Does thou think anybody but theeself
would jump overboard a night like this? No! there is not another such a
fool in England!' Now, Joe was a kind-hearted, humane man, and the first
to help a poor fellow in distress; but such was the way in which he
expressed 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. We
went to the Humber Tavern, where I got a glass of brandy, and then Spyby
took me home. I got a change of raiment and a little rest, and strange
to say, I soon felt well again. For this case I received the Royal
Humane Society's silver medal, with their thanks on vellum. The case
created considerable excitement in Hull, and the late Mr. Loft (father
of 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 to
rescue 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 own
deliverance. He thus writes:--'About thirty years ago, and when I was
about ten years of age, I was on board of a vessel whilst being launched
from a ship-yard on the Humber bank. By some means or other a check rope
belonging to the vessel broke, and dragged me into the water. There was
no means of my being saved but by the noble "Hero," who immediately
jumped into the water, with all his clothes on, and brought me to the
shore, 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 of
musicians who had been playing at the 'launch,' when they saw Mr.
Ellerthorpe bearing me ashore, began playing, "See the Conquering Hero
comes."--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 into
the water. The wind was blowing very strong, and the river was extremely
rough 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 sprang
upon the paddle-box, and saw Emerson, but knew nothing of the woman who
had also fallen into the water, and whose mother was uttering the most
heart-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 the
woman'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 hand
round a piece of iron, I said to her, 'Now hold fast there, for you are
safe.' I then went to a distance in search of Emerson, and having made a
rope fast round him, I was able to hold him up with ease. But the
shouting was as great as ever, and I thought,--surely there is some one
else overboard! The fact was, the people could not see the woman holding
by the iron, and in my efforts to save the man, they thought I had
forgotten her; hence their wild shouts. The engineer came to the
vessel'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 came
and took her out, when she had a basket on her arm and a pair of pattens
in her hand, just as when she dropped into the water. She suddenly
disappeared 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 paper
for several weeks, asking the woman, from sheer gratitude, to let him
know her name; but there was no response. When I was master of the 'Ann
Scarborough,' sailing between Barton and Hessle, I had to fetch (one
Sunday afternoon) a gentleman's carriage from Barton to Hessle. We had
scarcely 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 jumping
overboard and saving my life, at Hull? I shall never forget you, and I
have come here on purpose to thank you.' I then told her how we had
advertised for her name, but could never hear a word of her, when she
said, 'My mother and I were strangers in Hull, and as soon as I had got
some dry clothes on, we had to start by coach, for Bridlington.' This
woman's brother was gardener for Mr. Graborn, solicitor, Barton, and we
afterwards became very intimate friends. I have not heard from Ann Wise
for many years, but if she is yet living in any part of England, it
would gladden my heart to have one more acknowledgment from her. In
relating this case at Temperance meetings, I have sometimes created a
little mirth, by remarking, 'I went in search of a man, and lo! and
behold, 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-boat
dock, 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 Minerva
Hotel, and I at once ran to the scene of the disaster. He had been down
twice, when I got there, but in a few moments I had hold of him, and
brought him ashore, amid the cheers and shouts of hundreds of
spectators. I narrowly escaped being drowned. Bailey is now a labouring
man in Hull, and I believe the father of a large family. I often meet
him, and he always seems glad to see me.

I may here ask, Was it not strange that amongst the hundreds of people
who saw this drowning youth, not one was found to render him the least
assistance? I do not write boastingly when I say this:--If I could run
from the Minerva Hotel to the pier, and save this youth, after he had
sank in the water twice, surely those who were near him at the moment
when he fell in, might have rendered him some assistance? Indeed some
present said, 'We could have swam to him if we had tried.' Then I would
ask, 'Why didn't they make a venture?' The conduct of these spectators I
regard as being monstrous and unmanly. Englishmen are generally thought
to have a fair share of personal courage, but it is nevertheless a fact,
that scores of them watched the struggles of this drowning youth, _but
took care to watch them only from the shore_. Can we wonder that
hundreds are drowned every year along our coasts, if people act as these
spectators 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 speed
over the bridge, and when I got to the drowning child, I found he had
sunk the third time, and I thought, O, what shall I do? I went in search
of him; I dived here, and I dived there, and at length I found him. A
cry of joy was raised by the spectators when they saw me fetch him from
a 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 more
of him until he had grown to manhood; since then he has manifested the
warmest gratitude, and treated me with the utmost kindness and respect.
For years he was in the employ of the Hull dock company; I had many
opportunities of watching his conduct, and always found him a faithful
and trusty servant, doing his duty as well in his master's absence as in
his presence. This made me think much of him, and I always felt a deep
interest in his welfare. He is now in the employ of Martin, Samuelson
and Co., Hull. _Witness_--John Lundie.


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

He was a youth, and while playing on the east pier, Hull, he fell
overboard. I ran a great distance, and in an almost breathless state
leaped from a height of fourteen feet, into seven feet depth of water. I
had scarcely touched the water, when he clutched me firmly, and dragged
me 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. There
was great cheering by the spectators as they saw me bearing through the
waters, this bleeding, but still living youth, and some ladies and
gentlemen, who had been watching me from the Minerva Hotel, threw out of
the window, several shillings and half-crown pieces. If my memory serves
me rightly, I got £1 10s. I thought myself handsomely rewarded; but what
pleased me more was the gratitude of the boy's mother; for I have always
considered gratitude the richest reward I could receive: more than
grateful thanks for what I had done, this poor woman would have found
it difficult to have given me, but most grateful she was, and I felt
both satisfied and delighted. But let me explain: On going to see the
boy, next morning, I found him very ill in bed, and his mother, thinking
I had gone for something for saving her child's life, said, 'I have no
money to give you, Sir, but my husband's half-pay will be due in a few
days, and I'm sure you shall have half of it.' I replied, 'I'm sure I
have not come for anything you have, my good woman, for I never take
money from those I save, or from their relatives.' She seemed
overwhelmed with grateful feelings, and I had some difficulty in
persuading her that I did not want money, and that I would not
take it if offered me, and I believe, to this day, that if I had
said to her, 'You must give me your eight-days' clock and your
chest of drawers,' she would willingly have given them to me
there and then. _Witness._--Richard Curtis.


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

This young woman, when landing at New Holland, ran down the plank, when
her foot slipped and she fell into the water, at the low side of the
jetty. I sprang to her assistance, but she was fast among some pieces of
timber. We were both in great peril, the tide was coming in, and had it
reached a foot higher, we should both have been drowned. We were so
placed as to be compelled to dive under water before we could reach the
shore. I told her that there was no other way of our being saved, and
that the attempt must be made at once, and without waiting for her
consent, I grasped her in my arm, and under the water we went. The
people thought we should have been drowned, but we soon got clear of the
jetty; some threw us one thing and some another; at length James
Nicholson got into a boat, took us in, and landed us safe ashore. I
went to a public house, where I got a glass of brandy, and borrowed the
ostler's clothes, and I ailed nothing afterwards. The young woman
remained at New Holland all night, and took her departure next morning,
without leaving behind her even a single expression of verbal gratitude
for what I had done for her. For some time it was reported that she was
the daughter of Sir Rowland Hill, post-master general, but I wrote to
that Knight, and found that she did not belong to his family. She made a
fine appearance and was well dressed, but when I think of the shabby way
in which she left the scene of her distress, I can't call her a lady. I
am devoutly grateful that I was the means of saving her, but the case
would not have been made thus prominent, had not several gentlemen of
Hull, 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-boat
dock, Hull. Thomas Spencer, who was working at what was then called 'The
knock-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 she
was completely exhausted, and we sent for a doctor. A gentleman came to
me and said 'Did you fetch yon woman out of the water?' 'Yes, Sir,' was
my reply, when he made this strange and unaccountable remark--'If you
had let her stop in I would have given you half-a-crown, but as it is, I
shall 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 have
all the half-crowns in Hull,' was my indignant reply. I never stood to
ask whether a drowning person was rich or poor, friend or foe, drunk or
sober. If a person was overboard I did my best to rescue that person
from drowning. We took this poor, despised woman to a house in
Humber-street, and I gave my word that all expenses should be paid. She
lodged in Mill-street, and was a widow, thirty seven years of age, and
had two children. I went to see her next morning, but she had gone, so I
had all expenses to pay. I have always thought this woman was one of
those poor, unfortunate, and despairing ones, so touchingly described by
Hood:--

    '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 similar
character 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 the
month of October, I heard a heavy splash in the water, and the next
moment a loud scream. I ran to the place and saw this woman struggling
in the water. She was very difficult to get at, but at last I caught
hold of her, and soon landed her on the wharf. A man was waiting to
receive 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 on
going to the door she told me that I had saved her life, and that she
was twenty-nine years of age. Now there had been some strange reports
about her and the man who met her; indeed it was commonly believed, in
Toronto, that he had pushed her overboard. But she said, 'The report is
false. I _fell_ overboard.' She thanked me very kindly; I urged her to
tell me her name, which she did, after I had promised not to tell
anyone; this made me suspect that there was something wrong in
connection 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 what
I 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 the
alarm, and in a few moments I was in the water and saved her. I remember
but little about _this case_, but the girl's father often says, when
referring to myself, 'That man saved my child's life twice, and the
second time was as good as the the first.' I will explain the second
case. Miss Gough, many years after her deliverance, married Mr. Shaw, a
captain, and together they have brought up a family of children, in
respectable circumstances. Mrs. Shaw knew me well, but I had not seen
her for many years, when this strange event took place:--I was captain
of the Dock Company's steamer, and on going one dark night into the
Victoria Dock, I found a deep timber-laden vessel, with her stem upon
the bank and her stern in the channel, and she was rapidly filling with
water. I at once went to her assistance, and having fastened a strong
rope to her, and then to my packet, I tried, first in one way and then
in another, to pull her off, but she seemed immoveable; and I began to
fear I should not accomplish my object. But I always believed in that
little catch,

    'Have you not succeeded yet?
      Try, try again.'

and _we did_ try again; and after trying many ways but in vain, we put
the tow-rope on board, and running our packet at full speed, off the
vessel came. All this time there was no person on board except the
captain's wife and her children. So I put them ashore, and went on board
the vessel myself, and let go the anchor. Now, I did not know who the
woman was until she offered me a sum of money, for what I had done. I
told her I did not want aught, and that she was heartily welcome to the
timely service I had rendered her. She then said--and I shall never
forget 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 little
girl, Jane Gough, whom you saved from drowning in Hessle harbour.' My
feelings were indescribably pleasant and joyous. _Witnesses_--Jane Shaw,
John Gough.


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

This deliverance took place one dark night, when we were rounding
Flambro Head, and while a strong wind was blowing and a heavy sea
rolling. Turner, while doing something at the main sheet, fell over the
vessel's side. I caught him, and got him on board, with a quickness that
has always surprised me. Mr. Turner, who is at present foreman of the
Humber Dock Company, Wharfage department, thus writes:--'I am one of the
persons whom Mr. Ellerthorpe has saved from a watery grave. In the year
1844, and during a voyage from Scarborough to Hull, in the yacht,
"Gossamer," I fell overboard while crossing Burlington Bay. He sprang to
my assistance and saved me, otherwise I should have been drowned. I
remember also, when coming over the Humber Dock Bridge, one night, about
nine 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 my
surprise, I found it was "Our Hero," who had plunged his carcase into
the lock to rescue the old lady from her perilous position, which he did
manfully. I also saw him rescue John Eaby. In the great and terrible
struggle which took place in the water, Mr. Ellerthorpe bore up with the
greatest coolness imaginable, although at a great risk of losing his
life.--William Turner.'


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

He was my son, and first-born child. Mr. G. Lee, the gentleman who first
gave me employment in connection with the Hull Dock Company, had engaged
me to teach his son the art of swimming. We went to the Stone Ferry
Baths, for that purpose, and wishful that my own sons should learn this
invaluable art, I took John with us. When we got to the baths, I found
the water was too warm to bathe in, so Mr. Lee and myself went into one
of the adjoining rooms and had a long conversation about swimming, while
the two boys were left behind. At length I went to test the temperature
of the water, it was remarkably clear, and, to my horror, I saw my son
prostrate at the bottom of the bath! My feelings can be better imagined
than described. Instantly, and without either throwing off a single
garment or putting my watch from my pocket, I plunged into the bath and
brought him up. He was full of water, and frothed at the mouth, and was
very 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 was
walking near the dock, when I saw a great many people running from every
direction, and was soon told that a man had fallen overboard. I ran to
the spot, and for some time I could not ascertain the nature of the
case. At length the captain of the schooner, said, 'He went down close
to the vessel, and has been seen twice.' Instantly I dived to the bottom
of the dock, but could not see him. I swam to and fro for some time, and
at last saw him under the vessel; he seemed quite dead, but I seized him
and brought him up. They were busy with the grappling irons, but as he
was under the vessel, the probability is he would never have been got
out of the water alive. I went home and got some dry clothes on, and
when I returned and inquired how he was, I was told he rapidly
recovered. I have never seen this young man, or heard a word of him from
that day to the present. He was a sailor, and may have been in Hull
since 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 were
bathing, but took little or no notice of them until I had got about 300
yards past them, when I saw some men running from a field close by, and
heard a youth call out, 'A boy is drowning.' I ran back, and swam to the
lad, and soon brought him out and laid him on the bank. I drank a glass
of grog and smoked a pipe, and then returned to Hull, for a change of
raiment. I caught a severe cold on this occasion, for I had got half way
to Hessle when I saved this boy, and had on my wet clothes for nearly
three hours. I have never, that I am aware of, seen that boy since. Nor
am 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's
right name, but he never did. Somebody disputed my saving the lad, so I
got a paper signed by a man who witnessed the whole affair, and whose
name 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 from
Hull Harbour into the Humber. I saw this tug in a sinking state, and
called out to the men to escape from her at once. All left her and got
into a boat, except Davis; he was rather lame, but had time enough to
make his escape as well as the rest. The men had not left the 'tug' more
than five minutes, when she capsized, and Davis was thrown into the
water. I was on board a 'tow boat' at the time, and between the drowning
man and myself, there lay three heavily-loaded ballast lighters. I
turned my steamer astern, and by jumping from one lighter to another, I
soon reached Davis. I felt confident I could save him, and having a mud
scraper in my hand, I threw the end of it to him, and said, 'Now, don't
be afraid, you'll soon be all right.' I did save him, but alas!--and my
hand trembles while I write it--the first utterance that fell from his
lips was a fearful oath, 'D---- my eyes!' O, how grieved I was to hear a
man, just at the point of death, utter such an expression. We soon got
him on board of our packet, and put him in some warm and dry clothes. On
Friday night, December the 6th, 1867, a fire broke out in Hull, and my
son Joseph, was there, and sprung the rattle, giving the alarm, and the
first man that came to the spot was Davis. One of my son's companions
called out, 'Ellerthorpe!' when Davis said, 'Is John Ellerthorpe that
young man's father?' 'Yes,' was the reply. 'Ah!' said Davis, 'he saved
my life, and but for him I should not have been here to-night.' I trust
the Lord will yet save him, and that I shall meet him and others whom I
have 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, about
eleven o'clock, the railway goods station was on fire, and I was
summoned from my bed to go and remove our packet, which was moored close
to where the fire had broken out. In the space of two hours, three men
fell 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 our
packet, as they could not find enough water on shore. The wind was
blowing a heavy gale, and before I could get the packet to a convenient
place, 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 greatly
distressed on his account. So I went and sat down on the paddle-box and
placed a boat hook at my side, to be ready should any one fall into the
water. I had not sat many moments when I saw a youth, about seventeen
years of age, fall overboard. I jumped from the paddle-box on to the
dock wall, and ran as fast as I could to the spot. While the fire was
blazing before me I could see the boy distinctly, but when I got past
the fire it was pitchy dark, and I lost all trace of the drowning youth.
Thousands of people were thronging and shouting in every direction, and
I lost all hopes of saving the youth, who was now submerged in the
water. But when I could not get any further, for the press of the
people, I threw in the boat hook; it was eighteen feet long and the tide
was very high. I knelt with one knee on the wall, and felt the boy at
about fifteen feet under water. The hook caught the bottom of his
waistcort, and I felt him take hold of it with both his hands. I never
could ascertain the boy's name, but the whole case was fully reported in
the local newspapers at the time, and hundreds, yea, thousands of people
now 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. He
was 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 his
father. The packet started suddenly, and the rope by which she had been
fastened to the pier, struck the boy, and overboard he went. The packet
was in motion, but I leaped into the water, while George's father went
to fetch a boat hook, but it is my opinion the boy would have been
drowned 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 moments
before he durst leap into the water. However, I saved his son in a few
moments, and without much difficulty; indeed, when his mother said to
him, '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 me
directly.' Next morning, George was ready for school and I was ready for
my 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 the
danger that had nearly cost him his life. George is now a young man, and
sails, I believe, from the port of Hull, and he seems to think as much
of his deliverance now as he did fifteen years ago. _Witness_--Henry
Bolton.


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

He was a youth belonging to the brig 'Janet,' of South Shields, which
was leaving the Victoria Dock, Hull, and he had the misfortune, while
unfastening the check-rope, attached to the 'Dolphin,' to fall
overboard. For some time he struggled in the water, helpless, and it was
apparent that he was drowning. At the time I was on board the Dock
Company's tug, which was about thirty yards from the spot, when,
fortunately, I happened to see the youth, and I immediately sprang into
the water with all my clothes on. I succeeded in seizing the boy as he
was sinking, and placed him in such a position as enabled me to keep him
above the water, when I made the best of my way to the brig's boat, a
few yards off. The poor lad, in his almost insensible state, got upon my
head and clung to me tightly, and in a few moments, so entwined himself
around my arms as to render me almost incapable of swimming, and the
probability at that time was, that both of us would be drowned. I saw
and felt my perilous position, as he threatened to draw me again into
the water, by his desperate struggles; but at last, with the strength
and force of desperation, I managed to reach the painter of the boat,
which fortunately being 'taut' from the ring, enabled me to raise myself
and 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 saw
him again. But I wrote to the captain of the ship, and received this
beautiful 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 great
risk 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 the
youth, but the bird had flown, for the captain told me he had run away
from his ship, and that he had no idea where he was. The captain was
glad 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 all
intoxicating drinks.


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

While the Humber Dock gate was being closed, this woman, who was
forty-eight years of age, came up to the bridge, and refusing to wait
until the proper time for passing, she attempted to step from one half
of the bridge to the other, and in making the attempt, she fell, head
first, into the water below. It was high tide at the time, and she was
rapidly carried away by the stream. The night was dark and I was very
ill, but when I heard that a woman was overboard, I ran to the spot; but
alas! I could not see her, and for a moment I thought there was no
chance of saving her. But knowing that assistance must be immediately
rendered or the woman would be out of sight, and beyond the reach of
help, I plunged into the water and soon brought her to the bridge. They
let down a boat hook to which we both clung, and then a ladder, up which
to ascend. But I told them I would rather have a boat, which was soon
brought and we were landed in safety. While clinging to the hook, the
woman, as might be expected, was full of alarm, but I knew she was safe
enough, 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.' She
afterwards told me that the most pleasant sensation she ever experienced
in her life, was at the moment when she felt some one had hold of her in
the water. This woman has manifested the liveliest gratitude for what I
did for her, and she never crosses the bridge without calling at my
house to enquire after me, and she often says, to my good wife, 'You
know I aint right if I don't see the master about.' She was very poor at
the 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 not
afford to give me it; but she said, 'You must take it; I meant giving
you 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 is
the first, and only occasion that I have taken aught from those whom I
have rescued_. And I am sure in this case, it was more blessed to give
than it was to receive, for the woman was both satisfied and delighted.
The gratitude of this poor woman, and also that of her family, seems
unabated. _Witness_--William Turner.


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

Police Constable Green, 69, was on duty at the South-end about half-past
ten o'clock, on the morning of the above date, and about one hour before
high water, when he saw Eaby, in a fit, fall from the quay into the
Humber Dock basin. He immediately called out, 'A man overboard,' and
with the assistance of another man, got the grapplings and caught hold
of Eaby by his clothes, but he being of great weight, they tore asunder,
and he again dropped into the water. Green then called for further
assistance, when our friend ran to the rescue, and urged by Eaby's
fearful condition, and the benevolent feelings of his own noble spirit,
he immediately jumped into the water and seized the drowning man. From
the effects of the fit, the man struggled desperately. Our friend tried
to get a rope round him, but could not; he got his hand into his
preserver's mouth, and would have drowned him, had not Mr. Ellerthorpe
had so many opportunities of trial in such cases. Eaby's first
expression on coming out of his fit was, 'What are you doing here?' when
his deliverer replied, 'Havn't I as much right here as you have?' then
Eaby went off into another fit. By this time a boatman, named John
Tickells, came to our friend's assistance, and was joined by Robert Ash,
gateman, Humber Dock, who slipped the grappling rope into the boat. They
then 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. They
then assisted our friend into the boat. Eaby struggled so desperately
that the men had great difficulty in holding him in the boat. He was
taken 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. He
was thirty-seven years of age, and had been subject to fits for years,
which were often very violent. _Witnesses_--William Turner, William
Steadman.

This rescue--the last of a large number that Mr. Ellerthorpe was the
honoured instrument of achieving--was witnessed by hundreds of
spectators, who were filled with admiration and wonder. These were seen
in their countenances and heard in their shouts of applause, as he
struggled with this poor unfortunate man. Not only so, but it led the
public to raise a subscription for Mr. Ellerthorpe. Two working men, Mr.
William Turner, and Mr. William Steadman, who witnessed the humane and
heroic conduct of their fellow townsman, took the initiative, and how
hard they worked, and how nobly they accomplished their object, will be
seen 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 by
the 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, his
readiness to imperil his own life, that he might save the lives of
others, did not expire on that ever memorable occasion. A clergyman
called 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 gets
broken 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 at
times from his oft exposures in the water and cold, he yet thought as
deeply and felt as strongly as ever for his drowning fellow creatures;
and on two or three occasions his old zeal rose to furnace heat. In
proof 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 the
water, and said, "I shall soon be all right," and I thought he would
too. 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 had
pronounced him dead. I never felt such a sense of distress as I did at
that 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 see
the poor widow, when her husband was pronounced dead; she was overcome
by the suddenness of the stroke, and Mr. Dale Brown kindly sent her home
in a cab. This man, and Ashly Taylor (aged 75 years), are the only
instances out of upwards of forty I have rescued, of death taking place
in 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 rescued
the drowning, remained with them until all fears of immediate death were
totally dissipated. Indeed his kindly ministrations in the watch-house
of the Humber Dock Company, have been scarcely less remarkable than his
exploits in saving the drowning from the water. In that room is the
'Royal Humane Society's apparatus for the recovery of persons apparently
drowned or dead, accompanied with directions for the proper treatment of
such cases.' And there our friend stood for hours together, in his wet
clothes, during the piercing cold of winter and the oppressive heat of
summer, endeavouring to restore suspended animation. He says, 'I always
felt very anxious about those I had rescued, and in dangerous cases
generally remained with them until they came round. By remaining in my
wet clothes on these occasions I have often seriously damaged my health;
but I felt so anxious about them that I often forgot altogether my own
wet state. Dr. Henry Gibson says I have seriously injured my
constitution by these long exposures in wet clothing, and I am afraid he
is 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 suddenly
awoke 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 ripple
on the water could he discern, to indicate danger. He concluded he had
been dreaming, but when about to leave the window he saw one of his
fellow workmen running with the grappling iron. The old Spanish proverb
says, 'that when a man's house is on fire he does not stay to consider
if the shoe pinches,' and so absorbed was our friend by the fear that
some one was drowning that, without shoes on his feet, and with nothing
but his night shirt to cover him, he ran down stairs, leaped over two
chains, thrown across the bridge, and in a few moments he was beside the
man with the 'grapplings,' who had also heard the cry but could not tell
whence or from whom it had come. The surrounding waters lay calm and
undisturbed by a single ripple, and there was nothing to indicate that
anyone had sunk. At our friend's request, his companion sprang into a
boat, and let down the grappling iron, and, strange to say, brought up
Mr. Thomas Hogg, of Ulceby, Lincolnshire. They at first pronounced him
dead, but after cleansing his mouth and nostrils he was thought to
breathe; he was at once taken to the watch-house, where our friend, with
fresh anxiety and awakened hope, applied the Royal Humane Society's
apparatus, and with complete success. The process was continued till six
o'clock, when scores of persons were gathered round the watch-house. The
man then said to Mr. Ellerthorpe, 'Come master, it is time you were in
your own house; you're not fit to be here amongst all these folks.' It
was not till the man thus spoke that our friend was aware of his
half-naked state. All did well on this occasion, but Mr. Ellerthorpe's
conduct was exceptionally noble.

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

The last to claim recognition and reward for his own humane and gallant
deeds, Mr. Ellerthorpe has ever proved himself the first and foremost in
securing them on behalf of others. The following letter, received in
answer to an urgent appeal which he made on behalf of an aged and
destitute 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 of
Trade, on behalf of some Hull seamen, and received the following
answer:--

                                        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 the
outset there may be difficulties and opposition, but patience and
perseverance will in the end bring their reward. And if the warrior
rejoices in the number of his victories, the patriot in the extension of
his country's liberties, the statesman in the success of his peculiar
polity, and the philanthropist in the mitigation of human woes, how much
purer and stronger must be the joy of the man who has been the means of
saving the lives of his fellow-creatures? Alexander, Emperor of Russia,
whose armies had won many a victory on the field of battle, once rescued
a man from drowning, and he ever afterwards said that _that_ was the
happiest day of his life. As no living individual, perhaps, has saved so
many lives, on so many separate and distinct occasions, and under
equally perilous circumstances, as our friend, so we may infer that his
personal joy was proportionately great. He always did his best to save
human 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 much
my duty to try and save the drowning, as it was their duty to try and
save themselves; and I always felt myself amply recompensed, and highly
satisfied, 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, and
could eat no food, nor could I take rest, for hours after rescuing the
drowning. But I was filled with a pleasure I could not describe;
sometimes my feelings found vent in tears, and at other times in loud
and hearty laughter; and when questioned as to my feelings, I could only
say, "I can't tell you how I feel." I had this thought and feeling
running through me, throbbing within me, "I have saved a fellow creature
from drowning." And that imparted to me a happiness which no amount of
money, and no decorations of honour, could have given me; a happiness
which no man can conceive, far less describe, unless he has himself
snatched 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 he
had the pleasure of saving. And we have seen that he could receive no
higher gratification than this. King Charles, the First, had such an
unhappy manner that, even in granting a favour, he often grieved those
whom he obliged. And we know that almost as much depends upon the manner
of doing a kindness, as upon the act itself. Indeed, in some instances,
even a frank and positive refusal will give less pain than an ungracious
and grudgingly bestowed favour. Now, we hesitate not to say that, what
Mr. Ellerthorpe did, was kindly and generously done. And he always felt
that the cheers of the multitude as he bore the rescued to the shore,
and the spontaneous thanks of those whom he had saved, surpassed in
value any tribute of money which could have been placed in his hands.
Wordsworth, referring to the overflowing gratitude which had gone beyond
the 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 were
always as pleasant to him as cold water to a thirsty soul. He says, 'I
was always well satisfied if they manifested gratitude, but I must
confess, that when they never came near me, nor in any way communicated
with 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 the
remembrance of what I did for them is mixed with pain. It may be a
weakness of mine, but an ungrateful man is, in my opinion, one of the
biggest sinners in the world. I hate ingratitude, and I can affirm, that
no rewards I have received from societies and individuals have ever
given me half the pleasure that the gratitude of some of those I rescued
gave 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, and
is reproved even by the brute creation; for they manifest a strong
instinctive feeling of gratitude towards their benefactors. 'The ox
knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib.' Some time ago, a
steamer sunk beneath the surging wave, with upwards of two hundred souls
on 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, he
came up again, and seizing a plank, he clung to it until rescued by a
vessel that happened to be passing. 'Ah,' said he, on telling the story
afterwards, 'If my heart's affection ever clung to anything besides my
wife, and my mother, and my child, it was to that plank; it saved my
life.' And yet, some forgot our friend, whose skilful hand and brave
heart 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 for
rent,' said a grateful Irishman to one who had done him a favour. And
our friend found a welcome and a home in the warmest affections of many
of those whom he rescued. The blessing of many who were literally ready
to perish came upon him. W. Turner, whom our friend saved in Burlington
Bay, says, 'What a mercy it is that God has provided such a man as Mr.
Ellerthorpe, to render assistance when assistance is required at his
hands; for he is ever willing at any moment, and at the first call, to
risk his life. I question whether there is such another man in the
world. He has a good and kind heart, and in his general conduct displays
kind feelings towards all and everybody. I hope he will remain long with
us, 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 me
on the occasion, "My boy, you ought ever to remember that man," and I
do remember him and will never forget him. If I had but a shilling in
the world, John Ellerthorpe should have half of it, if he needed it. I
can say that from the time he delivered me I have always liked to see
him, and I never think the place is right if I do not see him there. He
shall never want if I can help him. May he live long, and always have
plenty.' These, and similar expressions of gratitude, recorded on former
pages of this work, were more valuable, in our friend's estimation, than
stores of gold.

[Sidenote: HIS INTERVIEW WITH LORD WENLOCK.]

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

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

Towards the close of the year 1835 the following statement appeared in
the 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. Ellerthorpe
received 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 the
medallion:--

[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 resolved
unanimously--

    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 secure
for our friend the highest rewards the Royal Humane Society could
bestow; 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, when
the 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 a
watery grave, the people of Hull made an effort to reward their brave
and gallant townsman, who had rescued from their own docks and around
the pier, not fewer than twenty-three persons. A committee was formed,
under the presidentship of Mr. John Symons, a member of the Town
Council, 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 of
the 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 circles
of society, in the town and neighbourhood of Hull, and great numbers
lent their influence to this effort to acknowledge the unequalled
bravery of their fellow townsman, whom we must, henceforth acknowledge
as the 'Hero of the Humber.' The 'Hull Daily Express' contained the
following 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 of
sixty of the leading ministers, merchants, and gentlemen of Hull, was
forwarded 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 especial
vote 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 handsome
donation 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 Emmerson
Tennant, struck a silver medal to the honour of Mr. Ellerthorpe.

The Sovereign having awarded our 'Hero' with a gift of £20, and the
Royal Humane Society and the Board of Trade having decorated him with
their marks of honour, it remained for the inhabitants of Hull to show
their appreciation of the humane and gallant deeds of their fellow
townsman. Such deeds as our 'Hero' _had_ performed are not less heroic
than 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, Jarratt
Street, Hull, on Wednesday evening, November the 6th, 1861. Upwards of
four hundred persons sat down to tea, and the local papers state that
greater enthusiasm was, perhaps, never witnessed than during this
remarkable meeting. The room was gaily decorated with bannarets, and
suspended over the chair was a large flag, bearing the following
motto:--

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

Grace having been chanted and justice done to the sumptuous tea, the
public meeting began. Mr. John Symons occupied the chair, and he was
surrounded 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 and
elegant workmanship, bears the following device:--One side of the medal
represents a group on a raft. One of the men is seated on a spar, waving
a handkerchief, as a signal to a small boat seen in the distance;
another is supporting a sailor who appears in a drowning state. There is
also a female holding a child in her arms, the sea having a stormy
appearance. The group forms a most interesting allegory. On the obverse
side is a large profile of Her Majesty, the border bearing the following
inscription:--

     '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 has
inscribed 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 photograph
portrait.

[Footnote 3: This brave nobleman was at Scarborough during one of the
most fearful and disastrous storms that ever swept the Yorkshire coast.
He had no sleep on the previous night on account of the storm, and on
Saturday he said to a friend 'I shall have a sound sleep to-night.'
Alas! before he closed his eyes in sleep, and while nobly endeavouring
to rescue a number of drowning sailors, a huge wave carried him out to
sea, 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 inches
high, and weighed about ten stones. His build was somewhat slender for a
sailor. He stood erect. His countenance was hard and ruddy, and
indicated long exposure to weather. His ordinary expression was
indicative of kindness, blended with great firmness. When spinning his
yarns, or describing his exploits, his eye kindled, and his face, lit up
with smiles, was expressive of intense sympathy.

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

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

[Sidenote: HERO'S GENERAL CHARACTER.]

Mr. Ellerthorpe proved himself a good servant, discharging his duties
faithfully and honourably. During fourteen years he occupied the
responsible position of foreman of the Humber Dock Gates, Hull. And when
it is borne in mind that Hull is the third port in the kingdom, and that
it is annually visited by 30,000 seamen in connection with its foreign
and coasting traffic, and that, in the same time, about 20,000 small
vessels, connected with the inland navigation, enter and leave the port,
it will be seen that the duties of our friend were numerous and
important. But the force and transparency of his character, his
undoubted honesty, his indefatigable industry, and his unwearied
attention to the duties of his office, won for him the confidence and
respect of his employers, the esteem of his fellow workers, and the good
opinion 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 erect
form, during the last few years of his life, indicated a robust state of
health, giving the promise of a green old age. Such, however, was not
the case. His employment as Foreman of the Humber Dock Gates, was very
arduous, exposing him to all kinds of weather, day and night, according
to the tides, and he found it telling seriously upon his health. His
frequent plunges into the water, in storm and in calm, at midnight as
well as at midday, in times of chilling frost as well as in times of
warmth, 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, at
times, and my breathing is so bad, that I am now unable to address the
Band of Hope children. The other night, and after I had been in bed
about three hours, I was seized with an attack of shortness of breath
which lasted four hours, and I thought I should have died in the
struggle. But it pleased the Lord to restore me, and since then I have
felt a little better. I now suffer greatly from excitement, and need to
be kept still and quiet, but my present situation does not allow me much
quiet. In fact, I am afraid, at times, that I shall be forced to leave
it, for I think, and so does Dr. Gibson, that the watching, night after
night, let the weather be as it may, is too much for me. But I leave
myself in the hands of God, knowing that he will never leave me nor
forsake 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 had
generously attempted to save the lives of others at the expense of
abridging his own life.'

Mr. Ellerthorpe knew the great source of religious strength and
salvation, and trusting entirely in the merits of Jesus Christ, he found
a 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 sink
under such a prop, as bears the world and all things up.' His
affliction, water on the chest, and an enlargement of the heart brought
on by his frequent plunges into the water, and exposure to wet and cold,
was protracted and very severe. He found great difficulty in breathing
and had comparatively little rest, day or night, for five months. Dr.
Gibson said to him on one occasion, 'Mr. Ellerthorpe, you cannot live
long 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.' Often
after a night of restlessness and suffering he would say to his dear
wife:--'Well, I have lived another night,' to which she would reply, 'O
yes, and I hope you will live many more yet.' 'No,' he would say, 'I
shall 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 pained
and disappointed when the conversation was about the things of earth,
but he was delighted and carried away when it was about the things of
heaven. When his medical adviser gave strict orders that visitors should
not be allowed to see him, his pale face and lack-lustre eyes grew
bright, and he imploringly said, 'Do let those come who can pray and
talk 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 would
have done so much more frequently, but for the nature of his complaint
and the orders of his medical attendant. Mr. John Sissons, his first
class leader, Mr. Harrison, his devoted companion and fellow labourer in
the 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. The
Rev. J. Hodgson, in one of his visits, found him in great pain, but
breathing out his soul to God in short ejaculatory prayers. His old
passion for the conversion of souls was strong in death. Mr. Hodgson
told him of some good missionary meetings they had just been holding.
'And how many souls had you saved?' was the ready inquiry. 'You will
soon be at home,' said Mr. Harrison, during his last visit, to which he
replied, 'Yes, I shall, my lad.' During the Rev. T. Newsome's visit Mr.
Ellerthorpe expressed himself as wonderfully happy and anxiously waiting
the coming of his Lord. Toplady's well known verse was repeated by the
preacher:--

    '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,' was
on Sunday consigned to the grave. Well did his many noble actions
entitle him to the proud and distinguished title by which he was so
familiarly known. It may be questioned whether his career has any
individual parallel in the world's history. The saviour of forty lives
from drowning, during sixty-one years' existence, could not fail to be
exalted to the position of a great hero, and the worship which was paid
to his heroism assumed no exaggerated form, though it was intense and
abiding. He bore his honours meekly, and his funeral partook of the
character of the man, unpretending, simple, earnest. No funeral pomp, no
feverish excitement, but a solemn, subdued spectacle was witnessed. The
highest tribute which could be paid to departed worth was accorded to
the memory of the Hero of the Humber. Thousands of his fellow-townsmen
followed the funeral _cortege_ on its way to the Cemetery, and when the
procession reached the last resting-place of the deceased, the number
swelled into vast proportions, and a perfect consciousness of the
solemnity of the event appeared to influence the conduct of the vast
multitude. The silence was deep, and almost unbroken by any sound save
the frequent exclamations of sincere regret. No man, however
distinguished, has had more solemn homage paid to him than John
Ellerthorpe. There were many features of resemblance in the burial of
Captain Gravill, and in the Cemetery, not far from each other, now lie
the remains of two men whose moral attributes and actions will ever
stand conspicuous in the history of men.

The announcement that the _cortege_ would leave the residence of the
deceased at half-past twelve drew many hundreds to the house, anxious,
if possible, to obtain a look at that which contained the body of him
whose acquaintance numbers of them had esteemed it an honour to possess.
At the time appointed the body was placed in the hearse, and the family
and friends of the deceased, as they entered the coaches, were watched
by hundreds who sympathised in no common degree with their deep
affliction and irreparable loss. The coaches were followed by the
gatemen of all the docks and others who had been associated with the
deceased. Mr. Dumbell, the Secretary of the Dock Company, Mr. Dale
Brown, 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 the
following route:--Railway-street, Kingston-street, Edward's-place,
Waverly-street, Thornton-street, Park-street, and Spring-bank. It had
been expected that the procession would have gone along the Market-place
and Whitefriargate, and thence to the place of interment, and the
streets were thronged with an anxious multitude. The disappointment was
very great.

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

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

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

'We have come here to-day, my friends, to perform the last duties over
the body of the dear friend who has passed away, we doubt not, to a
brighter and a better world. The Hero of the Humber, the man who has
saved a large number of human beings from a watery grave, who has made
many a family rejoice by his heroism, has himself succumbed to the hand
of death. But, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ he was not
afraid to die. I have been frequently comforted as I have conversed with
him during his last illness, and have heard him rejoice in the prospect
of that hour, and seen his anxiety--yes, his anxiety to leave the
present world because he had blooming hope of a brighter and better
inheritance. My dear friends, you and I will soon finish our course. The
great question we ought to ask ourselves individually is "Am I prepared
to die? If my corpse were here, where John Ellerthorpe lies, where would
my soul be? Am I prepared for entering the mansions of everlasting
bliss?" Many of you know he lived a godless, prayerless and sinful life
for many years, but by the gospel of the grace of God his heart became
changed. He abandoned his evil ways, consecrated himself at the foot of
the cross, to be the Lord's for ever, and by God's saving mercy, he was
enabled to hold on his way to the last, rejoicing in the prospect of
that hour when he should leave the bed of affliction and this sinful
world, to be carried into that clime and those blessed regions where he
would be with the saved for ever. That God can change your hearts, my
dear friends. Oh, by the side of this open grave, may some here to-day
be yielded to God; may you now consecrate yourselves and become the
saved of the Lord. God grant his blessing may rest upon the mourning
widow and the bereaved family, and that they after the toils of the
warfare of earth, may with their dear husband and father be found before
the throne of God. May those who have long enjoyed the friendship of our
departed brother be ultimately numbered with the blessed in in the
kingdom to come.'

[Sidenote: FAREWELL HYMN.]

Before the mourners departed, the beautifully affecting hymn, beginning
with

    'Farewell, dear friends, a long farewell,'

was sung.

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


THE END.


J. HORNER, PRINTER, ALFORD.




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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 obvious
ones have been silently corrected. Others that might be cases of
old spellings have been retained.

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

Page 120--The paragraph that begins "After the 'Hero's' death" was
originally included in the preceding blockquote, but it doesn't seem
to be part of the quoted letter, so I moved it out into the surrounding
text.]





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