,,the  ,,hero ,,of ,,the ,,humber2      
,,or1 ,,the  ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,late
  ,,mr4 ,,john ,,ellerthorpe  7,,foreman
 ,,of ,,the ,,humber ,,dock ,,gates1    
,,hull71  ,,being ,a ,,record ,,of      
,,remarkable ,,incidents ,,in ,,his     
,,career ,,as ,a ,,sailor2 ,,his        
,,conversion ,,and ,,christian          
,,usefulness2 ,,his ,,unequalled ,,skill
 ,,as ,a ,,swimmer1 ,,and ,,his         
,,exploits ,,on ,,the ,,water1 ,,with ,a
 ,,minute ,,account ,,of ,,his ,,deeds  
,,of ,,daring ,,in ,,saving1 ,,with     
,,his ,,own ,,hands1 ,,on ,,separate    
,,and ,,distinct ,,occasions1 ,,upwards 
,,of ,,forty ,,persons ,,from ,,death   
,,by ,,drowning3 ,,together ,,with ,,an 
,,account ,,of ,,his ,,last             
,,affliction1 ,,death1 ,,etc4  ,,by     
,,the  ,,rev4 ,,henry ,,woodcock1       
,,author ,,of ',,popery ,,unmasked1'    
',,wonders ,,of ,,grace1' ,,etc4        
',my tale is simple and of humble birth1
     ,a tribute of respect to real      
worth4'   ,,second ,,edition4           

,,london3  ,s4 ,w4 ,partridge1 #i1      
,paternoster ,row2 ,wesleyan ,book      
,room1 #ff1 ,paternoster ,row2          
,primitive ,methodist ,book ,room1 #f1  
,sutton ,street1 ,commercial ,road1 ,e42
 and of all ,booksellers4  #ahhj4       
,,alford3  ,j4 ,,horner1 ,,printer1     
,,market-,,place4     ,,to  ,,the       
,,seamen ,,of ,,great ,,britain1  ,,to  
,,whose  ,,skill1 ,,courage1 ,,and      
,,endurance1  ,,england ,,owes ,,much   
,,of ,,her ,,greatness1  ,,this         
,,volume--  ,,containing ,a ,,record    
,,of ,,the ,,character ,,and ,,deeds    
,,of ,,one1  ,,who1 ,,for ,,upwards ,,of
 ,,thirty ,,years1  ,,braved ,,the      
,,hardships ,,and ,,perils ,,of ,a      
,,sailor',s ,,life1  ,,and  ,,whose     
,,gallantry ,,and ,,humanity  ,,won     
,,for ,,him ,,the ,,title  ,,of  ',,the 
,,hero ,,of ,,the ,,humber1'  ,,is      
,,most ,,respectfully ,,dedicated1      
,,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 ,,indulged1  ,,and ,,enriched    
,,him ,,with ,,the ,,graces ,,of ,,the  
,,christian ,,character1  ,,but ,,also  
,,gave  ,a ,,brighter ,,glow ,,and      
,,greater ,,energy  ,,to ,,that         
,,courage1 ,,gallantry1 ,,and ,,humanity
  ,,by ,,which ,,he ,,had ,,been ,,long 
,,distinguished4  ,,the ,,author4       
,,preface  ,,to ,,the ,,second          
,,edition4   ,mr4 ,gladstone1 in a      
recent lecture thus defines a hero3     
quoting ,latham's definition of a       
hero1--'a man eminent for bravery1' he  
said he was not satisfied with that1    
because bravery might be mere animal    
bravery4 ,carlyle had described         
,napoleon ,i4 as a great hero4 ',now he 
7,mr4 ,gladstone7 was not prepared to   
admit that ,napoleon was a hero4 ,he was
 certainly one of the most extraordinary
 men ever born4 ,there was more power   
concentrated in that brain than in any  
brain probably born for centuries4 ,that

 he was a great man in the sense of     
being a man of transcendent power1 there
 was no doubt2 but his life was tainted 
with selfishness from beginning to end1 
and he was not ready to admit that a man
 whose life was fundamentally tainted   
with selfishness was a hero4 ,a greater 
hero than ,napoleon was the captain of a
 ship which was run down in the ,channel
 three or four years ago1 who1 when the 
ship was quivering1 and the water was   
gurgling round her1 and the boats had   
been lowered to save such persons as    
could be saved1 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 for4 
,his true idea of a hero was this3--,a  
hero was a man who must have ends beyond
 himself1 in casting himself as it were 
out of himself1 and must pursue these   
ends by means which were honourable1 the
 lawful means1 otherwise he might       
degenerate into a wild enthusiast4 ,he  

must do this without distortion or      
disturbance of his nature as a man1     
because there were cases of men who were
 heroes in great part1 but who were so  
excessively given to certain ideas and  
objects of their own1 that they lost all
 the proportion of their nature4 ,there 
were other heroes1 who1 by giving undue 
prominence to one idea1 lost the just   
proportion of things1 and became simply 
men of one idea4 ,a man to be a hero    
must pursue ends beyond himself by      
legitimate means4 ,he must pursue them  
as a man1 not as a dreamer4 ,not to give
 to some one idea disproportionate      
weight which it did not deserve1 and    
forget everything else which belonged to
 the perfection and excellence of human 
nature4 ,if he did all this he was a    
hero1 even if he had not very great     
powers2 and if he had great powers1 then
 he was a consummate hero4'  ,now1 if we
 cannot claim for the late ,mr4         
,ellerthorpe 'great powers' of          
intellect1 we are quite sure that all   

who read the following pages will agree 
that the title bestowed upon him by his 
grateful and admiring townsman1--',the  
,hero of the ,humber1' was well and     
richly deserved4 ,he was a ',hero1'     
though he lived in a humble cottage4 ,he
 was a man of heroic sacrifices2 his    
services were of the noblest kind2 he   
sought the highest welfare of his       
fellow-creatures with an energy never   
surpassed2 his generous and impulsive   
nature found its highest happiness in   
promoting the welfare of others4 ,he is 
held as a benefactor in the fond        
recollection of thousands of his fellow 
countrymen1 and he received rewards far 
more valuable and satisfying than those 
which his ,queen and ,government        
bestowed upon him3 more lasting than the
 gorgeous pageantries and emblazoned    
escutcheon that reward the hero of a    
hundred battles4      ,the warrior's    
deeds may win       ,an earthly fame1   
but deeds by mercy wrought1     ,are    
heaven's own register within3       ,not

 one shall be forgot4  ,the scene of    
most of his gallant exploits in rescuing
 human lives was ',the river ,humber2'  
hence the title given him by a large    
gathering of his fellow townsmen4  ,the 
noble river ,humber1 upon which the town
 of ,kingston-upon-,hull is seated1 may 
be considered the ,thames of the        
,midland and ,northern ,counties of     
,england4 ,it divides the ,east ,riding 
of ,yorkshire from ,lincolnshire1 during
 the whole of its course1 and is formed 
by the junction of the ,ouse and the    
,trent4 ,at ,bromfleet1 it receives the 
little river ,foulness1 and rolling its 
vast collection of waters eastward1 in a
 stream enlarged to between two and     
three miles in breadth1 washes the town 
of ,hull1 where it receives the river of
 the same name4 ,opposite to ,hedon and 
,paul1 which are a few miles below      
,hull1 the ,humber widens into a vast   
estuary1 six or seven miles in breadth1 
and then directs it's course past ,great
 ,grimsby to the ,german ,ocean1 which  

it enters at ,spurn ,head4 ,no other    
river system collects waters from so    
many important towns as this famous     
stream4 ',the ,humber1' says a recent   
writer1 'resembling the trunk of a vast 
tree spreading its branches in every    
direction1 commands1 by the numerous    
rivers which it receives1 the navigation
 and trade of a very extensive and      
commercial part of ,england4'  ,the     
,humber1 between its banks1 occupies an 
area of about one hundred and           
twenty-five square miles4 ,the rivers   
,ouse and ,trent which1 united1 form the
 ,humber1 receive the waters of the     
,aire1 ,calder1 ,don1 ,old ,don1        
,derwent1 ,idle1 ,sheaf1 ,soar1 ,nidd1  
,yore1 ,wharfe1 c41 c4  ,from the waters
 of this far-famed river--the           
,humber--,mr4 ,ellerthorpe rescued      
thirty-one human beings from drowning4  
,for the rapid sale of #c1ejj copies of 
the ',life of the ,hero1' the ,author   
thanks a generous public4 ,a series of  
articles extracted from the first       

edition appeared in ',home ,words4' ,an 
illustrated article also appears in     
,cassell's ',heroes of ,britain in      
,peace and ,war1' in which the writer   
speaks of the present biography as      
',that very interesting book in which   
the history of ,ellerthorpe's life is   
told4 7,p4 #a4 #b4 ,,part ,,xi47 ,the   
,author trusts that the present edition1
 containing an account of ',the ,hero's'
 last affliction1 death1 funeral1 etc41 
will render the work additionally       
interesting4                      ,,the 
,,writer4       #ec1 ,leonard ,street1  
,hull1 ,aug4 #dth1 #ahhj4               
,,contents4   ,,chap4                   
,,page  ,i4    ,his wicked and reckless 
career                            #a    
,,ii4   ,his conversion and inner       
experience                       #f     
,,iii4  ,his ,christian labours         
#ad  ,,iv4   ,his staunch teetotalism   
#bb  ,v4    ,his bold adventures on the 
water                         #ca  ,,vi4
   ,his method of rescuing the drowning 

#dd  ,,vii4  ,his gallant and humane    
conduct in rescuing the drowning  #ea   
,,viii4 ,the honoured hero              
#ie  ,,ix4   ,his general character1    
death1 etc4                      #aaf   
,x4    ,the hero's funeral              
#abb     ,the ,hero of the ,humber4     
,,chapter ,i4  ,,his ,,wicked ,,and     
,,reckless ,,career ,,as ,a ,,sailor4   
,the fine old town of ,hull has many    
institutions of which it is deservedly  
proud4 ,there is the ,charter house1 a  
monument of practical piety of the days 
of old4 ,there is the ,literary and     
,philosophical ,institute1 with its     
large and valuable library1 and its fine
 museum1 each of which is most          
handsomely housed4 ,there is the new    
,town ,hall1 the work of one of the     
town's most gifted sons4 ,there is the  
tall column erected in honour of        
,wilberforce1 in the days when the      
representatives of the law were expected
 to obey the laws1 and when the         
cultivation of a philanthropic feeling  

towards the negro had not gone out of   
fashion4 ,there is the ,trinity ,house1 
with its magnificent endowments1 which  
have for more than five centuries       
blessed the mariners of the port1 and   
which is now represented by alms-houses1
 so numerous1 so large1 so externally   
beautiful1 and so trimly kept as to be  
both morally and architecturally among  
the noblest ornaments of the town4      
,there is the ,port of ,hull ,society1  
with its chapel1 its reading-rooms1 its 
orphanage1 its seaman's mission1 all    
most generously supported4 ,there is    
that leaven of ancient pride which also 
may be classed among the institutions of
 the place1 and which operates in giving
 to a population by no means wealthy a  
habit of respectability1 and a look for 
the most part well-to-do4 ,but among    
none of these will be found the         
institution to which we are about to    
refer4 ,the institution that we are     
to-day concerned to honour is compact1  
is self-supporting1 is eminently        

philanthropic1 has done more good with  
very limited means than any other1 and  
is so much an object of legitimate      
pride1 that we have pleasure in making  
this unique institution more generally  
known4 ,a life-saving institution that  
has in the course of a few brief years  
rescued about fifty people from         
drowning1 and that has done so without  
expectation of reward1 deserves to be   
named1 and the name of this institution 
is simply that of a comparatively poor  
man--,john ,ellerthorpe1 dock           
gatekeeper1 at the entrance of the      
,humber ,dock4'  ,such was the strain in
 which the ,sheffield ,daily ,telegraph1
 in a ,leader 7,march #agth1 #ahfh71    
spoke of the character and doings of him
 whom a grateful and admiring town      
entitled ',the ,hero of the ,humber4'   
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,nativity4  ,he was   
born at ,rawcliffe1 a small village near
 ,snaith1 ,yorkshire1 in the year #ahjf4
 ,his ancestors1 as far as we can trace 
them1 were all connected with the       

sea-faring life4 ,his father1 ,john     
,ellerthorpe1 owned a ',keel' which     
sailed between ,rawcliffe and the large 
towns in the ,west ,riding of           
,yorkshire1 and ,john often accompanied 
him during his voyages4 ,his mother was 
a woman of great practical sagacity and 
unquestionable honesty and piety1 and   
from her young ,john extended many of   
the high and noble qualities which      
distinguished his career4 ,much of his  
childhood1 however1 was passed at the   
',anchor' public house1 ,rawcliffe1 kept
 by his paternal grandmother1 where he  
early became an adept swearer and a     
lover of the pot1 and for upwards of    
forty years--to use his own language--he
 was 'a drunken blackard4'  ,when ,john 
was ten years of age his father removed 
to ,hessle4 ,about this time ,john heard
 that flaming evangelist1 the ,rev4     
,william ,clowes1 preach near the 'old  
pump' at ,hessle1 and he retired from   
the service with good resolutions in his
 breast1 and sought a place of prayer4  

,soon after he heard the famous ,john   
,oxtoby preach1 and he says1 ',i was    
truly converted under his sermon1 and   
for sometime ,i enjoyed a clear sense of
 forgiveness4' ,his mother's heart      
rejoiced at the change2 but from his    
father1 who was an habitual drunkard1 he
 met with much opposition and           
persecution1 and being but a boy1 and   
possessing a very impressionable nature1
 ,john soon joined his former corrupt   
associates and cast off1 for upwards of 
thirty years1 even the form of prayer4  
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,love ,,of ,,the      
,,water4  ,ellerthorpe was born with a  
passion for salt water4 ,he was reared  
on the banks of a well navigated river1 
the ,humber1 and1 in his boyhood1 he    
liked not only to be on the water1 but  
in it4 ,he also accompanied his father  
on his voyages1 and when left at home he
 spent most of his time in the company  
of seamen1 and these awakened within him
 the tastes and ambition of a sailor4   
,he went to sea when fourteen years of  

age1 and for three years sailed in the  
brig ',jubilee1' then trading between   
,hull and ,london4 ,the next four years 
were spent under ,captain ,knill1 on    
board of the ',westmoreland1' trading   
between ,hull and ,quebec1 ,america4    
,afterwards he spent several years in   
the ,baltic trade4 ,when the steam      
packet1 ',magna ,charter1' began to run 
between ,hull and ,new ,holland1 ,john  
became a sailor on board and afterwards 
,captain of the vessel4 ,he next became 
,captain of a steamer that ran between  
,barton and ,hessle4 ,he then sailed in 
a vessel between ,hull and ,america4 ,in
 #ahde1 he entered the service of the   
,hull ,dock ,company1 in which situation
 he remained up to the time of his      
death4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,youthful     
,,career4  ,fifty years ago our sailors1
 generally speaking1 were a grossly     
wicked class of men4 ,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 deep4

 ,landsmen1 while comfortably seated    
round a winter's fire1 listening to the 
storm and tempest raging without1 were  
not only struck with amazement at the   
courage and endurance of sailors in     
exposing themselves to the elements1    
but1 influenced by their imagination1   
magnified the energy and bravery that   
overcame them4 ,peasants gazed with wild
 astonishment on the village lad        
returned1 after a few years absence1 a  
veritable ',jack tar4' ,the credulity of
 these delighted listeners tempted ,jack
 to 'spin his yarns1' and tell his tales
 of nautical adventures1 real or        
imaginary4 ,hence1 he was everywhere    
greeted with a genial and profuse       
hospitality4 ,the best seat in the      
house1 the choicest drinks in the       
cellar1 were for ,jack4 ,our ships of   
commerce1 like so many shuttles1 were   
rapidly weaving together the nations of 
the earth in friendly amity4 ,besides1 a
 romantic sentiment and feeling1        
generated to a great extent by the      

victories which our invincible navy had 
won during the battles of the ,nile1 and
 perpetuated by ,nelson's sublime battle
 cry1 ',england expects every man to do 
his duty1' helped to swell the tide of  
sympathy in favour of the sailor4 ,under
 these circumstances ,jack became       
,society's indulged and favoured guest2 
and yet he remained outside of it4      
',peculiarities incident to his         
profession1 and which ought to have been
 corrected by education and religion1   
became essential features of character  
in the public mind4 ,a sailor became an 
idea--a valuable menial in the service  
of the commonwealth1 but as strange and 
as eccentric in his habits as the walk  
of some amphibious animal1 or web-footed
 aquatic on land4 ,to purchase a score  
of watches1 and to fry them in a pan    
with beer1 to charter half a dozen      
coaches1 and invite foot passengers     
inside1 while he 'kept on deck1' or in  
any way to scatter his hard earnings of 
a twelvemonth in as many hours1 was     

considered frolicsome thoughtlessness1  
which was more than compensated by the  
throwing away of a purse of gold to some
 poor woman in distress4' ,land-sharks  
and crimps beset the young sailor in    
every sea port2 low music halls and     
dingy taverns and beer shops presented  
their attractions2 and there the 'jolly 
tars' used to swallow their poisonous   
compounds1 and roar out ribald songs1   
and dance their clumsy fandangoes with  
the vilest outcasts of society4 ',it is 
a necessary evil1' said some2 'it is the
 very nature of sailors1 poor fellows4' 
,while the thoughtless multitude were   
immensely tickled with ,jack's mad      
antics and drolleries4 ,generous to a   
fault to all who were in need1 ,jack's  
motto was3--      ,while there's a shot 
in the locker1 a messmate to bless1     
,it shall always be shared with a friend
 in distress4  ,sidenote3 ,,jack',s     
,,frolics4  ,amid such scenes as these  
our friend spent a great portion of his 
youth and early manhood4 ,the loud      

ribald laugh1 the vile jest and song1   
the midnight uproar1 the drunken row1   
the flaunting dress and impudent        
gestures of the wretched women who      
frequent our places of ungodly          
resort--amid such scenes as these1 did  
he waste his precious time and squander 
away much of his hard earned money4 ,but
 though a wild and reckless sailor1 his 
warm and generous heart was ever        
impelling him to noble and generous     
deeds4 ,if he sometimes became the dupe 
of the designing1 and indulged in the   
wild revelry of passion1 at other times 
he gave way to an outburst of generosity
 bordering on prodigality1 relieving the
 necessities of the poor1 or true to the
 instincts of a ,british tar standing up
 to redress the wrongs of the oppressed4
     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,his ,,conversion
 ,,and ,,inner ,,experience4   ,when far
 away on the sea1 and while mingling in 
all the dissipated scenes of a sailor's 
life1 ,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 ,ghost4' ,serious  
thoughts would rise in his mind1 and    
those seeds of truth1 sown in his heart 
while listening to ,clowes and ,oxtoby1 
and which for years seemed dead1 would  
be quickened into life4 ,he had often   
wished to hear ,mr4 ,clowes once more1  
and on seeing a placard announcing that 
he would preach at the opening of the   
,nile ,street ,chapel1 ,hull 7#ahdf71 he
 hastened home1 and1 sailor-like1       
quaintly observed to his wife1 ',why    
that old ,clowes is living and is going 
to preach4 ,let's go and hear him4' ,on 
the following ,sunday he went to the    
chapel1 but it was so many years since  
he had been to ,god's house that he now 
felt ashamed to enter1 and for some     
minutes he wandered to and fro in front 
of the chapel4 ,at length he ventured to
 go in1 and sat down in a small pew just
 within the door4 ,his mind was deeply  
affected1 and ere the next ,sabbath he  

had taken two sittings in the chapel4   
,about this time1 the ,rev4 ,charles    
,jones1 of blessed memory1 began his    
career as a missionary in ,hull4 ,he    
laboured during six years1 with great   
success1 in the streets1 and yards1 and 
alleys of the town2 and scores now in   
heaven and hundreds on their way        
thither1 will1 through all eternity1    
have to bless ,god that ,primitive      
,methodism ever sent him to labour in   
,hull4 ,the ,rev4 ,g4 ,lamb prepared the
 people to receive him by styling him 'a
 bundle of love4' ,john went to hear    
him1 and charmed by his preaching and   
allured by the grace of ,god1 his       
religious feelings were deepened4 ,soon 
after this1 and through the labours of  
,mr4 ,lamb1 he obtained peace with ,god1
 and ,i have heard him say at our       
lovefeasts1 ',jones knocked me down1 but
 it was ,mr4 ,lamb that picked me up4'  
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,serious              
,,impressions4  ,sidenote3 ,,his        
,,conversion4  ,being invited by two    

,christian friends to attend a class    
meeting on the following ,sabbath       
morning1 he went4 ,as he sat in that old
 room in ,west ,street ,chapel1 a       
thousand gloomy thoughts and fearful    
apprehensions crossed his mind1 and     
casting many a glance towards the door1 
he 'felt as though he must dart out4'   
,but when ,mr4 ,john ,sissons1 the      
leader of the class1 said1 with his     
usual kind smile and sympathizing       
look3--',i'm glad to see you1' and then 
proceeded to give him suitable council  
and encouragement1 ,john's heart melted 
and his eyes filled with tears2 and1 on 
being invited to repeat his visit on the
 following ,sabbath1 he at once         
consented4 ,one of the friends who had  
accompanied him to the class1 said1     
',now ,god has sown the seed of grace in
 your heart and the enemy will try to   
sow tares1 but if you resist the devil  
he will flee from you1' and scarcely had
 ,john left the room ere the battle     
began4 ',oh1 what a fool' he thought1   

',i was to promise to go again1' and    
when he got home he said to his wife1   
',i've been to class1 and what is worse1
 ,i have promised to go again1 and ,i   
dar'nt run off4' ,mrs4 ,ellerthorpe1 who
 had begun to watch with some interest  
her husband's struggles1 wisely replied1
 ',go1 for you cannot go to a better    
place1 ,i intend to go to ,mr4 ,jones'  
class4' ,all the next week ,john was in 
great perplexity1 thinking1 ',what can  
,i say if ,i go8 ,if ,i tell them the   
same tale ,i told them last week they   
will say ,i've got it off by memory4'   
,on the following ,sabbath morning he   
was in the street half resolved not to  
go to class1 when he thought1 ',did'nt  
my friend say the devil would tempt me  
and that ,i was to resist him8 ,perhaps 
it is the devil that is filling me with 
these distressing feelings1 but ,i'll   
resist him1' and1 suiting his action to 
his words1 in a moment1 ,john was seen  
darting along the street at his utmost  
speed2 nor did he pause till1 panting   

and almost breathless1 he found himself 
seated in the vestry of the ,primitive  
,methodist ,chapel1 ,west ,street4 ,he  
regarded that meeting as the turning    
point in his spiritual history1 and in  
the review it possessed to him an       
undying charm4 ,there a full1 free1 and 
present salvation was pressed on the    
people4 ,the short way to the cross was 
pointed out4 ,the blessedness of the man
 whose transgression is forgiven was    
realized4 ,the direct and comforting    
witness of the ,holy ,spirit to the     
believer's adoption was proclaimed4 ,and
 there believers were exhorted to grow  
richer in holiness and riper in         
knowledge every day4 ,and while ,john   
sat and listened to ,god's people1 he   
felt a divine power coming down from on 
high1 which he could not comprehend1 but
 which1 however1 he joyously            
experienced4 ,he joined the class that  
morning and continued a member five     
years1 when he became connected with our
 new chapel in ,thornton ,street4       

,around these services in the old vestry
 at ,west ,street1 cluster the grateful 
recollections of many now living and of 
numbers who have crossed the flood4 ,how
 often has that room resounded with the 
cries of penitent sinners and the songs 
of rejoicing believers8  ,sidenote3     
,,visits ,,his ,,mother4  ,soon after   
our friend had united himself with the  
people of ,god he paid a visit to his   
mother1 who was in a dying state4 ,it   
was on a beautiful ,sabbath morning1 in 
the month of ,june1 and while walking   
along the road1 between ,hull and       
,hessle1 and reflecting on the change he
 had experienced1 he was filled         
'unutterably full of glory and of ,god4'
 ,that morning1 with its glorious       
visitation of grace1 he never forgot4   
,his soul had new feelings2 his heart   
throbbed with a new1 a strange1 a divine
 joy4 ,peace reigned within and all     
around was lovely4 ,the sun seemed to   
shine more brightly1 and the birds sang 
a sweeter song4 ,the flowers wore a more

 beautiful aspect1 and the very grass   
seemed clothed in a more vivid green4   
,it was like a little heaven below4 ',as
 ,i walked along1' he says1 ',i shouted1
 glory1 glory1 glory1 and ,i am sure if 
a number of sinners had heard me they   
would have thought me mad4'  ,but was he
 mad8 ,did not the pentecostal converts 
'eat their meat with gladness and       
singleness of heart1 praising ,god8'    
,did not the converts in ,samaria 'make 
great joy in the city8' ,did not the    
,ethiopian ,eunuch1 having obtained     
salvation1 'go on his way rejoicing8'   
,and ,charles ,wesley1 four days after  
his conversion1 thus expressed the joy  
he felt--      ,i rode on the sky so    
happy was ,i1       ,nor envied ,elijah 
his seat2     ,my soul mounted higher in
 a chariot of fire       ,as the moon   
was under my feet4  ,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    
theirs2 and though the religion of the  

,saviour requires us to surrender many  
pleasures and endure peculiar sorrows1  
yet it is1 supremely1 the religion of   
peace1 joy1 and overflowing gladness4   
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe was never guilty of   
proclaiming with the trumpet tongue of a
 ,pharisee1 either what he felt or did1 
and though he kept a carefully written  
diary1 extending over several volumes1  
and the reading of which has been a     
great spiritual treat to the writer of  
this book1--revealing1 as it does1 the  
secret of that intense earnestness1     
unbending integrity1 active benevolence1
 and readiness for every good word and  
work by which our friend's religious    
career was distinguished1--yet of that  
diary our space will permit us to make  
but the briefest use4 ,take the         
following extracts3--  ',january #a1    
#aheb4--;,i1 ,john ,ellerthorpe1 here in
 the presence of my ,god1 before whom ,i
 bow1 covenant to live nearer to ,him   
than ,i have done in the year that has  
rolled into eternity4'  ,sidenote3 ,,his

 ,,pious ,,resolutions4  ,resolutions4  
'#ast4 ,i will bow three times a day in 
secret4  #bnd4 ,i will attend all the   
means of grace ,i can4  #crd4 ,i will   
visit what sick ,i can4  #dth4 ,i will  
speak ill of no man4  #eth4 ,i will hear
 nothing against any man1 especially    
those who belong to the same society4   
#fth4 ,i will respect all men1          
especially ,christians4  #gth4 ,i will  
pray for a revival4  #hth4 ,i will guard
 against all bad language and ill       
feeling4  #ith4 ,i will never speak rash
 to any man4  #ajth4 ,i will be honest  
in all my dealings4  #aath4 ,i will     
always speak the truth4  #abth4 ,i will 
never contract a debt without a proper  
prospect of payment4  #acth4 ,i will    
read three chapters of the ,bible daily4
  #adth4 ,i will get all to class ,i    
possibly can4  #aeth4 ,i will set a good
 example before all men1 and especially 
my own family4  #afth4 ,i will not be   
bound for any man4  #agth4 ,i will not  
argue on scripture with any man4  #ahth4

 ,i will endeavour to improve my time4  
#aith4 ,i will endeavour to be ready    
every moment4  #bjth4 ,i will leave all 
my concerns in the hands of my ,god1 for
 ,christ's sake4 ,all these ,i intend1  
by the help of my ,god1 diligently to   
perform4'  ,that he always carried out  
these resolutions is more than his diary
 will warrant us to say4 ,he sometimes  
missed the mark1 and came short of his  
aim4 ,he suffered from a certain        
hastiness of temper1 and ruggedness of  
disposition1 which1 to use his own      
words1 'cost him a vast deal of watching
 and praying4 ,but the ,lord1' he adds1 
'has helped me in a wonderful manner1   
and ,i believe ,i shall reap if ,i faint
 not4' ,the following extracts from his 
diary will give some idea of his inner  
experience3--  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,diary4
  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,inner ,,experience4
  ',january #ahej4 #eth4--,i feel the   
hardness of my heart and the littleness 
of my love1 yet ,i am in a great degree 
able to deny myself to take up my cross 

to follow ,christ through good and evil 
report4 #gth4--,i feel that ,i am       
growing in grace and that ,i have more  
power over temptation1 and over myself  
than ,i had some time since1 but ,i want
 the witness of full sanctification4    
#hth4--,what is now the state of my     
mind8 ,do ,i now enjoy an interest in   
,christ8 ,am ,i a child of ,god8 ,it is 
suggested by ,satan that ,i am guilty of
 many imperfections4 ,i know it1 but ,i 
know also if any man sin1 etc4 ,feb4    
#ahth4--,i feel my heart is very hard   
and stubborn1 that ,i am proud and      
haughty and very bad tempered1 but ,god 
can1 and ,i believe he will1 break my   
rocky heart in pieces4 ,march           
#crd4--,this has been a good ,sabbath2  
we had a good prayer meeting at #g      
o'clock1 a profitable class at #i1 in   
the school the ,lord was with us1 and   
the preaching services were good4       
#dth4--,last night ,i had a severe      
attack of my old complaint and suffered 
greatly for many hours1 but ,i called   

upon ,god and he delivered me4          
#afth4--,i am in good health1 for which1
 and the use of my reason1 and all the  
blessings that ,god bestows upon me1 ,i 
am thankful4 ,i am unworthy of the least
 of them4 ,o that ,i could love ,god ten
 thousand times more than ,i do2 for ,i 
feel ashamed of myself that ,i love him 
so little4 #aith4--,i am ill in body but
 well in soul4 ,the flesh may give way1 
and the devil may tempt me1 and all hell
 may rage1 yet ,i believe the ,lord will
 bring me through4 ,april               
#fth4--,to-day1 in the haste of my      
temper1 ,i called a man a liar4 ,i now  
feel that ,i did wrong in the sight of  
,god and man4 ,i am deeply sorry4 ,may  
,god forgive me1 and may ,i sin no more4
 ,may #fth4--,o ,god make me faithful   
and give to thy servant the spirit of   
prayer4 ,like ,david1 ,i want to        
resolve1 ,speak1 ,lord2 for thy servant 
heareth2 like ,mary ,i want to ponder   
these things in my heart2 like the      
,bereans ,i want to search the          

scriptures daily and in the spirit of   
,samuel to say ,speak1 ,lord2 for thy   
servant heareth4 ,may #bjth4--,i am at  
,hessle feast1 and thank ,god it has    
been a feast to my soul4 ,i have        
attended one prayer meeting1 two class  
meetings1 three preaching services4     
,bless ,god for these means of grace4   
,my little book is full and ,i do trust 
,i am a better man than when ,i began to
 write my diary4 #bith4--,my dear wife  
is very ill1 but the ,lord does all     
things well4 ,i know that ,he can1 and  
believe that ,he will1 raise her up     
again and that the affliction of her    
body will turn to the salvation of her  
soul4 #cjth4--,i am now laid under fresh
 obligations to ,god4 ,he has given me  
another son4 ,may he be a goodly child1 
like ,moses1 and grow up to be a man    
after ,god's own heart4 ,july           
#crd4--,this day the ,victoria docks    
have been opened4 ,it has been a day of 
trial and conflict1 for ,i ran the      
,packet into a ,schooner and did #aj    

damage4 ,it was a trial of my faith1 and
 through the assistance of ,god ,i      
overcame4 ,august #bjth4--,sunday4--,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 afraid4 ,it is   
all of ,god's wisdom1 and mercy1 and    
goodness4 ,september #aath4--,to-night  
,i put my wife's name in the class book2
 may she be a very good member1 such a  
one as ,thou wilt own when ,thou numbers
 up ,thy jewels4 ,october #aath4--,i did
 wrong last night1 being quite in a     
passion at my wife1 which grieved her4  
,lord help me and make me never differ  
with her again4 #abth4--,i feel much    
better in my soul this morning and will1
 from this day promise in the strength  
of grace1 never to allow myself to be   
thrown into a passion again3 it grieves 
my soul1 it hurts my mind4 #ahea4       
,january #gth4--,five years this day ,i 
entered my present situation under the  

,hull ,dock ,company4 ,then ,i was a    
drunken man1 and a great swearer2 but ,i
 thank ,god he has changed my heart4    
#ahth4--,this has been a very           
troublesome day to my soul4 ,i have been
 busy with the sunken packet all day and
 hav'nt had time to get to prayer4 ,my  
soul feels hungry4 #bith4--,this has    
been a day of prayerful anxiety about my
 son2 he has passed his third           
examination1 ,god having heard my prayer
 on his behalf4 ,feb4 #bdth4--,i have   
been to the teetotal meeting and have   
taken the pledge1 and ,i intend1 through
 the grace of ,god1 to keep as long as  
,i live4 ,march #ast4--,the ,rev4 ,w4   
,clowes is still alive4 ,may the ,lord  
grant that he may not have much pain4   
,while brother ,newton and ,i were in   
the room with him we felt it good2 ,o   
the beauty of seeing a good man in a    
dying state4 ,may ,i live the life of   
the righteous and may my last end be    
like ,mr4 ,clowes's4 #bnd4--,the first  
thing ,i did this morning was to go and 

inquire after ,mr4 ,clowes4 ,i found    
that life was gone and that his happy   
spirit had taken its flight to heaven4  
#dth4--,i am more than ever convinced of
 the great advantage we derive from     
entire sanctification2 it preserves the 
soul in rest amid the toils of life2 it 
gives satisfaction with every situation 
in which ,god pleases to place us4'     
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,religious ,,warmth4  
,sailor like ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe was      
earnest1 impulsive1 enthusiastic1       
carrying a warm ardour and a brisk life 
into all his duties4 ,he did not love a 
continual calm1 rather he preferred the 
storm4 ,he did not believe that because 
he was on board a good ship1 had shaped 
his course aright1 and had a compass    
never losing its polarity1 that he would
 reach port whether he made sail or not1
 whether he minded his helm or not4 ,he 
knew he couldn't drift into port4 ,with 
waterlogged and becalmed ,christians or 
those who heaved to crafts expecting to 
drift to the celestial heaven1 he had   

but little fellowship4 ,such he would   
cause to shake out reefs and have yards 
well trimmed to catch every breeze from 
the millenial trade winds4     ,,chapter
 ,,iii4  ,,his ,,christian ,,labours4   
,having become a subject of saving      
grace1 ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe felt an earnest
 desire that others should participate  
in the same benefit4 ,nor was there any 
object so dear to his heart1 and upon   
which he was at all times so ready to   
speak1 as the conversion of sinners4 ,he
 knew he did not possess the requisite  
ability for preaching the gospel1 and   
therefore he sought out a humbler sphere
 in which his new-born zeal might spend 
its fires1 and in that sphere he        
laboured1 with remarkable success1      
during a quarter of a century4 ,i now   
refer to the sick chamber4  ,during all 
that time he took a deep interest in the
 sick and the dying2 and for several    
years after his conversion1 having much 
time at his disposal1 he would often    
visit as many as twenty families per    

day1 for weeks together4 ,when ,cholera1
 that mysterious disease1 with its      
sudden attacks1 its racking cramps1 its 
icy cold touch1 and its almost          
resistless progress1 swept through the  
town of ,hull1 in the year #ahdi1       
leaving one thousand eight hundred and  
sixty1--or one in forty of the entire   
population1--dead1 our friend was at any
 one's call1 and never refused a single 
application2 indeed1 he was known as a  
great visitor of the sick and dying1 and
 was often called in extreme cases to   
visit those from whom others shrank lest
 they should catch the contagion of the 
disorder4 ,the scenes of suffering and  
distress which he witnessed baffled     
description4 ,on one occasion he entered
 a room where a whole family were       
smitten with cholera4 ,the wife lay cold
 and dead in one corner of the room1 a  
child had just expired in another       
corner1 and the husband and father was  
dying1 amidst excruciating pain1 in the 
middle of the room4 ,john knelt down and

 spoke words of ,christian comfort to   
the man1 who died in a few moments4     
,sidenote3 ,,he ,,visits ,,the ,,sick4  
,for years1 he was in the habit of      
accompanying ,mr4 ,jones1 when visiting 
the miserable garrets1 obscure yards1   
and wretched alleys in ,hull1 and was   
considered his 'right hand man1' in     
helping to hold open-air services4 ,they
 often went in company to such wretched 
localities as ',leadenhall ,square1'    
then the greatest cesspool of vice in   
the ,port1 and1 well supplied with      
tracts1 visited every house4 ,during the
 intervals of public worship1 on the    
,sabbath day1 when he might have been   
enjoying himself in the circle of his   
family1 on a clean hearth1 before a     
bright fire1 he was pointing perishing  
sinners to the ,lamb of ,god4 ,when our 
new and beautiful chapel in ,great      
,thornton ,street was discovered to be  
on fire1 at noon1--,march1 #ahef1 he was
 at the bedside of an afflicted woman1  
,mrs4 ,wright1 speaking to her of her   

past sins and of a precious ,saviour4   
,he had spent some time with her daily  
for months1 but just at this time he    
became ,foreman of the ,victoria ,dock  
and could no longer pay his daily visits
 to the sick1 which greatly distressed  
,mrs4 ,wright and others2 but duty      
called him elsewhere and he obeyed its  
voice4 ,he says1 ',i durst not make any 
fresh engagements to visit the sick1 and
 up to the present time 7#ahfg7 ,i have 
rarely been able to visit1 except on the
 ,sabbath day1 all my time being        
required at the dock gates4 ,but on the 
,sabbath ,i love to get to the bedside  
of the sick2 nothing does me more good2 
there my soul is often refreshed and my 
zeal invigorated4'  ,those who are most 
averse to religion in life1 generally   
desire to share its benefits in death4  
,their religion is very much like the   
great coats which persons of delicate   
health wear in this changeable climate1 
and which they use in foul weather1 but 
lay aside when it is fair4 ',lord1' says

 ,david1 'in trouble they visited thee1 
they poured out a prayer when thy       
chastening was upon them4'  ,sidenote3  
,,accompanies ,,mr4 ,,jones4  ,nor would
 we intimate that none truly repent of  
their sins and obtain forgiveness1 under
 such circumstances4 ,though late       
repentance is seldom genuine1 yet1 as   
,mr4 ,jay remarks1 genuine repentance is
 never too late4 ,god can pardon the    
sins of a century as easily as those of 
a day4 ,our friend was the means1 in the
 hand of ,god1 of leading many1 when    
worn by sickness and at the eleventh    
hour of life1 to the ,lamb of ,god4 ,his
 carefully kept diary records many such 
instances4 ,we give one4 ,he says1 ',i  
remember one ,sunday coming from ,hessle
 with the ,rev4 ,c4 ,jones4 ,our hearts 
burned within us as we talked by the    
way1 and when we got to ,coultam        
,street1 a number of well-dressed young 
men overheard our conversation1 and     
began to shout after us and call us     
approbrious names4 ,mr4 ,j4 talked with 

them1 but to no purpose4 ,four months   
after1 ,mr4 ,jones and myself went1 as  
usual1 to visit the inmates of the      
infirmary2 ,mr4 ,j4 took one side and ,i
 the other1 and when ,i came to a person
 who needed special counsel and advice1 
,i used to call my friend to my aid4    
,well1 we met with a young man who burst
 into a flood of tears1 and casting an  
imploring look towards ,mr4 ,jones1 he  
said1 ,o sir1 do forgive me4 ,forgive   
you what8 said ,mr4 ,j4 what have you   
done that you should ask me to forgive  
you8 ,sir1 said he1 ,i am one of those  
young men who were so impertinent to you
 one ,sunday when you were returning    
from ,hessle2 do forgive me1 sir4 ,i    
freely forgive you1 replied my friend1  
you must ask ,god to forgive you1 for it
 is against him you have sinned4 ,we    
then prayed with him1 and asked ,god to 
forgive him4 ,he was suffering from a   
broken leg1 and ,i often used to visit  
him after our first interview4 ,he      
obtained pardon1 and rejoiced in ,christ

 as his ,saviour4 ,he was a brand       
plucked from the burning4'  ,sidenote3  
,,sick-,,bed ,,repentance4  ,but ,mr4   
,ellerthorpe also tells us that though  
he visited1 during twenty-five years1   
hundreds of persons who cried aloud for 
mercy and professed to obtain           
forgiveness1 on what was feared would be
 their dying beds1 yet1 he did not      
remember more than five or six who1 on  
being restored to health1 lived so as to
 prove their conversion genuine4 ,the   
rest returned 'like the dog to its      
vomit1 and the sow that was washed to   
her wallowing in the mire4' ,the        
,sabbath-breaker forgot his vows and    
promises1 and returned to his ,sunday   
pleasures4 ,the swearer allowed his     
tongue to move as unchecked in insulting
 his ,maker as before4 ,the drunkard    
thirsted for his intoxicating cups and  
returned to the scenes of his former    
dissipations2 and the profligate1 who   
avowed himself a 'changed man1' when    
health was fully restored1 laughed at   

religion as a fancy1 and hastened to    
wallow in the mire of pollution4 ,he had
 scarcely a particle of faith in        
sick-bed repentances1 but believed that 
in most instances they are solemn       
farces4  ,deeply affecting and          
admonitory are some of the instances he 
records4 ,he says1 ',one night an       
engineer called me out of bed to visit  
his wife1 who was attacked with cholera4
 ,while ,i was praying with her1 he was 
seized with the complaint4 ,i visited   
them again the next day1 when the woman 
died1 but the husband1 after a long     
affliction1 recovered4 ,he seemed       
sincerely penitent and made great       
promises of amendment4 ,but1 alas6 like 
hundreds more whom ,i visited1 he no    
sooner recovered1 than he sought to shun
 me4 ,at length he left the part of the 
town where he resided when ,i first     
visited him1 as he said1 to get out of  
my way4 ,but at that time1 ,i visited in
 all parts of the town1 and ,i often met
 him1 and it used to pain me to see the 

dodges he had recourse to in order to   
avoid meeting me in the street4'  ,he   
also records the case of a carter who   
resided in ,collier ,street4 ,he was    
attacked with small pox1 and was        
horrible to look at and infectious to   
come near1 but being urged to visit him1
 ',i went to see him daily for a long   
time1' says ,john4 ',one day when ,i    
called ,i found him1 his wife1 and child
 bathed in tears1 for the doctor had    
just told them that the husband and     
father would be dead in a few hours4 ,we
 all prayed that ,god would spare him1  
and spared he was4 ,i continued to visit
 him thrice a day1 and he promised that 
he would accompany me to class when he  
got better4 ,at that time he seemed as  
though he would have had me ever with   
him4 ,one day1 as ,i entered his room1  
he said1 ,o ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 how ,i   
love to hear your foot coming into my   
house4 ,i replied1 ',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 mine8'    
,never1 no never1 was his reply4 ,i     
answered1 ',well1 ,i wish and hope it   
may never happen as ,i have supposed4'  
,now1 what followed8 ,he went once to   
class1 but ,i could not attend that     
night1 having to watch the tide1 and he 
never went again4 ,i have seen him in   
the streets when he would go anywhere1  
or turn down any passage1 rather than   
meet me2 and when compelled to meet me  
he would look up at the sky or survey   
the chimney tops rather than see me4'   
,sidenote3 ,,admonitory ,,instances4    
',on one occasion1 when visiting at the 
,infirmary1 going from ward to ward1 and
 from bed to bed1 ,i met with a young   
man1 ,s4 ,b----4 ,he was very bad1 and  
was afraid he was going to die4 ,i      
talked with him often and long1 pointing
 him to the ,saviour1 and prayed with   
him4 ,with penitential tears and earnest
 cries he sought mercy1 and at length   
professed to obtain salvation4 ,he      
recovered4 ,one ,sunday1 when at        

,hessle1 visiting my dying mother1 ,i   
met this young man1 and ,i shall never  
forget his agitated frame1 and terrified
 appearance1 when he saw me4 ,he looked 
this way and that way2 ,i said1 ',well1 
,b----1 are you all right8 ,have you    
kept the promises you made to the       
,lord8' ,a blush of shame covered his   
face4 ,i said ',why do you look so sad8 
,have ,i injured you8' ',no1 ,sir4'     
',have you injured me8' ',i hope not1'  
was his reply4 ',then look me in the    
face2 are you beyond ,god's reach1 or do
 you think that because he has restored 
your health once1 he will not afflict   
you again8 ,ah6 my boy1 the next time   
may be much worse than the last4 ,and do
 you think ,god will believe you if you 
again promise to serve him8 ,he looked  
round him and seemed as though he would 
have leaped over a drain that was close 
by4'  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,charity4       
,conscience is a busy power within the  
breast of the most desperate1 and when  
roused by the prospect of death and     

judgment1 it speaks in terrible tones4  
,the notorious ,muller denied the murder
 of ,mr4 ,briggs1 until1 with cap on his
 face and the rope round his neck1 he   
submitted to the final appeal and       
acknowledged1 as he launched into       
eternity1 ',yes1 ,i have done it4' ,but 
the cries of these persons seem to have 
arisen1 not from an abhorrence of sin1  
but from a dread of punishment2 they    
feared hell1 and hence they wished for  
heaven2 they desired to be saved from   
the consequences of sin1 but were not   
delivered from the love of it4 ,need we 
wonder that our friend had but little   
faith in a sick-bed repentance8         
,scripture and reason alike warn us     
against trusting to such repentance1    
',be not deceived2 ,god is not mocked3  
for whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall 
he also reap4 ,for he that soweth to the
 flesh shall of the flesh reap          
corruption2 but he that soweth to the   
,spirit shall of the ,spirit reap life  
everlasting4'  ,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 creatures1  
yet the latter were not forgotten by    
him2 and it sometimes grieved him that  
he could not more largely minister to   
the temporal wants of the poor1 the     
fatherless1 the orphans1 and the widows1
 whom he visited4  ,sidenote3 ,,his     
,,self-,,denial4  ,and perhaps one of   
the most painful trials a visitor of the
 sick endures is1 to go moneyless to a  
chamber that has been crossed by want1  
and whose inmate is utterly unable to   
supply his own necessities2 but when the
 visitor can relieve the physical as    
well as the spiritual necessities of the
 sufferer1 with what a buoyant step and 
cheerful heart he enters the abode of   
poverty and suffering6 ,and his words1  
instead of falling like icicles on the  
sufferer's soul1 fall on it as          
refreshing as a summer rain1 warm as the
 tempered ray1 and welcome as a mother's

 love4 ,such a visitor has often chased 
despair from the abode of wretchedness1 
and filled it with the atmosphere of    
hope4  ,sidenote3 ,,gives ,,up          
,,tobacco4  ,hence1 that he might       
participate in this joy1 and have       
wherewith to relieve the needy1 ,mr4    
,ellerthorpe abstained from the use of  
tobacco1 of which1 at one period of his 
life1 he was an immoderate consumer4    
,one ,sabbath morning1 while he and ,mr4
 ,harrison were visiting the sick1 they 
met two wretched-looking boys1 fearfully
 marked with small pox 7from an attack  
of which complaint they were beginning  
to recover71 and crying for a drink of  
milk4 ,their father1 who was far        
advanced in life1 could not supply their
 wants4 ,john's heart was touched1 and  
he thought1 ',here am ,i1 possessed of  
health1 food1 and raiment1 while these  
poor children are festering with        
disease1 but scantily clothed1 and not  
half fed4 ,a sixpence1 a basin of milk1 
or a loaf of bread1 would be a boon to  

them4 ,can ,i help them8' ,he gave the  
old man sixpence1 while he and ,mr4     
,harrison told the milkman to leave a   
quantity of milk at the man's house     
daily1 for which they would pay4 ,it was
 with a radiant face1 and a tremble of  
glad emotion in his voice1 that our     
friend1 in relating this circumstance to
 us one day1 said3--',i felt a throb of 
pleasure when ,i did that little act of 
kindness1 such as ,i had never felt     
before1' when1 quick as lightning1 the  
thought crossed his mind1 ',why ,i smoke
 six pennyworth of tobacco every week6' 
and there and then he resolved to give  
up the practice4 ,on the next ,friday1  
when ,mrs4 ,ellerthorpe was setting down
 on paper a list of the groceries       
wanted1 she proceeded1 as usual1 to say1
 ',tea--,coffee--,sugar--,tobacco--1'   
',stop1' said her husband1 ',i've done  
with that4 ,i'll have no more4' ,now1   
,mrs4 ,e4 had always enjoyed seeing her 
husband smoke2 it had often proved a    
powerful sedative to him when wearied   

with the cares of life1 and the         
numberless irritations of his trying    
vocation1 and therefore she replied1    
',nonsense1 you will soon repent of that
 whim4 ,i shall get two ounces as usual1
 and ,i know you'll smoke it4' ',i shall
 never touch it again1' was his firm    
reply1 and ever after kept his word4    
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,teetotalism4  ,a     
world full of misery1 both temporal and 
spiritual1 surrounds us1 and which might
 be effectually relieved1 were all      
,christians1 many of whom are laggard in
 effort and niggard in bounty1 to       
manifest a tithe of the self-denial     
which ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe practiced4      
',what maintains one vice1 would support
 two children4' ,robert ,hall says3--,it
 is the practice of self-denial in a    
thousand little instances which forms   
the truest test of character4' ,mr4     
,fletcher1 ,vicar of ,madeley1 was on   
one occasion driven close for means to  
discharge the claims of the poor1 when  
he said to his wife1 ',o ,polly1 can we 

not do without beer8 ,let us drink      
water1 and eat less meat4 ,let our      
necessities give way to the extremities 
of the poor4' ,and at a meeting held the
 other night1 a donation was announced  
thus3--',a poor man's savings from      
tobacco1 #e4' ,and are there not tens of
 thousands of professors who could      
present similar offerings if they1 in   
the name and spirit of their great      
,master1 tried8 ,do we not often come in
 contact with men who complain that they
 cannot contribute to the cause of ,god 
and humanity1 who1 at the same time1    
indulge in the use of snuff1 tobacco1 or
 intoxicating drinks2 all of which might
 be laid aside to the gain of ,god's    
cause1 and without at all lessening     
either the health1 reputation1 or       
happiness of the consumer8 ,and are     
there not others1 of good social        
position1 who do not give as much to    
relieve the temporal sufferings of their
 fellow creatures1 during twelve months1
 as it costs them to provide a single   

feast for a few well-to-do friends8 ,the
 merchant who sold his chips and        
shavings1 and presented the proceeds to 
the cause of ,god1 while he kept the    
solid timber for himself1 is the type of
 too many professors of religion6       
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,his ,,staunch        
,,teetotalism4   ,perhaps no class of   
men have suffered more from the evils of
 intemperance than our brave sailors1   
fishermen1 and rivermen4 ,foreigners    
tell our missionaries to convert our    
drunken sailors abroad1 and when they   
wish to personify an ,englishman1 they  
mockingly reel about like a drunken man4
 ,and what lives have been lost through 
the intemperance of captains and crews6 
,the ',st4 ,george1' with #eej men3     
',the ,kent1' ',east ,indiaman1' with   
most of her passengers and crew3 ',the  
,ajax1' with #cej people3 ',the         
,rothsway ,castle1' with #ajj men on    
board1 with many others we might name1  
were all lost through the drunkenness of
 those in charge of the vessels4 ,of the

 forty persons whom our friend rescued  
from drowning1 a very large percentage  
got overboard through intemperance4 ,we 
read that on the morning following the  
,passover night in ,egypt1 there was not
 a house in which there was not one     
dead1 and it would be difficult to find 
a house in our land1 occupied by        
sailors1 in which this monster evil has 
not slain its victim1 either physically 
or morally4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,drunken 
,,father4  ,our friend1 speaking of his 
own family1 says3--',i owe my ,christian
 name to the favour with which          
drunkenness was regarded by my          
relatives4 ,soon after ,i was born1 one 
of my uncles asked1 ,what is the lad's  
name to be8 ,thomas1 replied my mother4 
,never1 said my uncle1 in surprise1 we  
had two ,thomas's1 and they both did    
badly2 call him ,john4 ,i have known    
four ,john's in the family1 and they    
were all great drunkards1 but that was  
the worst that could be said of them4   
',so it appears1' said our friend1 'that

 at that time it was thought no very bad
 thing for a man to get drunk1 if he was
 not in the habit of being brought      
before the magistrate for theft1 c4'    
,john's father was one of the four      
drunkards4 ,in early life he became a   
hard drinker1 and he continued the      
practice until a damaged constitution1  
emptied purse1 a careworn wife1 and a   
neglected family1 were the bitter fruits
 of his inebriation4 ',he drank hard1'  
says ,john1 'spending almost all his    
money in drink1 and was at last forced  
to sell his vessel and take to the      
menial work of helping to load and      
unload vessels4 ,at length he went to   
sea1 and for a long time we heard       
nothing of him2 nor did my mother       
receive any money from him4 ,in old age 
he was quite destitute1 and while it    
gave me great pleasure to minister to   
his necessities1 it often grieved me to 
think of the cause of his altered       
circumstances4'  ,nightly1 when ashore1 
,john1 the elder1 went to the public    

house1 and it was his invariable rule   
never to return home until his wife     
fetched him4 ,often1 when ,mrs4         
,ellerthorpe was in a feeble state of   
health1 and amid the howling winds and  
drenching rains of a winter's night1    
would she go in search of her drunken   
husband1 and by her winning ways and    
kind entreaties induce him to return    
home4 ,she was known to be a            
,god-fearing woman1 and often on the    
occasion of these visits1 her husband's 
companions--some of whom were 'tippling 
professors' of religion--would try to   
entangle her in religious conversation1 
but to every entreaty she had one reply1
 ',if you want to talk with me about    
religion come to my house4 ,i will not  
speak of it here2 for ,i am determined  
never to fight the devil on his own     
ground4'  ,sidenote3 ,,imitates ,,his   
,,father4  ,and was this ,christian     
woman wrong in calling the public house 
the devil's ground8 ,we have #adj1jjj of
 these houses in our land1 and are they 

not so many reservoirs from whence the  
devil floods our country with crime1    
wretchedness1 and woe8 ,is it not there 
that his deluded victims1 in thousands  
of instances1 destroy their fortune1    
ruin their health1 and form those habits
 which wither the beauty1 scatter the   
comforts1 blast the reputation1 and bury
 once happy families in the tomb of     
disgrace8 ,and is it not at the public  
house that the sounds of blasphemy1     
cursing1 and swearing1 sedition1        
uncleanness1 laciviousness1 hatred1     
quarrels1 murders1 gambling1 revelling1 
and such like1 are begun8 ,and you might
 as reasonably expect to preserve your  
health in a pest-house1 your modesty in 
a brothel1 and high-souled principles   
amongst gamesters1 as to expect to      
preserve your religious character       
undamaged amid the impure atmosphere of 
a public house4 ,can a man go upon hot  
coals and his feet not be burnt8 ,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 undo4  
,sidenote3 ,,becomes ,a ,,drunkard4  ,a 
youth1 on being urged to take the       
pledge1 said1 ',my father drinks1 and ,i
 don't want to be better than my        
father4' ,and1 alas6 for our friend1 he 
early imbibed the tastes and followed   
the example of his father1 for drink got
 the mastery of him4 ,speaking of his   
boyhood1 he says1 ',i remember a man    
saying to my father1 ,your son is a     
sharp lad1 and he will make a clever    
man1 if only you set him a good example1
 and keep him from drink4 ,to which my  
father replied1 ,o drink will not hurt  
him2 if he does nothing worse than take 
a sup of drink he'll be all right2 drink
 never hurt anyone4 ,but1 alas6 my      
father lived to see that a little sup   
did not serve me1 for ,i have heard him 
say with sorrow1 ,the lad drinks hard4  
,but he was the first to set me the     
example1 and if parents wish their      
children to abstain from intoxicating   

drinks1 they should set the example by  
being abstainers themselves4 ,the best  
and most lasting way of doing good to a 
family is for parents first to do right 
themselves4' ,but with such a training  
as ,john had1 what wonder that he became
 a 'hard drinker4' ,for years previous  
to his marriage his experience was      
something like that of an old           
'hard-a-weather' on board a             
homeward-bound ,indiaman1 who was asked 
by a lady passenger1 ',whether he would 
not be glad to get home and see his wife
 and children1 and spend the summer with
 them in the country8' ,poor ,jack      
possessed neither home1 nor wife1 nor   
chick nor child2 and his recollections  
of green fields and domestic enjoyments 
were dreamily associated with early     
childhood4 ,and hence a big tear rolled 
down his weather-beaten but manly cheek 
as he said to his fair questioner1      
',well1 ,i don't know1 ,i suppose it    
will be another roll in the gutter1 and 
away again4' ,our friend was for years a

 'reeling drunkard1' and often1 during  
this sad period of his existence1 he    
literally 'rolled in the gutter4'  ,but 
when he experienced a saving change he  
at once became a sober man1 and began to
 treat public houses after the fashion  
of the fox in the fable--who declined   
the invitation to the lion's den1       
because he had observed that the only   
footsteps in its vicinity were towards  
it and none from it4 ,he further saw    
that to indulge in the use of           
intoxicating drinks1 and then pray1     
',lead me not into temptation1' savoured
 less of piety than of presumption4 ,he 
attended a temperance meeting at which  
the ,rev4 ,g4 ,lamb spoke of the        
importance of ,christian professors     
abstaining for the good of others1 as   
well as for their own safety4 ,john felt
 that his sphere of action was limited  
in its range and insignificant in its   
character2 yet he knew he possessed     
influence2 as a husband and father1 and 
as a member of civil and religious      

society1 he knew that his conduct would 
produce an effect on those to whom he   
was related1 and with whom he had to do4
 ',no man liveth to himself4' ,he knew  
how to do good1 and not to have done it 
would have been sin4 ,and that thought  
decided him4 ,at the close of the       
meeting1 persons were invited to take   
the pledge of total abstinence1 but not 
one responded to the invitation4 ,john  
saw1 sitting at his right hand1 a man   
who had been a great drunkard1 and whose
 shattered nerves1 unsteady hand1 and   
bloodshot eyes1 told of the sad effects 
of his conduct4 ,placing his hand on    
this man's shoulder1 he said1 ',will you
 take the pledge8' ',i will if you      
will1' was the man's reply4 ',done1'    
said ,john1 and scarcely had they       
reached the platform1 when about twenty 
others followed and took the pledge4    
,sidenote3 ,,signs ,,the ,,pledge4  ,his
 ,diary contains this record1 ',february
 #bdth1 #ahea4 ,i have been to the      
,teetotal ,meeting1 and ,i have taken   

the pledge1 and ,i intend1 through the  
grace of ,god1 to keep it as long as ,i 
live4'  ,from that night ,john became a 
practical and pledged abstainer from all
 intoxicating drinks1 and induced many a
 poor drunkard to follow his example4   
,no man stood higher than he in         
,temperance circles4 ,he adorned that   
profession4 ,in his extensive           
intercourse with his fellow men1 he     
proved himself the fast friend and      
unflinching advocate of total           
abstinence1 having delivered hundreds of
 addresses and circulated thousands of  
tracts1 in vindication of its           
principles4  ,a few years before his    
death1 he was travelling from ,hull to  
,howden1 by rail2 the compartment was   
full of passengers1 and he began1 as    
usual1 to circulate his tracts and to   
speak in favour of temperance4          
,sidenote3 ,,the ,,aged ,,clergyman4    
,an aged clergyman present said1 ',i    
always give you ,hull folks great credit
 for being teetotalers4' ',and why the  

people of ,hull more than the people of 
any other place8' asked ,john4 ',because
 your water is filthy and dirty1 and ,i 
never could drink it without a mixture  
of brandy4' ',that our water is dirty ,i
 admit1' said ,john1 'but ,i have drank 
it both with brandy and without1 and if 
you felt as ,i feel1 ,i am sure1 sir1   
you would discontinue the practice of   
brandy drinking4' ',oh1 ,i suppose you  
are one of those men who get all the    
drink you can and when you can get no   
more you turn teetotaller1' was the     
rejoinder4 ',you are mistaken1 sir2 for 
,i can call most of the persons present 
to witness1 that ,i laid aside the      
intoxicating glass when ,i possessed the
 most ample means and every opportunity 
of getting plenty of drink1 and at      
little or no cost to myself4 ,but ,i saw
 that ,i should be a safer and happier  
man myself1 and a greater blessing to   
others if ,i abstained1 and therefore ,i
 signed the pledge2 and you must pardon 
me1 sir1 when ,i say1 that if you felt  

as ,i feel1 you would1 as a minister of 
the gospel1 pursue the same course4'    
',o6' said he1 with indignation lowering
 in his countenance and thundering in   
his voice1 ',i have taken my brandy     
daily for years1 and it never did me any
 hurt4' ',granted1' replied our friend1 
'but if you can drink with safety1 can  
others8 ,have you never seen the evil   
effects of tampering with the glass8    
,have none of your acquaintances or     
friends fallen victims to drunkenness8  
,let me give you a case1 sir4 ,one of my
 former employers had a son who1 up to  
the twentieth year of his age1 had never
 tasted intoxicating drinks4 ,but he had
 a weak constitution and a slender      
frame1 and the doctor ordered him to    
take a little brandy and water twice a  
day4 ,he did so1 and began to like it4  
,he soon wanted it oftener1 and told the
 man to make it stronger1 and the man   
did as he was told4 ,one day he had put 
but a few drops of water into a large   
glass of brandy1 but the young gentleman

 said1 ',did'nt ,i tell you to make it  
stronger8 ,let the next glass be        
stronger4' ,he soon called for the next 
glass1 and having swallowed it1 said1 in
 a rage1 ',what a fool you are4 ,i told 
you to let me have it stronger4' ',sir1'
 said the man1 'you can't have it       
stronger1 for the glass you have just   
drank was neat as it came from the      
bottle4' ',and is that a fact1'         
exclaimed the young gentleman4 ',has it 
come to this8 ,am ,i to be a slave to   
that liquid8 ,never6 ,take it away1 and 
from this day ,i'll never drink another 
glass4' ,this statement was listened to 
with marked attention by all the        
passengers1 and when the train arrived  
at ,howden station1 they gave forth a   
spontaneous burst of applause4 ,the     
clergyman sat ashamed and speechless1   
and1 on leaving the train1 refused to   
shake hands with our friend who had     
administered to him this well-timed and 
well-merited rebuke4  ,sidenote3        
,,advocates ,,total ,,abstinence4  ,i   

have stated that our friend spoke at    
hundreds of temperance meetings1 and his
 bluntness of manner1 curt style of     
address1 and nautical phrases1 won for  
him a ready hearing4 ,whenever he rose  
on the platform eyes beamed and hearts  
throbbed with delight4 ,not that his    
hearers expected to listen to an        
eloquent speech1 or to be amused by     
laughter-exciting and fun-making        
eccentricities1 but he rose with the    
influence of established character1     
combined with an ardent temperament1 a  
ready wit1 and a face beaming with the  
sunshine of piety towards ,god and      
good-will to men4 ,besides1 there was a 
just appreciation of his many deeds of  
gallantry1 some of which he occasionally
 related1 and which rarely failed to    
fill his hearers with admiration for the
 brave heart that could prompt and the  
ready skill that could perform them4    
,hence1 he was listened to in the town  
and neighbourhood of ,hull with an      
amount of sympathy1 attention1 and      

respect which no other advocate of total
 abstinence1 possessed of the same      
mental abilities1 could command4        
,sidenote3 ,,forms ,a ,,band ,,of       
,,hope4  ,the ,band of ,hope had a warm 
friend and powerful advocate in the     
person of ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 and it was 
in connexion with its services that he  
found his most congenial employment4    
#c1jjj1jjj of the inhabitants of our    
country are now pledged abstainers from 
intoxicating drinks1 and this number    
includes upwards of #b1jjj ministers of 
the ,gospel4 ,but thirty years ago this 
cause was regarded with disfavour even  
by the religious public4 ,hence1 when   
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe and others sought to  
form a ,band of ,hope in connexion with 
the ,primitive ,methodist ,sabbath      
,school1 ,great ,thornton ,street1      
,hull1 they met with much opposition    
from several members of the ,society1   
and also from some of the teachers in   
the school1 who were 'tipplers1' and    
could not endure the idea of a ,band of 

,hope4 ,but the ,band was formed1 with  
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe as president1 and it  
soon numbered three hundred members4    
,before his death he saw upwards of     
thirty of these ,juvenile ,bands formed 
in ,hull4 ,he attended most of their    
anniversaries1 throwing a flood of      
genial merriment1 just like dancing     
sunlight1 over his young auditors4      
,hundreds of these 'cold water drinkers'
 sometimes listened to him on these     
occasions1 and as he related some of the
 scenes of his eventful life1 their     
young hearts throbbed and their eyes    
filled with tears4  ,we cannot close    
this chapter of our little book without 
asking1 ,were the motives which led our 
friend to sign the pledge1 right or     
wrong8 ,the celebrated ,paley lays down 
this axiom1 ',that where one side is    
doubtful and one is safe1 we are as     
morally bound to take the safe side as  
if a voice from heaven said1 ,this is   
the way1 walk ye in it4' ,and is not    
total abstinence the only safe side for 

the abstainer himself8 ,some men have a 
strong predisposition for intoxicating  
drinks1 and they must abstain or be     
ruined4 ,naturalists tell us that in    
order to tame a tiger he must never be  
allowed to taste blood4 ,let him have   
but one taste and his whole nature is   
changed4 ,and the men to whom ,i refer  
are humane1 upright1 chaste1 kind to    
their children and affectionate to their
 wives1 while they can be kept from     
intoxicating drinks1 but let them taste1
 only taste1 and their passions become  
so strong and their appetites so        
rampant1 that they are inspired with the
 most ferocious dispositions1 and       
perpetrate deeds1 the mere mention of   
which would appal them in their sober   
moments4 ,and where is the moderate     
drinker who can point to the glass and  
say1 ',i am safe8' ,as that dexterous   
murderer1 ,palmer1 administered his     
doses in small quantities1 and thus     
gradually and daily undermined the      
constitution of his victims1 and1 as it 

were1 muffled the footfalls of death1 so
 strong drink does not all at once over 
master its victims2 but how often have  
we known it gradually1 and after years  
of tippling1 lead them captive into the 
vortex of drunkenness4  ,sidenote3      
,,total ,,abstinence4  ,but admitting1  
for the sake of argument1 that you can  
drink with safety to yourself1 can you  
drink with safety to others8 ',no man   
liveth to himself4' ,we are all a kind  
of chameleon1 and naturally derive a    
tinge from that which is near us4 ,our  
friend attributes his early drunkenness 
to the influence and example of his     
father4 ,you should view your drinking  
habits in the light of these passages of
 ,scripture1 ',look not every man on his
 own things1 but every man also on the  
things of others4' ',it is good neither 
to eat flesh1 nor to drink wine1 nor    
anything whereat thy brother stumbleth  
or is made weak4' ,so that you may look 
at ,paley's saying1 in its application  
to the use of strong drinks1 again and  

again2 you may examine it as closely as 
you like1 and criticise it as often as  
you please1 still it remains true1 that 
to drink is doubtful1 while to abstain  
is safe1 and that we are as morally     
bound to choose the latter as if a voice
 from heaven said1 ',this is the way1   
walk ye in it4' ',let us not1 therefore1
 judge one another any more1 but judge  
this rather that no man put a           
stumblingblock or an occasion1 to fall  
in his brother's way4'--,rom4 xiv4 #ac4 
,,chapter ,v4  ,,his ,,bold ,,adventures
 ,,on ,,the ,,water4   ,sidenote3       
,,swimming ,,advocated4  ,that swimming 
is a noble and useful art1 deserving the
 best attention of all classes of the   
community1 is a fact few will dispute4  
',swimming1' says ,locke1 'ought to form
 part of every boy's education6' ,it is 
an art that is easily acquired2 it is   
healthy and pleasurable as an exercise1 
being highly favourable to muscular     
development1 agility of motion1 and     
symmetry of form2 and it is of          

inconceivable benefit as the means of   
preserving or saving life in seasons of 
peril1 when death would otherwise prove 
inevitable4 ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe early     
became an accomplished swimmer2 he often
 fell overboard1 and but for his skill  
in the art under consideration he would 
have been drowned4 ,he also enjoyed the 
happiness of having saved upwards of    
forty persons1 who1 but for his efforts 
must1 to all human appearance1 have     
perished4  ,to a maratime nation like   
ours1 with a rugged and dangerous       
coast-line of two thousand miles1       
indented by harbours1 few and far from  
each other1 and with a sea-faring       
population of half a million1 it seems  
as necessary that the rising generation 
should learn to swim as that they should
 be taught the most common exercises of 
youth4 ,and yet 'this natatory art' is  
but little cultivated amongst us4 ,on   
the ,continent1 and among foreigners    
generally1 swimming is practised and    
encouraged far more than it is in       

,england4 ,in the ,normal ,swimming     
school of ,denmark1 some thirty years   
ago1 there were educated #aje masters   
destined to teach the art throughout the
 kingdom4 ,in ,france1 ,vienna1         
,copenhagen1 ,stockholm1 ,berne1        
,amsterdam1 c41 similar means were      
adopted1 and very few persons in those  
countries are entirely destitute of a   
knowledge of the art4 ,but so generally 
is this department of juvenile training 
neglected by us as a people1 that only  
one in every ten who gain their         
livelihood on the water are able to     
swim4  ,sidenote3 ,,hull ,,swimming     
,,club4  ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 in a        
characteristic letter1 says3 ',i think  
no schoolmaster should regard the       
education of his scholars complete      
unless he has taught them to swim4 ,that
 art is of service when everything else 
is useless4 ,i once heard of a professor
 who was being ferried across a river by
 a boatman1 who was no scholar4 ,so the 
professor said1 ,can you write1 my man8 

,no1 ,sir1 said the boatman4 ,then you  
have lost one third of your life1 said  
the professor4 ,can you read8 again     
asked he of the boatman4 ,no1 replied   
the latter1 ,i can't read4 ,then you    
have lost the half of your life1 said   
the professor4 ,now came the boatman's  
turn4 ,can you swim8 said the boatman to
 the professor4 ,no1 was his reply4     
,then1 said the boatman1 you have lost  
the whole of your life1 for the boat is 
sinking and you'll be drowned4 ,now1    
,sir1 ,i think that if those fathers who
 spend so much money on the intellectual
 education of their children1 would     
devote but a small portion of it to     
securing for them a knowledge of the art
 of swimming1 they would confer a great 
blessing on those children1 and also on 
society at large4 ,i would have every   
one learn to swim females as well as    
males2 for many of both sexes come under
 my notice every year who are drowned1  
but who1 with a little skill in         
swimming1 might have been saved4 ,not   

fewer than forty men and boys were lost 
from the ,hull ,smacks alone during the 
year #ahff1 of whom twenty per cent1    
might have been saved had they been able
 to swim4'  ,sidenote3 ,,he ,,learns    
,,to ,,swim4  ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe was1 for
 many years1 ,master of the ',hull      
,swimming ,club1' and also of ',the     
,college ,youth's ,swimming ,club1' and 
his whole life was a practical lesson on
 the value of the art of swimming4 ,he  
contended that the youths of ,hull ought
 to be taught this art1 and pleaded that
 a sheet of water which had been waste  
and unproductive for twenty years should
 be transformed into a swimming bath4   
,the local papers favoured the scheme1  
and ,alderman ,dennison1 moved in the   
,town ,council1 that #cej should be     
devoted to this object1 which was       
carried by a majority4 ,the late ,titus 
,salt1 ,esq41 who had given #e1jjj to   
the ',sailor's ,orphan ,home1' said at  
the time1 ',i think your corporation    
ought to make the swimming bath alluded 

to in the enclosed paper2 do ask them4' 
',the private individual who gives his  
fifty hundreds to a particular          
,institution1' to use the words of the  
,hull and ,eastern ,counties' ,herald1  
,oct4 #ajth1 #aheg1 'has surely a right 
to express an opinion that the municipal
 corporation ought to grant three       
hundreds1 if by so doing the public weal
 would be provided4 ,if the voice of    
such a man is to be disregarded1 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 ,marvel4'  ,for
 upwards of forty years ,mr4            
,ellerthorpe was known as a fearless    
swimmer and diver1 and during that      
period he saved no fewer than forty     
lives by his daring intrepidity4 ,in his
 boyhood1 he1 to use his own expression1
 'felt quite at home in the water1' and 
betook himself to it as natively and    
instinctively as the swan to the water  
or the lark to the sky4 ',this art1' to 

use the words of an admirable article in
 the ,shipwrecked ,mariners' ,magazine  
for ,october1 #ahfb1 'he has cultivated 
so successfully that in scores of       
instances he has been able to employ it 
for the salvation of life and property4 
,perhaps the history of no other living 
person more fully displays the value of 
this art than ,john ,ellerthorpe4       
,joined with courage1 promptitude1 and  
steady self-possession1 it has enabled  
him repeatedly to preserve his own life1
 and what is far more worthy of record1 
to save not fewer than thirty-nine of   
his fellow creatures1 who1 humanly      
speaking1 must otherwise have met with a
 watery grave4'  ,sidenote3 ,,his       
,,reckless ,,daring4  ,it is but right  
to state that1 in the early period of   
his history1 a thoughtless disregard of 
his own life1 and an overweening        
confidence in his ability to swim almost
 any length1 and amid circumstances of  
great peril1 often led him to deeds of  
'reckless daring1' which in riper years 

he would have trembled to attempt4      
,respecting most of the following       
circumstances he says1 ',i look upon    
those perilous adventures as so many    
foolish and wicked temptings of         
,providence4 ,i have often wondered ,i  
was not drowned1 and attribute my       
preservation to the wonder-working      
providence of ,god1 who has so often    
'redeemed my life from destruction1 and 
crowned me with loving kindness and     
tender mercies4'  ,and certainly we     
should remember that heroism is one     
thing1 reckless daring another4 ,two or 
three instances will illustrate this4 ,a
 few years ago ,blondin1 for the sake of
 money1 jeopardized his life at the     
,crystal ,palace1 by walking blindfolded
 on a tight-rope1 and holding in his    
hand a balancing pole4 ,in so doing he  
was foolhardy1 but not heroic4 ,but a   
certain ,frenchman1 at ,alencon1 walked 
on one occasion on a rope over some     
burning beams into a burning house1     
otherwise inaccessible1 and succeeded in

 saving six persons4 ,this was the act  
of a true hero4 ,when ,mr4 ,worthington1
 the 'professional diver1' plunged into 
the water and saved six persons from    
drowning1 who1 but for his skill and    
dexterity as a swimmer1 would certainly 
have met with a watery grave1 he acted  
the part of a 'hero2' but when1 the     
other day1 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 sightseers1 or to   
put a few shillings into his own pocket1
 he acted the part of a foolhardy man4  
,can we wonder that he was within an ace
 of losing his life in this mad exploit8
 ,and when ,john ,ellerthorpe dived to  
the bottom of ',clarke's ,bit1' to      
gratify a number of young men who had   
'more money than wit1' and struggled in 
the water with a bag of coals on his    
back1 he put himself on a par with those
 men who place their lives in imminent  
danger by dancing on ropes1 swinging on 

cords1 tying themselves into knots like 
a beast1 or crawling on ceilings like   
some creeping thing6 ,but when he used  
his skill to save his fellow creatures1 
he was a true hero1 and was justified in
 perilling his own life1 considering    
that by so doing the safety of others   
might be secured4  ,we shall close this 
chapter by recording a few of his deeds 
of reckless daring4         99       99 
99       99       99  ,sidenote3        
,,john',s ,,first ,,attempt ,,at        
,,swimming4  ',my first attempt at      
swimming took place at ,hessle1 when ,i 
was about twelve years of age4 ,there   
was a large drain used for the purpose  
of receiving the water from both the sea
 and land4 ,my father managed the       
sluice1 which was used for excluding1   
retaining1 and regulating the flow of   
water into this drain4 ,it was a first  
rate place for lads to bathe in1 and ,i 
have sometimes bathed in it ten times a 
day2 indeed1 ,i regret to say1 ,i spent 
many days there when ,i ought to have   

been at school4 ,i soon got to swim in  
this drain1 but durst not venture into  
the harbour4 ,but one day ,i            
accidentally set my dirty feet upon the 
shirt of a boy who was much older and   
bigger than myself1 and in a rage he    
took me up in his arms and threw me into
 the harbour4 ,i soon felt safe there1  
nor did ,i leave the harbour till ,i had
 crossed and recrossed it thirty-two    
times4 ,the next day ,i swam the whole  
length of the harbour twice1 and from   
that day ,i began to match myself with  
expert swimmers1 nor did ,i fear        
swimming with the best of them4 ,some   
other lads were as venturesome as       
myself1 and we used to go up the ,humber
 with the tides1 for several miles at   
once4 ,i remember on one occasion it    
blew a strong gale of wind from ,s4,w41 
several vessels sank in the ,humber1 and
 a number of boats broke adrift1 while a
 heavy sea was running3 ,i stripped and 
swam to one of the boats1 got into her1 
and brought her to land1 for which act  

the master of the boat gave me five     
shillings4 ,during the same gale a keel 
came ashore at ,hessle2 ,i stripped and 
swam to her and brought a rope on shore1
 by the assistance of which1 two men1 a 
woman1 and two children escaped from the
 vessel4 ,the tide was receding at the  
time1 so that they were enabled1 with   
the assistance of the rope1 to walk     
ashore4 ,there are several old men      
living now who well remember this       
circumstance4  ,sidenote3 ,,swims       
,,across ,,the ,,humber4  ',soon after  
this occurrence1 ,i remember one        
,saturday afternoon1 going with some    
other boys of my own age1 and swimming  
across the ,humber1 a distance of two   
miles4 ,we started from ,swanland       
,fields 7which was then enclosed71      
,yorkshire1 and landed at the ,old      
,warp1 ,lincolnshire4 ,here we had a    
long run and a good play1 and then we   
recrossed the ,humber4 ,but in doing so 
we were carried up as far as ,ferriby   
,sluice1 and had to run back to where we

 had left our clothes in charge of some 
lads1 but when we got there the lads had
 gone1 and we didn't know what to do4   
,we sought for our clothes a full hour1 
when a man1 in the employ of ,mr4 ,pease
 told us that the lads had put them     
under some bushes1 where we at last     
found them4 ,we were in the water four  
hours4 ,this was an act of great        
imprudence4  ',on another occasion      
myself and some other lads played truant
 from school1 and went towards the      
,humber to bathe1 but the schoolmaster1 
,mr4 ,peacock1 followed us closely4 ,he 
ran and ,i ran1 and ,i had just time to 
throw off my clothes and leap into the  
water1 when he got to the bank4 ,he was 
afraid ,i should be drowned1 and called 
out ',if you will come back ,i won't    
tell your father and mother4' ,but ,i   
refused to return1 for at that time ,i  
felt no fear in doing what ,i durst not 
have attempted when ,i got older4       
,sidenote3 ,,swims ,,in ,,hessle        
,,harbour4  ',on several occasions some 

young gentlemen1 who were scholars at   
,hessle boarding school1 got me to go   
and bathe with them4 ,they had plenty of
 money1 and ,i had none2 and as they    
offered to pay me1 ,i was glad to go    
with them4 ,one day while we were       
bathing1 the eldest son of ,mr4         
,earnshaw1 of ,hessle1 had a narrow     
escape from drowning4 ,i was a long way 
from him at the time1 but ,i did all ,i 
could to reach and rescue him4 ,he was  
very ill for some days1 and the doctor  
forbade him bathing for a long time to  
come4 ,this deterred us from bathing for
 awhile1 but we soon forgot it4 ,we     
agreed to have a swimming match1 and the
 boy that swam the farthest was to have 
sixpence4 ,we started at three o'clock  
in the afternoon from the third jetty   
below ,hessle harbour1 and went up with 
the tide4 ,one of the boys got the lead 
of me and ,i could not overtake him     
until we got opposite ,cliffe ,mill1    
about a mile and a half from where we   
started4 ,he then began to fag1 while ,i

 felt as brisk as a lark and fresher    
than when ,i began4 ,i soon took the    
lead1 and when ,i got to ,ferriby       
,lane-end1 ,i lost my mate altogether4  
,however1 ,i knew he was a capital      
swimmer1 and ,i felt afraid lest he     
should turn up again1 so ,i swam as far 
as ,melton brickyard1 and fairly won the
 prize4 ,i had swam about seven miles1  
and believe ,i could have swam back     
without landing4  ,sidenote3 ,,his      
,,exploits ,,on ,,the ,,water4  ',when  
,i was about fifteen years of age a     
steam packet came to ,hessle1 bringing a
 number of swimmers from ,hull4 ,soon   
alter their arrival a lad came running  
to me and said1 ,jack1 there's some of  
those ,hull chaps bathing1 and they say 
they can beat thee4 ,i didn't like that2
 and when ,i got to them1 a young       
gentleman said1 pointing to me1 ,here is
 a lad that shall swim you for what you 
like4 ,one of them said1 ,is he that    
,ellerthorpe of ,hessle8 ,no matter who 
he is1 replied the young man1 ,i'll back

 him for a sovereign1 when one of the   
young gentlemen called out1 ,it is ,jack
 ,ellerthorpe1 ,i won't have aught to do
 with him1 for he can go as fast feet   
foremost as ,i can with my hands        
foremost1 he's a first-rate swimmer4 ,by
 this time ,i was stripped1 and at once 
plunged into the river4 ,i crept on my  
hands and knees on the water1 and then  
swam backwards and forwards with my feet
 foremost1 and not one among them could 
swim with me4 ,i showed them the        
porpoise race1 which consisted in       
disappearing under the water1 and then  
coming bobbing up suddenly1 at very     
unlikely spots4 ,i then took a knife and
 cut my toe-nails in the water4 ,the    
young gents were greatly delighted1 and 
afterwards they would have matched me to
 swim anybody1 to any distance4 ,and ,i 
believe that at that time ,i could have 
swam almost any length2 for after ,i had
 swam two or three miles my spirits     
seemed to rise1 and my strength         
increased4 ,when other lads seemed      

thoroughly beaten out1 ,i was coming to 
my best1 and the longer ,i remained in  
the water the easier and faster ,i could
 swim4  ,sidenote3 ,,swims ,,to         
,,barrow4  ',it will be remembered by   
some who will read these pages1 that    
about 444 years ago a ,mr4 ,burton was  
returned1 as a member of ,parliament for
 ,beverley4 ,he was a wild1 drunken1    
half-crazy fellow1 and ,i remember he   
came to ,hessle about two o'clock one   
afternoon1 and drove full gallop1 with  
postillions1 up to my father's house4   
,at that time my father was ferryman1   
and ,mr4 ,burton wanted a boat to take  
him to ,barton4 ,but1 said my father1   
there is no water1 when the ,member of  
,parliament said1 ,won't money make the 
boat swim8 ,i'm afraid not1 was my      
father's reply4 ,at that time1 however1 
there was a ballast lighter at ,cliffe1 
and my father and ,i went to see if we  
could borrow the lighter's boat2 we     
succeeded1 and as it was a great        
distance from the water 7the tide being 

low71 my father asked the ,cliffe men to
 help in launching it1 when about thirty
 of them came to his assistance4 ,mr4   
,burton left a guinea to be spent in    
drink for the men4 ,we then started in  
the boat1 and took ,mr4 ,burton to      
,barrow1 there being no usable jetty at 
,barton4 ,i was to run to ,barton for a 
post-chaise1 but before we got to the   
shore the boat ran aground1 so out of   
the boat ,i jumped1 and away ,i ran1    
until ,i came to a pool of water1 about 
twelve feet deep4 ,almost mad with      
excitement1 ,i sprang into it1 and small
 as ,i was1 soon crossed it and was     
ashore4 ,mr4 ,burton saw me in the      
water1 and he was afraid ,i should be   
drowned1 and when ,i returned with the  
chaise he gave me a sovereign1 the first
 ,i ever had1 so you may be sure ,i was 
mightily pleased4 ,i found my father and
 the men drunk1 and they gave me some   
rum4 ,on being asked1 ,what ,mr4 ,burton
 had given me1 ,i evaded the question by
 saying ,a shilling1 for ,i was of      

opinion that if my father had known ,i  
had got so much as ,i had1 he would have
 taken most of it to spend in drink4 ,so
 ,i hastened home and gave the sovereign
 to my mother1 and we were both highly  
delighted to possess so large a sum of  
money4  ',the following amusing         
circumstance took place in #ahcf-g1 when
 ,i belonged to the ,barton and ,hessle 
packet4 ,one day we had put on board the
 tow boat a great number of fat beasts1 
belonging1 if ,i remember rightly1 to   
,mr4 ,wood1 of ,south ,dalton4 ,the tow 
boat was attached to the steamer by a   
large thick rope4 ,we had not got far   
from ,barton when the boat capsized1 and
 we were in an awful mess4 ,the boat    
soon filled with water2 some of the     
beasts swam one way and some another1   
while several got entangled in the rails
 attached to the boat's side1 and were  
every moment in danger of breaking their
 legs4 ,so seizing an axe ,i jumped into
 the water and cut away the rails1 and  
then went in pursuit of the oxen1       

heading them round in the water and     
causing them1 by shouts and gestures1 to
 swim for the land4 ,most of them were  
driven back to ,barton and landed       
safely1 others swam across the ,humber  
and were landed at ,hessle4 ,i was up to
 my chest in water and mud for nearly   
three hours swimming backwards and      
forwards after the beasts2 sometimes ,i 
had hold of their tails1 and anon had to
 meet them and turn them towards the    
shore4 ,there are lots of people now    
living at ,barton who saw the affray1   
and who could describe it much better   
than ,i have done4  ,sidenote3 ,,john   
,,and ,,the ,,beasts4  ',a similar      
incident took place in #ahdd4 ,i was    
captain of a ferry-boat plying between  
,winteringham and ,brough4 ,one         
,sabbath-day ,i was taking a load of    
beasts from ,brough to ,winteringham1   
and when we had got about half way      
across the ,humber1 the boat upset1 and 
the beasts were thrown into the water4  
,i was afraid they all would be drowned1

 and1 in spite of all ,i could do1 some 
of them were4 ,i jumped overboard and   
drove some of them back to ,brough1     
while others swam to the ,lincolnshire  
side of the river4 ,i was swimming about
 after the beasts for five hours1       
chasing them backwards and forwards1    
turning them this way and that1 and     
doing what nobody but myself would have 
done4 ,at length1 several men came to   
our assistance1 and when we had got the 
poor animals out of the water1 we       
hastened to the public-house at the     
harbour-side1 and got drunk4 ,i kept my 
wet clothes on until they dried on my   
back4 ,this was one of the most wretched
 days of my life4 ,my anxiety about the 
beasts1 the exhaustion brought on by my 
efforts to get them safe to land1 and   
the sense of misery and degradation ,i  
felt when ,i thought of the plight ,i   
was found in on the blessed             
,sabbath-day1 ,i shall never forget4    
',on one occasion ,i was helping to load
 the ,magna ,charter1 and being half    

drunk1 ,i fell into ,hull harbour1 with 
upwards of eight stones of coal on my   
back1 but through foolish bravado ,i    
refused to let the bag drop into the    
water4 ,after being in the water several
 minutes1 ,i swam to the landing with   
the coals on my back1 amid the deafening
 shouts of scores of spectators4 ,i look
 back on this act of temerity with      
feelings of shame and unmixed regret4'  
,sidenote3 ,,he ,,is ,,cast ,,overboard4
  ,when sailing from ,hull to ,barton1  
one night in the year #ahdb1 ,john was  
thrown overboard4 ,the night was dark1  
the wind was blowing a heavy gale from  
the west1 and every moment the          
spring-tide1 then at its height1 carried
 him further from the packet1 which soon
 became unmanageable4 ,the boat was     
launched1 but the engineer1 who had     
charge of it1 became greatly agitated   
and much alarmed1 and uttered the most  
piteous cries4 ',i felt more for him    
than ,i did for myself1' says ,john1    
'and though one moment lost in the      

trough of the sea1 and the next on the  
crest of the billows1 now near the boat 
and again fifty yards from it1 ,i cried 
out1 ',scull away4 ,bob1 scull away1    
thou'll soon be at me4' ,after being in 
the water half-an-hour ,i reached the   
boat in safety4 ,all this time ,i had on
 the following garments1 made of very   
stout pilot-cloth3 a pair of trousers1 a
 double-breasted waistcoat1 a surtout   
coat1 and a heavy great coat1 which came
 down to my ancles1 a thick shawl round 
my neck1 and a new pair of ,wellington  
boots on my feet4 ,i had in my pockets  
the following sums of money3 #be in bank
 notes2 #be sovereigns2 #d #afs4 #f;d4  
in silver1 and #h;d4 in coppers2 also a 
tobacco-box1 a large pocket knife1 and a
 silver watch and guard4 ,i made an     
attempt to throw off some of my clothes1
 but the thought of losing another man's
 money checked me4 ,besides1 the suit of
 clothes ,i had on was bran-new1 and    
being a poor man1 and only just earning 
a livelihood1 ,i could not brook the    

thought of having to get a new rigging4 
,when a wave carried me a great way from
 the boat1 ,i unbuttoned my coat and    
prepared to throw it off1 that ,i might 
more easily swim to land4 ,and when it  
seemed certain ,i should have to make   
this attempt1 ,i felt for my knife1 that
 ,i might cut off my boots1 and ,i      
believe ,i could have done it2 but1     
after a desperate effort1 ,i approached 
within a few yards of the boat1 when ,i 
again buttoned my coat4 ,i felt         
confident ,i could have reached the     
shore--a distance of one mile--had ,i   
been compelled to make the trial4 ,my   
,wellington boots had nearly cost me my 
life1 as they were heavy and difficult  
to swim in1 and ,i never wore a pair    
after this fearful night4'  ,sidenote3  
,,his ,,skill ,,as ,a ,,diver4  ,there  
is another department of the art now    
under consideration1 in which our friend
 greatly excelled1 namely1 that of      
diving4 ,there are few divers who do not
 feel a kind of exultation in their     

power over the element1 and in their    
ability to move under the surface of the
 water with ease and pleasure4 ,half a  
century ago1 diving was a difficult and 
dangerous art1 demanding great skill and
 endurance2 but modern science has given
 the professional diver an almost       
perfect accoutrement1 by means of which 
he can literally walk down to the bottom
 of the sea1 and telegraph for as much  
air as he requires4 ,hence1 it has been 
utterly deprived of all dramatic        
element4 ,properly managed1 the thing is
 as easy as going up in a balloon1 or   
going down a coal pit2 but our friend   
excelled in 'real naked diving4'        
,sidenote3 ,,he ,,dives ,,in ',,clark',s
 ,,bit4'  ,his first attempt at fetching
 anything from under water took place   
when he was about sixteen years of age4 
,the vessel in which he then sailed was 
being painted at ',clark's ,bit1'       
,castleford1 when ,john accidentally let
 his brush fall overboard1 and it sank  
to the bottom4 ,the ,captain was furious

 for about an hour1 when1 having handed 
the lad another brush1 he went into the 
town4 ,john could not brook the hour's  
grumbling to which he had been          
subjected1 and hence1 scarcely had the  
,master left the vessel1 when he threw  
off his clothes and dived to the bottom 
of the ',bit1' a depth of twenty-six    
feet1 and brought up the brush4 ,he     
hastily put on his clothes1 and when the
 ,master returned1 ,john held up the    
brush1 and with that comical twinkle of 
the eye and humorous expression of the  
countenance1 so common with sailors1    
said1 ',here's your brush4 ,sir4' ',what
 brush8' asked the ,master4 ',the brush 
,i lost overboard an hour ago1' said    
,john4 ',that's a lie4' replied the     
,master1 'how could you get it8' ',i    
dived to the bottom and brought it up1' 
was the lad's response4 ,now ,clark's   
,bit1 in those days1 was supposed to be 
of fabulous depth2 indeed1 the ,master1 
using a common expression1 said1 ',you  
can't have fetched it up from the       

bottom1 for there is no bottom to       
,clark's ,bit4' ,john was unabashed by  
this charge of falsehood1 and with      
honesty beaming in every feature of his 
face1 he answered with untrembling      
tongue1 as he handed the brush to the   
,master1 ',throw it in again4 ,sir1 and 
,i'll fetch it up4' ,the ,master refused
 to test the lad's honesty at the risk  
of losing his brush4 ,however1 several  
witnesses came forward and declared they
 had seen him plunge into the water and 
bring up the brush4 ,from that time     
,john was famous in the neighbourhood1  
as a great diver4  ',at the time of this
 occurrence1' he writes1 'a number of   
young gentlemen were being taught1 at a 
school at ,castleford1 by the ,rev4 ,mr4
 ,barnes4 ,they had plenty of money1 and
 ,i had little enough1 and they would   
often1 for the sake of seeing me dive to
 the bottom of the ,bit1 throw in a     
shilling1 and sometimes half-a-crown4   
,to gratify them1 and for the sake of   
money1 ,i often dived to the bottom1 and

 never1 that ,i remember1 without       
bringing up the money4 ,i got at last   
that ,i would not go down for less than 
a shilling1 and ,i have sometimes got as
 much as five shillings a day4 ,i have  
dived to the bottom of ,clark's ,bit    
hundreds of times1 and there are numbers
 of people at ,castleford1 at the       
present day 7#ahfh71 who recollect these
 youthful exploits1 which took place    
upwards of forty years ago4 ,and ,i may 
add that1 ,i have often had the         
impression that but for that paint-brush
 ,i should never have been the diver ,i 
afterwards became4 ,god overruled these 
foolish acts1 for good1 and what ,i did 
for mere pleasure and gain1 prepared me 
to rescue property and human life in    
after years4'  ,sidenote3 ,,he ,,dives  
,,into ,a ,,sunken ,,vessel4  ,we will  
mention one instance of his prowess in  
saving property1 which is well worthy of
 being recorded4 ',the barque ,mulgrave 
,castle1 says the writer of the article 
in the ,shipwrecked ,mariners'          

,magazine1 'laden with timber from the  
,baltic1 was waterlogged in the ,humber2
 there was in the cabin of the vessel a 
small box containing money and papers   
which the captain was anxious1 if       
possible1 to secure4 ,ellerthorpe dived 
into the cabin1 groped his way round it1
 and after two or three attempts        
succeeded in bringing up the box and its
 contents4' ,this was in the year #ahce4
 ,the writer of this sketch received the
 fact from an eye witness4     ,,chapter
 ,,vi4  ,,his ,,method ,,of ,,rescuing  
,,the ,,drowning4   ,for acts of pure1  
unselfish daring1 in rescuing human     
life1 the annals of our friend need not 
shun comparison with those of any other 
man within ,her ,majesty's dominion4 ,it
 appears that1 amid his wicked and      
wayward career1 he had a 'deep and      
unaccountable impression' that one part 
of his mission into the world was to    
save human life4 ,beyond dispute1 one of
 the best swimmers of his time1 he was  
never1 after his boyhood1 satisfied with

 swimming as a mere art4 ,it was naught 
to him if it did not help to make his   
fellow men better1 safer1 and braver4   
,it will be seen that the first person  
he rescued from drowning was his own    
father1 and that event ever afterwards  
nerved him to do his best to save his   
fellow-creatures4 ,indeed the desire to 
rescue the drowning burnt in his soul   
with all the ardour of an absorbing     
passion4 ,it was the spring of his ready
 thoughts2 it controlled his feelings   
and guided his actions2 it prompted him 
to face the greatest difficulties       
without the least fear1 and when in the 
midst of the most threatening dangers1  
it enabled him to summon up a calmness  
and resolution that never failed4       
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,experience ,,in ,,the
 ,,water4  ,the writer in ,the          
,shipwrecked ,mariners' ,magazine says1 
',ellerthorpe's exploits in saving life 
date from the year #ahbj1 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-creature4 ,the danger incurred in
 jumping overboard to rescue a drowning 
person is very great4 ,many expert      
swimmers shrink from it4 ,ellerthorpe   
has encountered this risk under almost  
every variety of circumstance4 ,he has  
followed the drowning1 unseen in the    
darkness of the night1 in the depth of  
winter1 under rafts of timber1 under    
vessels at anchor or in docks1 from     
great heights1 and often to the bottom  
in great depths of water1 and what is   
very remarkable1 never in vain4 ,fortuna
 fortes favet 7fortune favours the      
brave71 is an adage true in his case4   
,he never risked his life to save       
another without success4'  ,even to an  
experienced swimmer and diver1 like our 
friend1 the task of saving a drowning   
person is not easy1 and the grip and    
grapple of some of those whom he        
rescued1 had well nigh proved a fatal   
embrace1 and it was only by the utmost  
coolness1 skill1 bravery1 and           

self-control that he escaped4           
,sidenote3 ,,he ,,carries ,,the         
,,drowning ,,in ,,his ,,arms4  ,but he  
shall tell his own simple1 noble tale4  
',during the last forty-eight years ,i  
have done all that lay in my power to   
rescue my fellow-creatures1 when in     
drowning circumstances4 ,by night and by
 day1 in darkness or in light1 in winter
 or in summer1 ,i was always ready to   
obey the summons when the cry1 a man    
overboard1 fell on my ears4 ,and ,i have
 had to rescue the drowning in widely   
different ways4 ,sometimes ,i seized    
them tightly by the right arm1 and then1
 hold them at arm's length1 soon reached
 the land4 ,in some instances they      
seized me by my shoulder or arm1 when1  
leaving hold of them1 and1 throwing both
 my hands into the water1 ,i managed to 
reach the shore4 ,in other instances ,i 
found them so exhausted that they were  
incapable of taking hold of me1 and in  
these cases1 ,i had to carry them as a  
mother would carry her child4 ,and in   

two or three instances1 ,i thought they 
were dead1 and1 with feelings easier    
imagined than expressed1 ,i bore them up
 in my arms2 when suddenly1 and with    
great strength1 they sprang upon my     
head1 and oftener than once1 under these
 circumstances1 ,i was on the point of  
being drowned4 ,some of those whom ,i   
saved were much heavier and stronger    
than myself1 and when they got hold of  
me ,i found it difficult1 and sometimes 
impossible1 to shake them off4 ,when ,i 
rescued ,robert ,brown1 the night was   
pitchy dark1 and for some time ,i could 
not see him2 and when ,i got to him he  
clutched me in such a manner as to      
prevent my swimming4 ,when ,i seized the
 young ,woodman1 ,i thought he was dead1
 but1 after a few moments1 he made a    
great spring at me1 and clutched hold of
 my head in such a way as to prevent me 
swimming for some seconds4 ,when        
pinioned closely1 ,i generally adopted  
this plan1 which proved to be the best  
under the circumstances3--,i threw      

myself on my back and pushed the        
drowning person on before me1 and in    
this way ,i managed to keep them up for 
a time1 and with comparative ease to    
myself4 ,i often said to persons in a   
drowning state1 ,now1 hold fast by me1  
and don't exert yourself1 and ,i'll make
 you all right4 ,it was not often ,i    
could persuade them to act thus1 but    
whenever they could1 they got upon me2  
for a drowning person will catch at a   
straw4 ,i believe ,i have fetched out of
 the water not fewer than fifty drowning
 persons1 and1 with scarce an exception1
 they tried to seize me1 and thus       
rendered their deliverance a matter of  
great difficulty4 ,in fact1 it would be 
comparatively easy to fetch a drowning  
man out of water if he would just take  
hold of one's arm1 and thus keep himself
 from sinking1 and let one tow him      
ashore4  ,sidenote3 ,,he ,,searches     
,,for ,,the ,,drowning4  ',in many      
instances1 as will be seen1 ,i had to   
run a great distance1 and when almost   

out of breath1 ,i have plunged into the 
water1 and in that state had to struggle
 with those on the point of drowning4 ,i
 remember that1 on one occasion1 when   
staying at a public house in ,america1  
the landlord came running into the room1
 and cried out1 a man overboard4 ,i ran 
#bjj yards1 and on reaching the spot ,i 
was out of breath1 when in ,i plunged1  
but soon found ,i could not stay under  
the water for more than a few seconds4  
,the water was clear and fresh1 with    
long grass at the bottom2 but alas6 ,i  
could not find the young man1 and he was
 drowned4 ,i arrived too late to be of  
any service1 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 in4  ',my first      
object1 after ,i had plunged into the   
water1 was to catch a sight of the      
drowning person1 and if ,i could once do
 that1 ,i always felt confident ,i      
should soon have him in my grasp4 ,it is

 a most difficult thing to search for a 
drowning person1 especially in muddy    
water4 ,i had to make this attempt again
 and again1 and sometimes the fear has  
crept over me that my exertions would be
 in vain1 when ,i made the most         
prodigious and exhausting efforts4 ,and 
that ,i have never failed1 in a single  
instance1 is to me a source of great    
gratitude to ,god1 in whose hand my     
breath is1 and whose are all my ways4'  
,sidenote3 ,,an ,,instance ,,of ,,his   
,,pluck4  ',i remember once ,i had my   
leg crushed between our packet and the  
pier1 and for some days after ,i could  
not walk without the aid of crutches4   
,one day ,i got down to the ,south ,end1
 but soon felt tired1 and returned home2
 but after a short rest1 ,i again went  
to the pier1 when ,i was told that1     
during my short absence1 a cabman1 named
 ,sharpe1 had fallen into the harbour   
and was drowned4 ,i was filled with     
indescribable distress at the news1 and 
said1 ,if ,i had been here ,i would have

 saved him1 despite my broken leg4 ,at  
least ,i would have tried4 ,a man1 who  
professed to be a great swimmer1 was    
present1 and he answered1 ,o1 ,i can    
swim as well as you can1 when my muscles
 began to quiver1 and my blood to throb1
 and ,i replied1 in no very good temper1
 ,i assure you4 ,i dispute that1 unless 
you mean now that ,i have my broken leg4
 ,why did'nt you try to save him8 ,i    
always felt that ,i would much rather   
have the satisfaction of having tried to
 save a drowning person and fail1 than  
have the miserable satisfaction of      
shaking my head and shrugging my        
shoulders and saying1 ,oh1 ,i knew it   
would be of no use trying to save him2  
it was foolish to try4 ,i could have    
done it1 never saved a drowning man4 ,i 
will try1 has enabled me1 under ,god1 to
 save fifty of my fellow creatures4  ',i
 do not wish to intimate that every man 
who sees a fellow creature drowning1    
ought to plunge into the water to rescue
 that person4 ,indeed1 ,i have seen two 

or three instances where men1 who could 
not swim themselves1 have jumped into   
the water to save the drowning1 and in  
every instance the consequences have    
nearly been fatal4 ,before a person     
makes such an attempt1 he should have   
tested his own ability to swim4 ,if he  
can float himself and believes he can   
save the drowning person1 he ought to   
make the attempt1 and ,god will help    
him4 ,this is not mere theory1 but what 
,i have felt again and again4 ,ever     
after my conversion to ,god1 ,i used to 
pray1 when plunging into the water1     
,lord help me1 and knowing as ,i did1   
that prayer melts the heart and moves   
the arm of ,jehovah1 ,i felt confident  
he would help me2 and so he did2 for ,i 
often1 when in the water1 felt a sweet  
consciousness that ,god was with me4 ,he
 taught my hands to war with the waters1
 and my fingers to grasp my precious    
freight4 ,when struggling with the boy  
,woodman1 these words came forcibly into
 my mind1 and ,i repeated them in the   

water3--      ,when all thy mercies1 ,o 
my ,god1       ,my rising soul surveys1 
,transported with the view1 ,i'm lost   
,in wonder1 love1 and praise4           
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,grateful             
,,acknowledgment ,,of ,,god4  ',i always
 felt it my duty1 after rescuing a      
drowning person1 to go to the house of  
,god at night1 and return public thanks 
to the ,almighty4 ,ministers in the     
town1 and especially the ,wesleyan      
ministers1 have often returned thanks to
 ,god from the pulpit1 on the following 
,sabbath4 ,on the morning following the 
deliverance1 ,i generally went to see   
the rescued person1 and sought to       
improve the event by impressing their   
mind with the uncertainty of life and   
with the importance of being prepared   
for death4  ,sidenote3 ,,john',s        
,,statement4  ',in the following list ,i
 have given1 as far as my memory and    
knowledge enabled me1 a true and        
faithful account of the persons whom ,i 
have rescued from drowning4 ,extracts   

from newspapers1 and letters from the   
parties themselves1 and also from many  
who were eye-witnesses of their         
deliverance1 have been freely used4     
,there are several whom ,i have1 at     
different times1 saved from a watery    
grave1 not included in this list1 but as
 these events produced but little       
impression on my mind at the time of    
their occurrence1 and as ,i am utterly  
unable to give either the names of the  
parties1 or the time when ,i saved them1
 ,i can make no reliable mention of them
 at present1 though ,i hope to be able  
to do so at some future time4 ,i        
sincerely believe1 however1 that if ,i  
had kept a strict account of all these  
deliverances1 instead of having to      
record thirty-nine cases1 ,i should have
 been able to have recorded upwards of  
fifty4 ,i regret now that ,i did not    
keep such a record4 ,every now and then 
,i meet with persons who greet me as    
their deliverer4 ,two young men have    
done so within the last four months4    

,and very pleasant to my mind it is to  
meet a fellow creature whom ,i have been
 the means1 in the hands of a           
wonder-working ,providence1 of saving   
from a watery grave4 ,but all the cases 
mentioned in the following chapter1     
except ,william ,earnshaw and ,captain  
,clegg1 have been signed by living      
witnesses1 and most of them were        
reported in the local newspapers1 at the
 time of their occurrence4 ,many of     
these persons are still living2 some of 
them ,i see almost daily1 and they can  
speak for themselves4 ,if ,i have made a
 mistake in spelling their names1 or in 
relating the time when1 or the          
circumstances under which1 ,i saved     
them1 ,i shall be glad to be corrected4 
,and if ,i have offered an unkind       
reflection on any of my fellow          
creatures1 or recorded a boastful       
sentence respecting what my fellow      
townsmen have been pleased to call my   
deeds of daring1 ,i hope to be forgiven 
by ,god1 whose ,i am and whom ,i serve4 

,finally3 as a large circle of my       
friends are anxious to have a true      
record of all the lives ,i have saved1  
,i shall be highly pleased if any whom  
,i have rescued1 but whose names ,i have
 not recorded1 will send me a few lines 
that may add to the interest of this    
little book1 should a second edition be 
called for4'  ,illustration3 ,signature 
of ,john ,ellerthorpe     ,,chapter     
,,vii4  ,,his ,,gallant ,,and ,,humane  
,,conduct ,,in ,,rescuing ,,the         
,,drowning4   ,first4--,,john           
,,ellerthorpe4#a 7#ahbj47  ,he was my   
father1 and ,i was not more than        
fourteen years of age when ,i saved him4
 ,at the time he managed the ferry boat 
from ,hessle to ,barton4 ,it required   
two persons to conduct the boat across  
the ,humber1 and as it cost my father a 
shilling each time he employed a man to 
assist him across1 he often took me with
 him instead of a man1 and thus saved   
the shilling4 ,one morning1 he took ,mr4
 ,thompson1 corn miller1 to ,barton1 and

 engaged to fetch him back at night2 and
 there was this agreement between them1 
that my father was to receive the fare  
whether ,mr4 ,t---- returned or not4 ,he
 did not return that night1 though we   
waited for him until nine o'clock4 ,the 
snow was then thick on the ground1 the  
wind was blowing strong1 and the waves  
were beginning to rise high in the      
,humber1 and ,i was sitting1            
half-asleep1 at the corner of a         
comfortable hearth1 before a bright     
fire1 when my father called out1 ',come1
 my boy1 we'll be off4' ,we were soon in
 the boat1 but had not got many yards1  
when my father fell overboard4 ,i       
remember crying out most piteously1     
',oh1 my father is overboard1' when ,i  
instantly plunged into the water and    
soon had fast hold of him4 ,he had sunk 
to the bottom1 a depth of sixteen feet1 
for when he came up he was covered with 
mud4 ,we came up close to the boat's    
side1 and1 making a tremendous spring1  
,i got hold of the boat's gunnel1 and   

after a few moments my father also got  
hold of it with both his hands4 ,he was 
a heavy man1 weighing about fifteen     
stones1 and could not swim4 ,i said to  
him1 ',now1 father1 can you keep hold   
while ,i fetch the ,hull horse-boatmen8'
 whom we had left at the water-side     
house1 when he replied1 ',yes1 but be   
very sharp1 my lad4' ,i then swam to the
 house1 and called out1 ',my father is  
overboard2' and when ,i returned with   
the men1 ,i was glad to hear him shout1 
',i'm here4' ,john ,thrush1 captain of  
the horse-boat1 and ,luke ,dixon1 soon  
got him into the boat1 while ,mr4 ,wood1
 the landlord1 brought him a glass of   
brandy1 which he drank4 ,we could not   
persuade him to leave the boat1 so we   
again started for home1 and as a brisk  
wind was blowing at the time1 in about  
fifteen minutes1 we were safe in ,hessle
 harbour4 ,my mother met us there1 and  
,i said1 ',mother1 my father has been   
overboard1 fetch somebody to help him   
out of the boat4' ,he was stiff and     

cold1 but with the aid of ,mr4 ,wright  
we got him ashore4 ,mr4 ,w4 brought him 
some mulled ale and a glass of rum1     
which ,i then thought very good4 ,we    
then wrapped him in several thicknesses 
of warm clothing4 ,i was much perished  
at the time1 but soon felt all right4   
,not long before this1 my mother had    
given me a severe flogging for bathing  
so often2 so ,i looked into her face and
 said1 ',mother1 ,i think you won't flog
 me for bathing again1 will you8' to    
which she replied1 ',oh1 my lad1 it was 
a good job that thou was there2'#b when 
my father faintly added1 ',yes1 if he   
had not been there ,i should never have 
come to the top of the water4' ,and if  
he had he would have been drowned1 for  
he could not swim a yard2 and had he    
shouted1 no one was near to render him  
assistance4 ,but1 thank ,god1 ,i was    
there1 and answered the end of a        
gracious ,providence1 and that was      
enough4 ,now1 my father never liked to  
have this circumstance named1 though ,i 

have often heard him say1 ',that lad    
saved my life4' ,afterwards1 my mother  
never liked him to cross the ,humber    
after dark1 unless ,i was with him2 so  
,i often had to accompany him when ,i   
would much rather have been at a warm   
fireside1 or asleep in bed4             
,witnesses--,john ,thrush1 ,luke ,dixon4
  ,footnote #a3 ,those marked with a    
star distinguish the cases for which    
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe received the special  
medal of the ,royal ,humane ,society4   
,footnote #b3 ,john seems to have loved 
his mother with a tender1 intense       
affection4 ,in a letter dated ,october  
#adth1 #ahfg1 he says3 ',it is fourteen 
years this day since my poor 7but ,i    
trust now rich7 mother was buried at    
,hessle4 ,the ,lord knows ,i was her    
darling son2 but1 alas6 for many years  
,i was no comfort to her4 ,but years    
before her death ,christ washed me from 
my sins in his most precious blood1 and 
now ,i entertain a hope of meeting her  
in heaven4'   ,second4--,,william       

,,earnshaw499 7#ahbj47  ,there were two 
brothers1 ,robert and ,william1 sons of 
,mr4 ,earnshaw1 of ,hessle4 ,they were  
about my own age1 and1 like myself1 they
 were very fond of bathing4 ,their      
mother used to blame me for taking them 
into the water so often2 but it was less
 my fault than theirs1 for they used to 
fetch me from school--and ,i have known 
them give the schoolmaster a shilling to
 let me go with them4 ,one day1 we went 
to bathe in the drain1 and fearing our  
parents might see us1 we went a long way
 up the bank and then began to swim2 at 
length ,i heard some one call out       
',william ,earnshaw is drowning6' ,i was
 then a hundred yards from him1 but ,i  
hastened to the bank and ran as fast as 
,i could1 until ,i got opposite him1    
when ,i again plunged into the drain and
 swam to my young friend's rescue4 ,his 
brother was weeping1 and said1 ',all is 
over with him1' and ,i thought so too4  
,i could but just see the hair of his   
head1 when ,i darted at him and gave him

 a great push1 but he was too far gone  
to take hold of me1 so ,i shoved him on 
and on1 until his brother could reach   
him1 when we put him on the bank and    
thought he was dead2 but he soon began  
to breathe1 and1 after a while1 came    
round4 ,at that time ,i was in great    
disgrace with ,mrs4 ,earnshaw1 and      
afraid lest1 if we told of ,william's   
narrow escape1 she would never let us go
 together again1 we vowed to keep the   
affair a profound secret4 ,soon after   
this the two brothers were taken ill1   
and poor ,william died1 and the doctor  
said this illness was brought on by     
their too frequent bathing4 ,they didn't
 bathe half so often as ,i did1 but it  
was evident their constitution could not
 bear the water so well as mine4 ,mr4   
,earnshaw was a rich man and very       
liberal1 and1 ,i believe1 if he had     
known the real nature of the case1 as ,i
 have described it1 so far from blaming 
me1 he would have rewarded me for what  
,i did for his son4 ,i kept the promise 

,i made to ,william for upwards of forty
 years2 but as ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,earnshaw 
and their sons are dead1 and as a large 
circle of my friends are wishful to have
 a list of the lives ,i have saved1 ,i  
think ,i am not doing wrong in recording
 ,william's deliverance in this history 
of my life4   ,third4--,,robert         
,,pinchbeck499 7#ahbb47  ,this case was 
very similar to the one ,i have just    
described4 ,robert1 who was about       
fifteen years old1 was a companion and  
schoolfellow of mine1 and was fond of   
imitating my exploits in the water4 ,one
 day he told some boys that he could    
swim across ,hessle ,harbour2 but1 in   
making the attempt1 he nearly lost his  
life4 ,i was about forty yards ahead of 
him1 when ,i heard some boys cry ',bob  
,pinchbeck is drowning4' ,he had gone   
down thrice1 and was quite exhausted    
when ,i got to him1 and he was saved1 as
 it were1 by the skin of his teeth4 ,i  
feared he might seize me1 and1          
therefore1 ,i did not take hold of him1 

but pushed him before until he reached  
the long grass on the harbour bank4 ,he 
could not use his limbs1 and ,i thought 
he was dead1 but he soon revived a      
little4 ,we took him to my father's     
house and sent for his mother and a     
doctor2 but when they arrived1 he was   
breathing nicely1 and after a few hours1
 he walked home4 ,his father1 though    
vexed by his son's disaster1 said to me1
 ',you must teach him to swim4' ,i tried
 hard to do so1 but the water always    
frightened him1 and he never made much  
out at swimming4 ,a few years after this
 he died of the typhus fever1 and ,i    
believe his soul went to heaven4        
,witnesses--,john ,campbell1 ,francis   
,pinchbeck4   ,fourth4--,,henry         
,,ibotson499 7#ahbd47  ,henry1 myself1  
and others had been bathing in ,hessle  
,harbour1 and ,i had just left the water
 and dressed1 when a cry was raised1    
',ibotson is drowning4' ,i sprang to    
him1 when he seized me so tightly and   
closely1 that we had a narrow escape    

from being drowned together4 ,at length 
,i got myself clear1 and took him to the
 bank1 amid the shouts and cheers of a  
great many spectators4 ,we had great    
difficulty in walking home1 and when we 
got there we had to be put to bed4 ,mr4 
,booth1 gardener1 of ,hessle1 and who   
was the next person ,i rescued1 says3   
',you may have forgotten1 but ,i well   
remember1 that a few days previous to   
your saving my life1 you saved the life 
of ,h4 ,ibotson4 ,it had well-nigh cost 
you your life1 as he closed in upon you1
 and took you to the bottom4' ,a few    
days after ,henry came and thanked me   
most sincerely for what ,i had done1 and
 wished me to teach him to swim4 ,i     
began at once1 and he soon got that he  
could swim across the drain2 but it was 
a long time before he durst venture to  
swim across the harbour1 in which he had
 so nearly been drowned4444 ,now1 ,i    
would ask1 why did not some of these    
spectators render help in this time of  
need8 ,could nothing have been done when

 they saw us sink together1 again and   
again8 ,within fifty yards there was a  
boat1 with boat-hooks and staves1 and   
could no use have been made of these1 to
 lessen1 the peril in which myself and  
the drowning youth were placed8 ,i am   
convinced that great numbers of people  
are drowned through spectators not      
making a little effort at the time4     
,witnesses--,george ,twiddle1 ,robert   
,riplington4   ,fifth4--,,george        
,,booth4 7#ahbe47  ,he was bathing in   
the drain at ,hessle1 when a large tide 
was being taken in1 and he began to sink
 fast4 ,i was at a great distance when  
the alarm was given1 but ,i ran to his  
assistance1 plunged into the water1 and 
soon brought him safe to land4 ,mr4     
,booth's gratitude has given me the     
greatest satisfaction4 ,i had not seen  
him for many years1 and had forgotten   
the circumstance altogether1 until ,i   
met him at the funeral of ,r4 ,pease1   
,esq41 when he said1 ',i'm glad to see  
you once more1 ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4 ,don't

 you remember when you leaped into the  
drain forty years ago1 and saved my     
life8' ,and in a note ,i got from him1  
dated ,july #cast1 #ahfg1 he says1      
',under the blessing of ,divine         
,providence you were instrumental in    
saving my life4 ,i was sixteen years of 
age1 and in ,july1 #ahbe1 ,i was bathing
 in ,hessle drain1 when a very large    
tide was being taken in4 ,i shall ever  
have cause to thank you1 as the         
instrument in ,god's hands1 of saving me
 from a watery grave4'--,george ,booth4 
,sixth4--,,robert ,,clegg4 7#ahbe47  ,he
 was both owner and captain of the keel 
',ann ,scarborough1' the vessel from    
which ,i lost the brush at ,clark's     
,bit4 ,he went one dark night to        
,moreton1 and as he did not return at   
the time expected1 ,i felt very uneasy  
about him1 and at last ,i went on the   
bank of the ,trent1 in search of him4   
,when ,i got near ,moreton-bite1 ,i     
thought ,i heard a groan2 and after a   
long search ,i found my captain1 drunk1 

half in the water and half on the bank4 
,the tide was half flood1 and was then  
rapidly rising1 and had it risen a foot 
and a half higher1 he must have been    
drowned1 as nothing could have saved    
him4 ,i struggled with him for three    
quarters of an hour1 and after great    
exertions1 ,i got him fairly on the     
bank4 ,we were then a mile and a half   
from our vessel1 and did not get on     
board until three o'clock next morning4 
,a doctor had to be got1 and soon the   
captain began to recover4 ,but the keel 
was delayed two days4 ,he was afraid    
lest his wife should get to know the    
cause of this delay1 and he bound me to 
keep the affair a profound secret4 ,but 
he often said1 afterwards1 ',jack saved 
my life4' ,and ,i am quite sure ,i did1 
as no one came near us1 and there was no
 other chance of his being rescued4 ,i  
never allowed this case to be put in the
 list of those whom ,i have saved1 but  
having given a true statement of the    
case1 ,i think ,i shall be pardoned for 

giving it a permanent record here4      
,seventh4--,,name ,,not ,,known499      
7#ahbf47  ,sidenote3 ,,the ,,coachman4  
,he was a coachman1 but his name ,i     
never knew4 ,he was conducting some     
ladies on board the ',sir ,walter       
,scott1' when1 being drunk1 he fell     
overboard1 between the smack and the    
wharf1 ,irongate1 ,london4 ,there were  
but seven feet depth of water1 and ,i   
had to leap from a height of at least   
sixteen feet2 but ,i succeeded in       
preserving him from what seemed certain 
death4 ,he was covered with mud1 but was
 soon washed1 and got on some dry       
clothes4 ,after ,i had changed my       
clothes1 and drank a glass of whisky1 ,i
 returned to the vessel1 and the ladies 
and gentlemen gave me a thousand thanks4
 ,the captain's name was ,nisbet1 and   
ever afterwards he would have given me  
almost anything2 whenever ,i met him in 
,london1 he used to call the attention  
of his passengers to me1 and tell them  
what ,i had done4 ,many a time has he   

sent for me on board his vessel1 and    
given me as much drink as ,i would take1
 and he used to say to the passengers1  
',see6 this young man jumped over our   
ship's rail1 when there was not more    
than seven feet of water1 and made a    
rope fast to a man when there was no    
other way of his being saved4 ,if ,i had
 not seen it ,i could not have believed 
that any man could have done it4' ,he   
often said1 ',whenever you want a berth 
come to me and ,i will give you one4'   
,witnesses--,thomas ,macha1 ,richard    
,boras4   ,eighth4--,,charles           
,,himsworth499 7#ahbh47  ,at this time1 
,himsworth and myself belonged to the   
brig ',jubilee1' of ,hull4 ,we were     
bosom friends1 and very fond of spreeing
 about1 and spent much of our time when 
ashore in dancing parties and in        
ballrooms4 ,whether at ,hull or in      
,london1 if we could but find a place   
where there was plenty of noise and a   
fiddle going1 that was the place for us4
 ,we have often spent many days' hard   

earnings in a few hours1 amid such      
scenes4 ,on this occasion he fell from  
the bows of the ',jubilee' while a      
strong ebb tide was running4 ,i jumped  
in after him1 and we both went under a  
tier of vessels that were hung at the   
buoy1 ,battle ,bridge1 ,london4 ,we came
 to the surface1 but were soon carried  
under another tier of vessels1 and had  
not the mate have come to our assistance
 we should have gone under a third tier1
 but he came at the last extremity and  
saved us4 ,charles belonged to a very   
respectable family living at ,snaith1   
where ,i once called to see his mother1 
who was a widow4 ,her son ,thomas and ,i
 became intimate friends1 after ,i had  
rescued ,charles1 and he often said he  
thought as much of me as he did of his  
own brother4 ,alas6 the two brothers met
 with untimely deaths4 ,on the morning  
of ,january the #beth1 #ah--1 ,i saw    
,thomas put out to sea1 and in about    
half an hour the boat capsized1 and he  
and five other men were drowned4        

,charles got married1 and became master 
of a vessel1 but alas6 he and the crew  
were drowned4 ,witnesses--,william      
,howarth1 ,joseph ,johnson4             
,ninth4--,,john ,,kent499 7#ahbh47  ,he 
was a native of ,hull1 and a shipmate of
 mine on board the ',westmoreland4'     
,while in a state of intoxication he    
jumped overboard into the ,diamond      
,harbour1 ,quebec1 intending to swim to 
land1 but sank at a distance from the   
vessel4 ,a boat1 manned with foreigners1
 was passing at the time1 and ,captain  
,knill called to them to pick up ,kent4 
,they pulled the boat towards him1 but  
,kent1 in trying to lay hold of it1     
missed his grasp1 and the next moment he
 was under the boat4 ,the captain then  
called to us on the stage1 and said1    
',be sharp with your boat1 or the man   
will be drowned4' ,we did not then know 
who the man was1 but1 with the quickness
 of true sailors1 we were in the boat in
 a minute4 ,by this time he had been    
carried to a great distance from the    

ship1 as the ebb tide was running strong
 and fast4 ,i was forward in the boat1  
and on reaching the spot where he was   
last seen1 ,i plunged under the water1  
and in a moment ,i saw the man1 and was 
surprised to find it was my friend1     
,john ,kent4 ,i dived to a depth of     
twenty-five feet1 and had him right     
above me2 ,i soon had hold of him1 and  
though ,i had to swim against the ebb   
tide1 we were soon at the boat's side1  
when ,i said to the men1 ',never mind   
me1 pull him into the boat1' but he had 
such fast hold of my arm that they had  
to pull us in together1 and even then it
 was with great difficulty they broke   
his hold of me4 ,he was so far gone that
 for a long time we did not know whether
 he was living or dead4 ,at length he   
showed signs of life1 but recovered     
slowly1 and did not work for several    
days4 ,after twenty-five years'         
separation1 ,i met ,kent in the streets 
of ,hull1 and he remembered1 with every 
mark of gratitude1 his wonderful        

deliverance4 ,my arm was much bruised1  
and almost as black as a coal4 ,i could 
not lift it as high as my head1 and ,i  
said to the captain1 ',i am afraid ,i   
shall not be able to work to-day1' when 
he kindly said1 ',never mind the work1  
surely thou's done enough for one day2  
take care of thy arm1' and he gave me   
something with which to rub it4 ,it     
remained stiff for a long time1 and gave
 me great pain4 ,i hope to be pardoned  
for adding that1 ,i was a great         
favourite with ,captain ,knill1 and     
spent many hours with him ashore when ,i
 ought to have been aboard taking in    
timber4 ,he was a kind man and a good   
captain1 and often1 after my drunken    
sprees1 he would call me down to the    
cabin and there talk to me as a father  
would talk to his son4 ,and these       
friendly counsels produced a deep       
impression upon my mind1 and did me far 
more good than a 'blowing up' would have
 done4 ,through respect for him1 ,i used
 to guard against drink1 but alas6 ,i   

was often overcome4 ,i cherish an       
undying respect for the memory of my    
dear ,captain ,knill4                   
,witnesses--,captain ,j4 ,knill1 ,john  
,hickson4   ,tenth4--,,george           
,,williams499 7#ahcj47  ,he was a sailor
 on board the ship ',rankin1' belonging1
 ,i think1 to ,gilmore and ,rankin4 ,he 
fell overboard with a timber chain round
 his neck1 and went under a raft of     
timber4 ,some men saw him fall          
overboard1 and called for me4 ,i ran as 
fast as ,i could1 and had to step from  
one piece of floating timber to another2
 however1 ,i soon reached him1 and      
brought him up with the chain round his 
neck4 ,he was completely exhausted1 and 
it was half an hour before he could     
walk4 ,this man's captain sent for me to
 give me some money for rescuing one of 
his crew2 but fearing he might stop the 
sum out of the man's wages1 ,i refused  
to go2 for ,i did not want anything for 
what ,i had done4 ,he was offended1 and 
when ashore told ,captain ,knill of my  

refusal4 ,so to please my captain1 ,i   
went on board the ',rankin1' when the   
captain shook hands with me1 and said1  
',captain ,knill tells me you won't take
 any money for saving one of my crew4 ,i
 think you ought4 ,had you saved my life
 ,i would have given you twenty pounds1 
and ,i think you ought to take a        
sovereign for what you have done4 ,now  
take it1 and ,i will make him pay me    
back4' ,he then sent for the man1 who   
looked wretched and seemed to think ,i  
had gone for money2 and when his captain
 said1 ',now1 what are you going to give
 this man for saving your life1' he     
replied1 ',i have nothing to give him4' 
,i didn't want the poor man's money1 nor
 would ,i have taken any if he had had  
his pockets full4 ,i then went forward  
to the crew1 when the captain sent us   
what sailors call 'a mess pot4' ,i drank
 a great deal of rum that night1 for ,i 
had to sup first with one and then with 
another1 and each drank to my good      
health1 and when ,i left they gave me a 

good hearty ',english cheer'--such a    
cheer as only 'jolly sailors' can give4 
,captain ,knill was pleased that ,i had 
been so firm in refusing to take any    
money from the poor man1 and it was     
enough for me that he was pleased4 ,and 
,i can declare1 most solemnly1 that     
hitherto ,i have not received so much as
 a halfpenny from any of those whom ,i  
have saved4 ,i have got many a glass of 
grog1 but never any money4              
,witnesses--,captain ,j4 ,knill1 ,john  
,hickson4   ,eleventh4--,,mary ,,ann    
,,day499 7#ahcc47  ,she was a little    
girl1 a native of ,ulceby1 in           
,lincolnshire1 and fell from the ',magna
 ,charter' steamer into ,new ,holland   
harbour4 ,i sprang in after her while   
the paddle-wheels of the steamer were in
 motion1 and brought her ashore1 though 
at a great risk of losing my own life4  
,the noise of the paddle-wheels1 the    
screams of the girl's mother1 and the   
confusion and shouts of the passengers1 
made this a very exciting scene1 but it 

was very soon over1 and the little girl1
 having got some dry clothes on1 her    
mother brought her to me1 and said to   
her1 ',now what will you give this      
gentleman for saving your life8' when   
she held out her little chin and1 with a
 full heart1 said1 ',a kiss4' ,she gave 
me a kiss1 and ,o1 what a kiss it was4  
,i felt myself well paid for my trouble2
 indeed1 ,i made the remark at the time1
 that ,i was never better satisfied than
 when that child kissed me4 ',it is said
 that ,cicero had two courtiers on whom 
he wished to bestow favours4 ,to one he 
gave a golden cup1 and to the other a   
kiss4 ,but the one that got the cup was 
very dissatisfied4 ,he said1 ',in the   
kiss ,i see something more than the cup1
 though that is valuable1 but in the    
kiss there is affection1 and it betokens
 better things4' ,and ,i am sure ,i felt
 a greater sense of delight1 and higher 
satisfaction at the moment when that    
grateful child kissed me1 than ,i did   
when my fellow townsmen1 with their     

wonted generosity1 presented me with one
 hundred and thirty guineas1 and other  
mementoes of my doings2 all of which ,i 
prize most highly1 and which ,i trust   
will be preserved as heirlooms in my    
family1 as long as the name of          
,ellerthorpe shall continue4 ,i have    
been told that this girl is married and 
has a large family1 and that she is now 
living between ,beverly and ,hull4      
,whether this is true ,i cannot say1 but
 ,i know she has never paid me a visit1 
which ,i think she might have done1     
supposing the above statement to be     
correct4 ,should this meet her eye1 it  
may refresh her memory1 and ,i assure   
her she would meet with a hearty welcome
 from her former deliverer1 now living  
at the ,humber ,dock-gate1 ,hull4       
,witness--,captain ,oswald ,james ,teny4
   ,twelfth4--,,henrich ,,jenson499     
7#ahcc47  ,he was a foreigner1 about    
forty years of age1 and fell into the   
,humber ,dock basin1 one dark night1 in 
the month of ,november4 ,i was walking  

on the dock side at the time1 when ,i   
heard a splash in the water1 and in less
 time than it takes to write these few  
lines1 ,i plunged in after him1 and     
found him in a drowning state2 ,i seized
 him1 and with the assistance of some   
bystanders1 soon had him safe on land4  
,he rapidly recovered and ,i heard no   
more of him for years1 when a man1 a    
foreigner1 called at my house and gave  
me the man's name and thanked me for    
saving his life4 ,he said1 ',if ever    
,jenson comes to ,hull again1 you may   
rest assured he will call and see you1  
and give you personal thanks4' ,i said  
,i should be glad to see him1 but that  
,i should not take anything from him for
 the little service ,i had done him4    
,this case was fully reported in the    
local papers at the time1 and gave rise 
to a great deal of talk in the town of  
,hull1 and its vicinity1 as many well   
remember4 ,john ,barkworth1 ,esq41      
timber merchant1 of ,hull 7who had known
 me from a boy71 in company with some   

other gentlemen1 met me one day1 and    
said1 ',well ,john1 you have saved      
another man1' and turning to those with 
him1 he said1 ',here is a man that never
 stops1 whatever kind of weather blows1 
but in he plunges and fetches the       
drowning person out4 ,look at his last  
case6 ,on a dark cold night in          
,november1 he hears a splash1 and in he 
goes and saves a man4 ,gentlemen1 the   
town ought to do something handsome for 
him4' ,he gave me half-a-crown1 and each
 of the other gentlemen gave me the same
 sum4 ,as these gentlemen had plenty of 
money1 and as none of them had any      
connection with the man ,i had saved1 ,i
 accepted their gifts1 and felt pleased 
that my services had been acknowledged  
in the manner ,i have described4        
,witness--,james ,smith4                
,thirteenth4--,,ashley ,,taylor499      
7#ahcc47  ,he was seventy-five years of 
age1 and fell from the landing place of 
the ,grimsby packet1 opposite           
----street1 ,hull4 ,at that time ,i     

belonged to the ,new ,holland steamer1  
and having lost my tide at four o'clock1
 p4m41 ,i went down to meet the packet  
which arrived at seven o'clock at night4
 ,mr4 ,r4 ,curtis1 ,mr4 ,lundie1 and    
myself1 were walking near where the boat
 was expected to land1 when we heard a  
great splash in the water1 but could not
 see anything4 ,we ran to the corner of 
,pier-street1 and there we saw something
 in the water1 but nothing stirred4 ,at 
length ,mr4 ,lundie said1 ',i believe it
 is a man overboard4' ,i then looked    
more closely1 and sure enough it was a  
man4 ,he had on one of those old        
fashioned great coats1 with three or    
four capes1 and which were worn by      
gentlemen's coachmen and boots1 forty   
years ago2 and as the capes were blowing
 about in all directions1 it was with   
great difficulty ,i found his head4 ,i  
had to turn him up and down1 to the     
right and left1 topsy-turvey1 before ,i 
could get his head clear4 ,i took him to
 the ',piles1' and held him there1 until

 a young man1 who now drives a cab in   
,hull1 came to our assistance with a    
boat4 ,we took the old man to the       
,humber dock watch-house1 and sent for  
,dr4 ,buchan1 who used the ,royal       
,humane ,society's apparatus1 and also  
gave the old man a steam or vapour bath4
 ,i stayed with him in my wet clothes   
till he spoke1 and then ,i went home and
 got on some dry raiment4 ,during my    
absence1 they took this old man to ,mr4 
,hudson's lodging house1 in             
,humber-street4 ,the night was cold1 and
 the old man had had a warm bath1 and to
 expose him to the night air under such 
circumstances was enough to kill him4   
,when ,i arrived from ,new ,holland1 at 
nine o'clock next morning1 a person met 
me and said1 ',the old man is dead4'    
,witnesses--,richard ,curtis1 ,richard  
,lundie4   ,fourteenth4--,,richard      
,,chapman499 7#ahcd47  ,unlike the last 
case1 ,richard was a fine boy1 only     
seven years old3 he was the son of the  
late ,mr4 ,chapman1 pilot1 and also     

brother of ,mr4 ,chapman1 painter1 of   
,hull4 ,he fell into the water from the 
,hull ,dock ,pier4 ,at the time1 ,i was 
on the deck of my packet1 smoking a     
pipe1 when ,i heard some one call out1  
',a boy overboard4' ,i sprang from the  
deck1 ran to the spot1 plunged into the 
water1 and in a few moments ,i had the  
boy safe ashore4 ,i then hastened home1 
got on some dry clothes1 and in less    
than half an hour ,i had started with   
the packet for ,new ,holland4 ,when ,i  
returned1 ,mr4 ,chapman met me and said1
 ',john1 was it you who saved my boy8'  
',i can't say1 but ,i know ,i saved     
somebody's boy1 is he yours8' ,i        
replied4 ',yes1' said the rejoicing     
father1 ',i'm glad you were there1 what 
am ,i in your debt8' ',nothing1 ,mr4    
,chapman4 ,i am as pleased as you are1  
and you are quite welcome to what ,i    
have done1' was my reply4 ,he then said1
 ',come in here and have something to   
drink1' when we went to the ,minerva    
,hotel4 ,mr4 ,chapman pulled a handful  

of sovereigns from his purse and said1  
',now do take something for saving my   
boy1' but ,i again refused1 though ,i   
believe to this day he would gladly have
 given me #aj if ,i would have taken    
that sum2 but ,i never did take anything
 from anyone whom ,i have rescued1      
though often urged to do so4 ,i think it
 was on this occasion that ,i received  
#a from the ,hull ,royal ,humane        
,society4 ,mr4 ,collinson1 a gentleman1 
was on the pier when ,i saved ,master   
,chapman1 and he came and asked me what 
was my name1 to what ship ,i belonged1  
where ,i lived1 c4 ,soon after1 ,i was  
called by some gentlemen into the       
,minerva ,hotel1 where ,dr4 ,wallis     
shook me by the hand and said1 ',i have 
often heard of you1 and it gives me     
great pleasure to see your face and hear
 your voice4' ,he gave me a note to take
 to the ,trinity ,house for #a1 which ,i
 got1 and another which ,i took to      
,watson and ,harrison's bank1 where ,i  
got another sovereign4 ,i felt pleased  

with these acknowledgments of my        
services1 and oftener than once after   
this ,i was sent to the same places1 and
 got #a each time1 after ,i had rescued 
a human life4 ,the funds of the ,trinity
 ,house were soon exhausted1 and several
 gentlemen requested me to prepare a    
list of the persons ,i had saved from   
drowning at ,hull1 ,new ,holland1       
,barton1 and ,hessle1 and to get it     
signed by living witnesses4 ,the persons
 saved by me1 for which ,i had received 
no public acknowledgment1 numbered five1
 and they gave me #e4 ,altogether ,i    
have received eleven sovereigns from the
 ,hull ,humane ,society for those ,i    
rescued in the ,humber1 and at ,hull4   
,witnesses--,william ,collinson1 ,thomas
 ,spence4   ,fifteenth4--,,robert       
,,leeson499 7#ahcd47  ,he was a young   
gentleman returning from a musical      
festival1 at ,york4 ,he fell into ,new  
,holland harbour2 some said he was in a 
state of intoxication4 ,i swam to his   
assistance and soon saved him4 ,he was  

very ill1 and ,i believe a doctor was   
fetched from ,barrow4 ,when ,i returned1
 next morning1 he had gone1 but had left
 me sixpence with which to get a glass  
of rum1 which ,i hastily swallowed4 ,my 
captain was provoked by 7what he        
thought7 this man's niggardly gift1 and 
said1 ',john1 why did you drink it8 ,i  
would have given you a glass of rum     
without your being indebted to him4' ,i 
am told that this gentleman is often in 
,hull2 if he is1 ,i am sorry he has     
never had gratitude enough to give me a 
call4 ,i saved his life and he must know
 it4 ,i may add that a man who could not
 swim1 jumped overboard to rescue this  
gentleman1 and ,i had almost as much    
trouble in saving him as ,i had in      
saving ,leeson4 ,witnesses--,james      
,oswald1 ,james ,sorry4                 
,sixteenth4--,,joseph ,,crabtree4       
7#ahcd47  ,at this time ,i belonged to  
the ',magna ,charter' steamer1 and was  
watchman for the night4 ,when ,i went on
 board ,i was not quite sober1 and ,i   

lay down on the forecastle4 ,after a    
while ,i thought ,i heard something fall
 overboard1 when ,i ran on to the deck1 
but could not see anything4 ,i listened 
with bated breath1 but not a sound could
 ,i hear2 at length ,i shouted1 but     
there was no answer4 ,a plank had been  
put from the ',ann ,scarborough1' into  
our ',taffelrail1' and as this plank had
 fallen down1 ,i thought it was its fall
 ,i had heard and nothing else4 ,i got a
 boat hook and pulled the plank on board
 our vessel4 ,but after a few moments ,i
 thought ,i heard something stir1 and on
 taking a light ,i saw ,crabtree1 who   
was engineer of the ',ann ,scarborough1'
 stuck in the mud1 for the vessels were 
dry4 ,i put down a ladder and went to   
help him1 but he was so fast in the mud 
that ,i could do nothing with him4 ,so  
,i ran to ,lawson's tap-room and got1 ,i
 think1 ,robert ,hollowman and two other
 men1 to help to get ,c4 out of the mud4
 ,he was dead drunk1 but we soon got him
 ashore1 gave him some brandy1 and he   

was very little worse4 ,the case was    
kept a profound secret at the time1 and 
for this reason--,crabtree was afraid   
that if his master should get to know of
 the affair1 he would lose his          
situation1 and as we all thought the    
same1 we promised not to tell any one of
 it4   ,seventeenth4--,,wilson499       
7#ahce47  ,this boy fell into the       
,humber ,dock basin1 and sank between   
the ',calder' steamer and the wall4 ,it 
was about three o'clock one ,sabbath    
afternoon1 and hundreds of people were  
passing to and fro in search of         
pleasure4 ,i was one hundred yards from 
the boy when the alarm was given1 but ,i
 ran as fast as ,i could1 and when ,i   
got to the spot1 ,i found great         
difficulty in getting near because of   
the press of the people who were anxious
 to see the drowning youth4 ,some one   
said1 ',he went down just here1' and in 
,i went1 but ,i had a task to find him  
because of the thickness of the water4  
,at last ,i saw him1 and brought him up 

on one side of the packet1 and caught   
hold of the paddle-wheels1 when the     
people1 who crowded the deck1 rushed to 
see us1 and gave the packet such a      
'lurch over' that we were again dipped  
overhead in the water4 ,i was never     
nearer being drowned than at this       
moment2 but 'mercy to my rescue flew1'  
for the captain1 who had been asleep in 
the cabin1 rushed on deck1 and seeing   
our peril1 called out1 ',you are        
drowning them1' and got them to stand on
 the other side of the vessel1 which    
lifted us right out of the water4 ,a man
 then came into the paddle-wheel and    
took us both out4 ,i was then completely
 exhausted and quite insensible4 ,when  
,i came to myself ,i was in the         
watch-house of the ,humber ,dock        
,company1 and a doctor was watching over
 me and administering suitable medical  
treatment4 ,i cannot tell how long ,i   
was in this state1 but ,i had all my    
clothes pulled or cut off1 and ,i was   
dangerously ill for several days4 ,the  

boy was thought to be worse than ,i was1
 and in his case they used the ,royal   
,humane ,society's apparatus for        
restoring animation to drowning persons4
 ,he soon recovered1 but who he was or  
where he came from ,i never knew4 ,i    
remember the doctor told me his name was
 ,wilson4 ,this was regarded by the     
public as an act of great skill and     
bravery1 and was much talked of at the  
time4 ,mrs4 ,daniel ,sykes sent me1     
through the medium of the editor of the 
,rockingham newspaper1 #a #ajs41 and ,i 
think one of the clubs subscribed       
threepence4 ,witnesses--,isaac ,johnson1
 ,s4 ,bromley4   ,eighteenth4--,,sarah  
,,harland499 7#ahce47  ,mrs4 ,h4 was a  
person of great strength and bulk of    
frame1 weighing fourteen stones2 she    
fell from the pier into the water4 ,our 
packet had just arrived from ,new       
,holland1 and ,i was forward making the 
444 rope fast1 when our engineer called 
out ',jack1 ,jack1 there is a woman     
overboard4' ,he ran aft as fast as he   

could1 and when he got there1 he saw me 
overboard4 ,he often used to say1 ',i   
don't know how that little fellow got   
past me1 for ,i ran as fast as ,i could1
 and yet when ,i got there he was       
overboard4' ,i seized this woman with a 
firm grip1 and bore her to the pier1    
amid the applause of crowds of people   
who witnessed the whole occurrence4     
,some of them said ,i swam as fast with 
this big woman in my arms as ,i did when
 ,i went towards her2 this ,i think was 
impossible1 seeing ,i was but a little  
man1 and that she was such a big heavy  
woman4 ,isaac ,whittaker1 ,esq41 who saw
 me rescue her1 gave me half-a-crown to 
get some grog with4 ,but what pleased me
 far better was1 the gratitude of ,mrs4 
,h4 ,she resided1 if ,i remember        
rightly1 in ,blanket ,row1 and on going 
to see her1 next morning1 ,i found her  
ill in bed4 ,she seemed full of         
gratitude1 and that gave me great       
pleasure4 ,i have often seen her since1 
and she always acknowledges me as saving

 her life4 ,witness--,robert ,todd4     
,nineteenth4--,,robert ,,brown499       
7#ahce47  ,he was a sailor1 from ,north 
,shields1 and fell overboard1 near the  
,victoria ,hotel1 ,hull1 while on watch4
 ,it was the first night of ,dacrow's   
,circus appearing in ,hull1 and ,brown's
 mates had gone ashore1 either to see   
the performance inside1 or to hear the  
music in the streets4 ,i was watchman   
that night on board the ',magna         
,charter' steamer4 ,a heavy gale was    
blowing from the north1 accompanied with
 sleet storms4 ,while closing the cabin 
door for the night1 ,i heard a splash1  
and running aft1 ,i called out1 ',is    
anyone overboard8' ,but there was no    
answer1 for the pier was deserted1 the  
people having thronged to the circus4 ,i
 could not see anything2 but at last ,i 
thought ,i heard a voice1 and plunging  
into the water1 ,i soon found poor      
,brown2 indeed he seized me before ,i   
was aware of him1 and got upon me in    
such a way that ,i could not swim1 and1 

,i must confess1 ,i was in a great      
passion4 ,at length ,i got one arm at   
liberty1 and made for the shore4 ,i     
turned round and round a great many     
times1 and1 at last1 after a desperate  
struggle1 which ,i shall never forget1  
we reached the steps at the end of the  
pier4 ,brown took hold of the rail1     
walked up the steps1 and seemed as if he
 didn't care about me2 ,i was quite     
exhausted1 and had to hold by the       
railings for several minutes before ,i  
could recover my breath4 ,i then sat    
down on one of the steps and felt very  
ill1 and ,i thought ,i should have died 
on the spot4 ,i remember seeing the     
lights1 and hearing the music from the  
shore1 but there was no one near to     
render me any help4 ,bye-and-bye ,i     
recovered a little and crept to the top 
of the steps1 where ,i found poor       
,brown1 crying most piteously4 ,two men1
 ,joseph ,crabtree and ,john ,young1    
came from ,lawson's tap-room1 and ,i    
asked them to get some drink for the    

youth1 who was in a distressing state1  
and ,i would pay for it4 ,they then took
 him to ,mr4 ,lawson's1 while ,i tried  
to make my way home2 but scarcely had ,i
 started1 when a great trouble stared me
 in the face1 it was this3 ,around the  
circus were thousands of people1 and ,i 
thought1--what shall ,i do8 ,i cannot   
get through that crowd1 and if ,i once  
fall1 ,i shall never get up again1 and  
,i felt that ,i had not strength to walk
 round the other way1 and ,i didn't know
 what to do4 ,however1 ,i had not gone  
far when1 who should ,i meet1 but       
,joseph ,spyby1 our engineer4 ,i said1  
',o ,joe1 do help me home1 do2 ,i have  
been overboard saving a young man1 and  
,i can scarcely stand4 ,i feel very     
bad4' ,he replied1 ',yes1 thou has to be
 drowned1 and the sooner the better4    
,there never was such a fool as thou    
art4 ,does thou think anybody but       
theeself would jump overboard a night   
like this8 ,no6 there is not another    
such a fool in ,england6' ,now1 ,joe was

 a kind-hearted1 humane man1 and the    
first to help a poor fellow in distress2
 but such was the way in which he       
expressed himself as he helped me along 
the street that terrible night4 ,he took
 hold of me and got me through the crowd
 as well as he could4 ,we went to the   
,humber ,tavern1 where ,i got a glass of
 brandy1 and then ,spyby took me home4  
,i got a change of raiment and a little 
rest1 and strange to say1 ,i soon felt  
well again4 ,for this case ,i received  
the ,royal ,humane ,society's silver    
medal1 with their thanks on vellum4 ,the
 case created considerable excitement in
 ,hull1 and the late ,mr4 ,loft 7father 
of our late mayor71 offered to become   
one of twelve persons to allow me #b per
 week to walk round the pier and docks1 
so as to be ready to rescue any who     
might fall into the water4              
,witness--,robert ,todd4                
,twentieth4--,,robert ,,tether4 7#ahcf47
  ,this young man1 who is at present    
second engineer of the steam-ship1      

',dido1' belonging to ,wilson and ,sons1
 ,hull1 shall describe his own          
deliverance4 ,he thus writes3--',about  
thirty years ago1 and when ,i was about 
ten years of age1 ,i was on board of a  
vessel whilst being launched from a     
ship-yard on the ,humber bank4 ,by some 
means or other a check rope belonging to
 the vessel broke1 and dragged me into  
the water4 ,there was no means of my    
being saved but by the noble ,hero1 who 
immediately jumped into the water1 with 
all his clothes on1 and brought me to   
the shore1 which was done at a great    
risk of his own life4 ,i remember1 also1
 that there was immense shouting and    
cheering1 and that a band of musicians  
who had been playing at the 'launch1'   
when they saw ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe bearing 
me ashore1 began playing1 ,see the      
,conquering ,hero comes4--,robert       
,tether1 ,july #bdth1 #ahfg4'           
,twenty-first and                       
,twenty-second4--,,george ,,emerson99   
,,and ,,ann ,,wise99 7#ahcf47  ,emerson1

 a porter1 was conducting ,miss ,wise1  
from the ',magna ,charter1' over a      
plank1 when the plank slipped1 and both 
were precipitated into the water4 ,the  
wind was blowing very strong1 and the   
river was extremely rough at the time4  
,i had just gone into the cabin to      
change my clothes1 when1 hearing such a 
screaming as ,i had never before heard1 
,i sprang upon the paddle-box1 and saw  
,emerson1 but knew nothing of the woman 
who had also fallen into the water1 and 
whose mother was uttering the most      
heart-rending shrieks4 ,i leaped from   
the paddle-box to save the man1 when1 to
 my surprise1 ,i found ,i had thrown my 
legs right across the woman's shoulders6
 ,of course my first object now1 was to 
save her4 ,i hastily dragged her to the 
side of the packet1 and having put her  
hand round a piece of iron1 ,i said to  
her1 ',now hold fast there1 for you are 
safe4' ,i then went to a distance in    
search of ,emerson1 and having made a   
rope fast round him1 ,i was able to hold

 him up with ease4 ,but the shouting was
 as great as ever1 and ,i               
thought1--surely there is some one else 
overboard6 ,the fact was1 the people    
could not see the woman holding by the  
iron1 and in my efforts to save the man1
 they thought ,i had forgotten her2     
hence their wild shouts4 ,the engineer  
came to the vessel's side and shouted1  
',there is the woman yet1' when ,i      
replied1 ',she's all right1 come down to
 the paddle and take hold of her4' ,he  
came and took her out1 when she had a   
basket on her arm and a pair of pattens 
in her hand1 just as when she dropped   
into the water4 ,she suddenly           
disappeared from the crowd1 and ,i heard
 no more of her for seven years4 ,mr4   
,g4 ,lee1 editor of the ',rockingham1   
advertised the case in his paper for    
several weeks1 asking the woman1 from   
sheer gratitude1 to let him know her    
name2 but there was no response4 ,when  
,i was master of the ',ann              
,scarborough1' sailing between ,barton  

and ,hessle1 ,i had to fetch 7one       
,sunday afternoon7 a gentleman's        
carriage from ,barton to ,hessle4 ,we   
had scarcely started1 when a young      
woman1 who was a passenger1 said to me1 
',you don't know me1 ,sir1 but ,i know  
you4' ',and for what do you know me1    
something good or bad8' ',o good1 ,sir2 
don't you remember jumping overboard and
 saving my life1 at ,hull8 ,i shall     
never forget you1 and ,i have come here 
on purpose to thank you4' ,i then told  
her how we had advertised for her name1 
but could never hear a word of her1 when
 she said1 ',my mother and ,i were      
strangers in ,hull1 and as soon as ,i   
had got some dry clothes on1 we had to  
start by coach1 for ,bridlington4' ,this
 woman's brother was gardener for ,mr4  
,graborn1 solicitor1 ,barton1 and we    
afterwards became very intimate friends4
 ,i have not heard from ,ann ,wise for  
many years1 but if she is yet living in 
any part of ,england1 it would gladden  
my heart to have one more acknowledgment

 from her4 ,in relating this case at    
,temperance meetings1 ,i have sometimes 
created a little mirth1 by remarking1   
',i went in search of a man1 and lo6 and
 behold1 ,i found a woman4'             
,witness--,robert ,todd4                
,twenty-third4--,,john ,,bailey499      
7#ahcf47  ,he was fourteen years of age1
 and while playing at the ,hull         
ferry-boat dock1 he fell overboard and  
had a very narrow escape from being     
drowned4 ,when ,i first heard the cry1  
',a boy overboard1' ,i was near the     
,minerva ,hotel1 and ,i at once ran to  
the scene of the disaster4 ,he had been 
down twice1 when ,i got there1 but in a 
few moments ,i had hold of him1 and     
brought him ashore1 amid the cheers and 
shouts of hundreds of spectators4 ,i    
narrowly escaped being drowned4 ,bailey 
is now a labouring man in ,hull1 and ,i 
believe the father of a large family4 ,i
 often meet him1 and he always seems    
glad to see me4  ,i may here ask1 ,was  
it not strange that amongst the hundreds

 of people who saw this drowning youth1 
not one was found to render him the     
least assistance8 ,i do not write       
boastingly when ,i say this3--,if ,i    
could run from the ,minerva ,hotel to   
the pier1 and save this youth1 after he 
had sank in the water twice1 surely     
those who were near him at the moment   
when he fell in1 might have rendered him
 some assistance8 ,indeed some present  
said1 ',we could have swam to him if we 
had tried4' ,then ,i would ask1 ',why   
didn't they make a venture8' ,the       
conduct of these spectators ,i regard as
 being monstrous and unmanly4           
,englishmen are generally thought to    
have a fair share of personal courage1  
but it is nevertheless a fact1 that     
scores of them watched the struggles of 
this drowning youth1 but took care to   
watch them only from the shore4 ,can we 
wonder that hundreds are drowned every  
year along our coasts1 if people act as 
these spectators did4                   
,witnesses--,joseph ,crabtree1 ,john    

,young4   ,twenty-fourth4--,,richard    
,,lison499 7#ahcf47  ,he was a boy1     
seven years of age1 and fell into the   
,junction dock1 ,hull4 ,when the alarm  
was given1 ,i was at the other side of  
the present 444 dock1 a great distance  
from where the boy was1 but ,i ran with 
all speed over the bridge1 and when ,i  
got to the drowning child1 ,i found he  
had sunk the third time1 and ,i thought1
 ,o1 what shall ,i do8 ,i went in search
 of him2 ,i dived here1 and ,i dived    
there1 and at length ,i found him4 ,a   
cry of joy was raised by the spectators 
when they saw me fetch him from a great 
depth1 and then carry him towards the   
shore1 on reaching which1 some of them  
received him1 and took him to his       
mother4 ,i heard no more of him until he
 had grown to manhood2 since then he has
 manifested the warmest gratitude1 and  
treated me with the utmost kindness and 
respect4 ,for years he was in the employ
 of the ,hull dock company2 ,i had many 
opportunities of watching his conduct1  

and always found him a faithful and     
trusty servant1 doing his duty as well  
in his master's absence as in his       
presence4 ,this made me think much of   
him1 and ,i always felt a deep interest 
in his welfare4 ,he is now in the employ
 of ,martin1 ,samuelson and ,co41 ,hull4
 ,witness--,john ,lundie4               
,twenty-fifth4--,,george ,,rickerby499  
7#ahcf47  ,he was a youth1 and while    
playing on the east pier1 ,hull1 he fell
 overboard4 ,i ran a great distance1 and
 in an almost breathless state leaped   
from a height of fourteen feet1 into    
seven feet depth of water4 ,i had       
scarcely touched the water1 when he     
clutched me firmly1 and dragged me down1
 again and again1 but ,i was eager to   
rescue him1 and1 thank ,god1 ,i         
succeeded4 ,he had fallen upon one of   
the buoys1 and cut his head1 which bled 
profusely1 and before ,i got him ashore 
,i thought he was dead4 ,he continued to
 bleed for some time1 and a doctor was  
sent for4 ,there was great cheering by  

the spectators as they saw me bearing   
through the waters1 this bleeding1 but  
still living youth1 and some ladies and 
gentlemen1 who had been watching me from
 the ,minerva ,hotel1 threw out of the  
window1 several shillings and half-crown
 pieces4 ,if my memory serves me        
rightly1 ,i got #a #ajs4 ,i thought     
myself handsomely rewarded2 but what    
pleased me more was the gratitude of the
 boy's mother2 for ,i have always       
considered gratitude the richest reward 
,i could receive3 more than grateful    
thanks for what ,i had done1 this poor  
woman would have found it difficult to  
have given me1 but most grateful she    
was1 and ,i felt both satisfied and     
delighted4 ,but let me explain3 ,on     
going to see the boy1 next morning1 ,i  
found him very ill in bed1 and his      
mother1 thinking ,i had gone for        
something for saving her child's life1  
said1 ',i have no money to give you1    
,sir1 but my husband's half-pay will be 
due in a few days1 and ,i'm sure you    

shall have half of it4' ,i replied1     
',i'm sure ,i have not come for anything
 you have1 my good woman1 for ,i never  
take money from those ,i save1 or from  
their relatives4' ,she seemed           
overwhelmed with grateful feelings1 and 
,i had some difficulty in persuading her
 that ,i did not want money1 and that ,i
 would not take it if offered me1 and ,i
 believe1 to this day1 that if ,i had   
said to her1 ',you must give me your    
eight-days' clock and your chest of     
drawers1' she would willingly have given
 them to me there and then4             
,witness4--,richard ,curtis4            
,twenty-sixth4--,,miss ,,hill4 7#ahcf47 
,this young woman1 when landing at ,new 
,holland1 ran down the plank1 when her  
foot slipped and she fell into the      
water1 at the low side of the jetty4 ,i 
sprang to her assistance1 but she was   
fast among some pieces of timber4 ,we   
were both in great peril1 the tide was  
coming in1 and had it reached a foot    
higher1 we should both have been        

drowned4 ,we were so placed as to be    
compelled to dive under water before we 
could reach the shore4 ,i told her that 
there was no other way of our being     
saved1 and that the attempt must be made
 at once1 and without waiting for her   
consent1 ,i grasped her in my arm1 and  
under the water we went4 ,the people    
thought we should have been drowned1 but
 we soon got clear of the jetty2 some   
threw us one thing and some another2 at 
length ,james ,nicholson got into a     
boat1 took us in1 and landed us safe    
ashore4 ,i went to a public house1 where
 ,i got a glass of brandy1 and borrowed 
the ostler's clothes1 and ,i ailed      
nothing afterwards4 ,the young woman    
remained at ,new ,holland all night1 and
 took her departure next morning1       
without leaving behind her even a single
 expression of verbal gratitude for what
 ,i had done for her4 ,for some time it 
was reported that she was the daughter  
of ,sir ,rowland ,hill1 post-master     
general1 but ,i wrote to that ,knight1  

and found that she did not belong to his
 family4 ,she made a fine appearance and
 was well dressed1 but when ,i think of 
the shabby way in which she left the    
scene of her distress1 ,i can't call her
 a lady4 ,i am devoutly grateful that ,i
 was the means of saving her1 but the   
case would not have been made thus      
prominent1 had not several gentlemen of 
,hull1 who were present on the occasion1
 refused to let the case slip4          
,witnesses--,robert ,todd1 ,captain     
,thomas ,oswell4                        
,twenty-seventh4--,,hannah ,,webster499 
7#ahcg47  ,this ,i regard as a most     
wonderful deliverance4 ,some said she   
fell1 others that she jumped1 from the  
,barton horse-boat into the ,ferry-boat 
dock1 ,hull4 ,thomas ,spencer1 who was  
working at what was then called ',the   
knock-em-down jetty1' saw the woman drop
 into the water1 and called out1 ',a    
woman overboard4' ,i hastened to her and
 soon got her ashore1 when she was      
completely exhausted1 and we sent for a 

doctor4 ,a gentleman came to me and said
 ',did you fetch yon woman out of the   
water8' ',yes1 ,sir1' was my reply1 when
 he made this strange and unaccountable 
remark--',if you had let her stop in ,i 
would have given you half-a-crown1 but  
as it is1 ,i shall not give you         
anything4' ',thank you1 ,sir1 but ,i'm  
glad she's out1 notwithstanding2 and ,i 
would rather save that woman than ,i    
would have all the half-crowns in       
,hull1' was my indignant reply4 ,i never
 stood to ask whether a drowning person 
was rich or poor1 friend or foe1 drunk  
or sober4 ,if a person was overboard ,i 
did my best to rescue that person from  
drowning4 ,we took this poor1 despised  
woman to a house in ,humber-street1 and 
,i gave my word that all expenses should
 be paid4 ,she lodged in ,mill-street1  
and was a widow1 thirty seven years of  
age1 and had two children4 ,i went to   
see her next morning1 but she had gone1 
so ,i had all expenses to pay4 ,i have  
always thought this woman was one of    

those poor1 unfortunate1 and despairing 
ones1 so touchingly described by        
,hood3--      ',mad from life's history1
     ,glad to death's mystery     ,swift
 to be hurled1       ,anywhere1         
anywhere1     ,out of the world4'       
,witnesses--,william ,taylor1 ,george   
,horsefield4   ,twenty-eighth4--,,miss  
,,ellgard499 7#ahcg47  ,this young      
woman1 who1 there is reason to suspect1 
was a similar character to ,mrs4        
,webster1 fell from ,mc,donald's wharf1 
into ,toronto ,bay1 ,america4 ,i had in 
charge at this time a vessel belonging  
to ,mr4 ,garsides1 and when walking down
 to the wharf1 one cold night1 in the   
month of ,october1 ,i heard a heavy     
splash in the water1 and the next moment
 a loud scream4 ,i ran to the place and 
saw this woman struggling in the water4 
,she was very difficult to get at1 but  
at last ,i caught hold of her1 and soon 
landed her on the wharf4 ,a man was     
waiting to receive her1 and they        
instantly walked off4 ,a few days after1

 however1 she called at ,mr4 ,baker's1  
',black ,swan' ,inn and asked for me1   
and on going to the door she told me    
that ,i had saved her life1 and that she
 was twenty-nine years of age4 ,now     
there had been some strange reports     
about her and the man who met her2      
indeed it was commonly believed1 in     
,toronto1 that he had pushed her        
overboard4 ,but she said1 ',the report  
is false4 ,i fell overboard4' ,she      
thanked me very kindly2 ,i urged her to 
tell me her name1 which she did1 after  
,i had promised not to tell anyone2 this
 made me suspect that there was         
something wrong in connection with her  
being overboard4 ,she urged me to accept
 some money1 but ,i would not for ,i am 
sure her gratitude amply satisfied me   
for what ,i had done for her4           
,witnesses--,thomas ,thomas1 ,john      
,baker4   ,twenty-ninth4--,,jane        
,,gough499 7#ahdc47  ,when seven years  
old1 she fell into ,hessle harbour2 her 
mother gave the alarm1 and in a few     

moments ,i was in the water and saved   
her4 ,i remember but little about this  
case1 but the girl's father often says1 
when referring to myself1 ',that man    
saved my child's life twice1 and the    
second time was as good as the the      
first4' ,i will explain the second case4
 ,miss ,gough1 many years after her     
deliverance1 married ,mr4 ,shaw1 a      
captain1 and together they have brought 
up a family of children1 in respectable 
circumstances4 ,mrs4 ,shaw knew me well1
 but ,i had not seen her for many years1
 when this strange event took place3--,i
 was captain of the ,dock ,company's    
steamer1 and on going one dark night    
into the ,victoria ,dock1 ,i found a    
deep timber-laden vessel1 with her stem 
upon the bank and her stern in the      
channel1 and she was rapidly filling    
with water4 ,i at once went to her      
assistance1 and having fastened a strong
 rope to her1 and then to my packet1 ,i 
tried1 first in one way and then in     
another1 to pull her off1 but she seemed

 immoveable2 and ,i began to fear ,i    
should not accomplish my object4 ,but ,i
 always believed in that little catch1  
',have you not succeeded yet8           
,try1 try again4'  and we did try again2
 and after trying many ways but in vain1
 we put the tow-rope on board1 and      
running our packet at full speed1 off   
the vessel came4 ,all this time there   
was no person on board except the       
captain's wife and her children4 ,so ,i 
put them ashore1 and went on board the  
vessel myself1 and let go the anchor4   
,now1 ,i did not know who the woman was 
until she offered me a sum of money1 for
 what ,i had done4 ,i told her ,i did   
not want aught1 and that she was        
heartily welcome to the timely service  
,i had rendered her4 ,she then said--and
 ,i shall never forget it--',mr4        
,ellerthorpe1 you don't seem to know who
 ,i am8' ,i said1 ',no1 ,i don't2' when1
 to my surprise1 she answered1 ',i am   
that little girl1 ,jane ,gough1 whom you
 saved from drowning in ,hessle         

harbour4' ,my feelings were             
indescribably pleasant and joyous4      
,witnesses--,jane ,shaw1 ,john ,gough4  
,thirtieth4--,,william ,,turner4        
7#ahdd47  ,this deliverance took place  
one dark night1 when we were rounding   
,flambro ,head1 and while a strong wind 
was blowing and a heavy sea rolling4    
,turner1 while doing something at the   
main sheet1 fell over the vessel's side4
 ,i caught him1 and got him on board1   
with a quickness that has always        
surprised me4 ,mr4 ,turner1 who is at   
present foreman of the ,humber ,dock    
,company1 ,wharfage department1 thus    
writes3--',i am one of the persons whom 
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe has saved from a      
watery grave4 ,in the year #ahdd1 and   
during a voyage from ,scarborough to    
,hull1 in the yacht1 ,gossamer1 ,i fell 
overboard while crossing ,burlington    
,bay4 ,he sprang to my assistance and   
saved me1 otherwise ,i should have been 
drowned4 ,i remember also1 when coming  
over the ,humber ,dock ,bridge1 one     

night1 about nine o'clock1 ,i saw an old
 lady fall from a height of about twenty
 feet1 into the lock-pit4 ,soon after ,i
 heard a tremendous splash1 and to my   
surprise1 ,i found it was ,our ,hero1   
who had plunged his carcase into the    
lock to rescue the old lady from her    
perilous position1 which he did         
manfully4 ,i also saw him rescue ,john  
,eaby4 ,in the great and terrible       
struggle which took place in the water1 
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe bore up with the      
greatest coolness imaginable1 although  
at a great risk of losing his           
life4--,william ,turner4'               
,thirty-first4--,,john ,,ellerthorpe4   
7#ahdf47  ,he was my son1 and first-born
 child4 ,mr4 ,g4 ,lee1 the gentleman who
 first gave me employment in connection 
with the ,hull ,dock ,company1 had      
engaged me to teach his son the art of  
swimming4 ,we went to the ,stone ,ferry 
,baths1 for that purpose1 and wishful   
that my own sons should learn this      
invaluable art1 ,i took ,john with us4  

,when we got to the baths1 ,i found the 
water was too warm to bathe in1 so ,mr4 
,lee and myself went into one of the    
adjoining rooms and had a long          
conversation about swimming1 while the  
two boys were left behind4 ,at length ,i
 went to test the temperature of the    
water1 it was remarkably clear1 and1 to 
my horror1 ,i saw my son prostrate at   
the bottom of the bath6 ,my feelings can
 be better imagined than described4     
,instantly1 and without either throwing 
off a single garment or putting my watch
 from my pocket1 ,i plunged into the    
bath and brought him up4 ,he was full of
 water1 and frothed at the mouth1 and   
was very ill for a long time after4     
,witness--,mr4 ,g4 ,b4 ,lee1 ,jun4      
,thirty-second4--,,thomas ,,robinson499 
7#ahdf47  ,he belonged to a schooner1   
lying in the ,junction ,dock1 ,hull4 ,i 
was walking near the dock1 when ,i saw a
 great many people running from every   
direction1 and was soon told that a man 
had fallen overboard4 ,i ran to the     

spot1 and for some time ,i could not    
ascertain the nature of the case4 ,at   
length the captain of the schooner1     
said1 ',he went down close to the       
vessel1 and has been seen twice4'       
,instantly ,i dived to the bottom of the
 dock1 but could not see him4 ,i swam to
 and fro for some time1 and at last saw 
him under the vessel2 he seemed quite   
dead1 but ,i seized him and brought him 
up4 ,they were busy with the grappling  
irons1 but as he was under the vessel1  
the probability is he would never have  
been got out of the water alive4 ,i went
 home and got some dry clothes on1 and  
when ,i returned and inquired how he    
was1 ,i was told he rapidly recovered4  
,i have never seen this young man1 or   
heard a word of him from that day to the
 present4 ,he was a sailor1 and may have
 been in ,hull since then1 but if he    
has1 he never made himself known to me4 
,witnesses--,john ,moody1 ,john ,kidd4  
,thirty-third4--,,watson499 7#ahdf47    
,while going on the ,humber bank1 to    

,hessle1 ,i passed some youths who were 
bathing1 but took little or no notice of
 them until ,i had got about #cjj yards 
past them1 when ,i saw some men running 
from a field close by1 and heard a youth
 call out1 ',a boy is drowning4' ,i ran 
back1 and swam to the lad1 and soon     
brought him out and laid him on the     
bank4 ,i drank a glass of grog and      
smoked a pipe1 and then returned to     
,hull1 for a change of raiment4 ,i      
caught a severe cold on this occasion1  
for ,i had got half way to ,hessle when 
,i saved this boy1 and had on my wet    
clothes for nearly three hours4 ,i have 
never1 that ,i am aware of1 seen that   
boy since4 ,nor am ,i quite certain     
about his name2 some one said they      
called him ,watson2 but a man who saw me
 save him told me he would let me know  
the boy's right name1 but he never did4 
,somebody disputed my saving the lad1 so
 ,i got a paper signed by a man who     
witnessed the whole affair1 and whose   
name was ,johnson4 ,witness--,mr4       

,johnson4   ,thirty-fourth4--,,samuel   
,,davis4 7,nov4 #f1 #ahej47  ,he was    
employed on board a 'mud tug' that was  
used for removing mud from ,hull        
,harbour into the ,humber4 ,i saw this  
tug in a sinking state1 and called out  
to the men to escape from her at once4  
,all left her and got into a boat1      
except ,davis2 he was rather lame1 but  
had time enough to make his escape as   
well as the rest4 ,the men had not left 
the 'tug' more than five minutes1 when  
she capsized1 and ,davis was thrown into
 the water4 ,i was on board a 'tow boat'
 at the time1 and between the drowning  
man and myself1 there lay three         
heavily-loaded ballast lighters4 ,i     
turned my steamer astern1 and by jumping
 from one lighter to another1 ,i soon   
reached ,davis4 ,i felt confident ,i    
could save him1 and having a mud scraper
 in my hand1 ,i threw the end of it to  
him1 and said1 ',now1 don't be afraid1  
you'll soon be all right4' ,i did save  
him1 but alas6--and my hand trembles    

while ,i write it--the first utterance  
that fell from his lips was a fearful   
oath1 ',d---- my eyes6' ,o1 how grieved 
,i was to hear a man1 just at the point 
of death1 utter such an expression4 ,we 
soon got him on board of our packet1 and
 put him in some warm and dry clothes4  
,on ,friday night1 ,december the #fth1  
#ahfg1 a fire broke out in ,hull1 and my
 son ,joseph1 was there1 and sprung the 
rattle1 giving the alarm1 and the first 
man that came to the spot was ,davis4   
,one of my son's companions called out1 
',ellerthorpe6' when ,davis said1 ',is  
,john ,ellerthorpe that young man's     
father8' ',yes1' was the reply4 ',ah6'  
said ,davis1 'he saved my life1 and but 
for him ,i should not have been here    
to-night4' ,i trust the ,lord will yet  
save him1 and that ,i shall meet him and
 others whom ,i have rescued1 at the    
right hand of the great ,judge4         
,thirty-fifth4--,a ,,boy--,,name        
,,unknown499 7#ahej47  ,at this time ,i 
was captain of the ,hull ,dock steam    

tug4 ,one night1 about eleven o'clock1  
the railway goods station was on fire1  
and ,i was summoned from my bed to go   
and remove our packet1 which was moored 
close to where the fire had broken out4 
,in the space of two hours1 three men   
fell overboard1 all of whom ,i rescued1 
with the assistance of others4 ,soon    
after ,i had to take the ,dock          
,company's fire-engine on board our     
packet1 as they could not find enough   
water on shore4 ,the wind was blowing a 
heavy gale1 and before ,i could get the 
packet to a convenient place1 sufficient
 water had been found1 and the engine   
was not needed4 ,while ,i was busy with 
the packet1 a man was drowned1 and ,i   
felt greatly distressed on his account4 
,so ,i went and sat down on the         
paddle-box and placed a boat hook at my 
side1 to be ready should any one fall   
into the water4 ,i had not sat many     
moments when ,i saw a youth1 about      
seventeen years of age1 fall overboard4 
,i jumped from the paddle-box on to the 

dock wall1 and ran as fast as ,i could  
to the spot4 ,while the fire was blazing
 before me ,i could see the boy         
distinctly1 but when ,i got past the    
fire it was pitchy dark1 and ,i lost all
 trace of the drowning youth4 ,thousands
 of people were thronging and shouting  
in every direction1 and ,i lost all     
hopes of saving the youth1 who was now  
submerged in the water4 ,but when ,i    
could not get any further1 for the press
 of the people1 ,i threw in the boat    
hook2 it was eighteen feet long and the 
tide was very high4 ,i knelt with one   
knee on the wall1 and felt the boy at   
about fifteen feet under water4 ,the    
hook caught the bottom of his waistcort1
 and ,i felt him take hold of it with   
both his hands4 ,i never could ascertain
 the boy's name1 but the whole case was 
fully reported in the local newspapers  
at the time1 and hundreds1 yea1         
thousands of people now in ,hull1 well  
remember it4 ,witnessed by thousands4   
,thirty-sixth4--,,george ,,pepper499    

7#aheb47  ,george was the son of my     
shipmate1 who witnessed the whole       
affair4 ,he was a scholar in the        
,trinity ,house school1 but it being    
,easter ,monday1 he had a holiday1 and  
came to spend the afternoon on board1   
with his father4 ,the packet started    
suddenly1 and the rope by which she had 
been fastened to the pier1 struck the   
boy1 and overboard he went4 ,the packet 
was in motion1 but ,i leaped into the   
water1 while ,george's father went to   
fetch a boat hook1 but it is my opinion 
the boy would have been drowned had ,i  
waited for the hook4 ,the boy's father  
was a good swimmer1 but he has often    
told me that he always wanted to think a
 few moments before he durst leap into  
the water4 ,however1 ,i saved his son in
 a few moments1 and without much        
difficulty2 indeed1 when his mother said
 to him1 ',george1 what did you think   
when you was in the water8' he replied1 
',o1 mother1 ,i hadn't time to think1   
for ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe caught me         

directly4' ,next morning1 ,george was   
ready for school and ,i was ready for my
 work1 and scarcely any one knew aught  
of the affair4 ,the fact was1 both      
,pepper and myself were to blame in not 
warning the boy of the danger that had  
nearly cost him his life4 ,george is now
 a young man1 and sails1 ,i believe1    
from the port of ,hull1 and he seems to 
think as much of his deliverance now as 
he did fifteen years ago4               
,witness--,henry ,bolton4               
,thirty-seventh4--,,robert ,,woodman499 
7#ahed47  ,he was a youth belonging to  
the brig ',janet1' of ,south ,shields1  
which was leaving the ,victoria ,dock1  
,hull1 and he had the misfortune1 while 
unfastening the check-rope1 attached to 
the ',dolphin1' to fall overboard4 ,for 
some time he struggled in the water1    
helpless1 and it was apparent that he   
was drowning4 ,at the time ,i was on    
board the ,dock ,company's tug1 which   
was about thirty yards from the spot1   
when1 fortunately1 ,i happened to see   

the youth1 and ,i immediately sprang    
into the water with all my clothes on4  
,i succeeded in seizing the boy as he   
was sinking1 and placed him in such a   
position as enabled me to keep him above
 the water1 when ,i made the best of my 
way to the brig's boat1 a few yards off4
 ,the poor lad1 in his almost insensible
 state1 got upon my head and clung to me
 tightly1 and in a few moments1 so      
entwined himself around my arms as to   
render me almost incapable of swimming1 
and the probability at that time was1   
that both of us would be drowned4 ,i saw
 and felt my perilous position1 as he   
threatened to draw me again into the    
water1 by his desperate struggles2 but  
at last1 with the strength and force of 
desperation1 ,i managed to reach the    
painter of the boat1 which fortunately  
being 'taut' from the ring1 enabled me  
to raise myself and the youth out of the
 water1 and we were both got into the   
boat1 though in a most exhausted        
condition2 indeed ,i had to be conveyed 

home4 ,the boy soon recovered and left  
the dock the next tide1 and ,i never saw
 him again4 ,but ,i wrote to the captain
 of the ship1 and received this         
beautiful letter from the youth's       
father3--       ,my ,dear ,sir1--,the   
captain of the brig ',janet' has sent me
 the very      kind letter from you1    
wishing to know the age and name of my  
boy1      which ,i am glad to tell you4 
,his name is ,robert ,woodman1 and he is
      seventeen years of age4 ,i live in
 ,london1 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 so4 ,but do accept my  
sincere thanks2 and ,i do      hope1    
,sir1 that if it should please ,god to  
spare my son to manhood1      that he   
will in some way present you a proof of 
his gratitude for      the great deed of
 daring that you have done for him2 for 
the      captain said the boy could not 
have been saved had it not been for     
you4 ,please to accept my most grateful 

thanks for your great      kindness to  
my poor boy4 ,yours truly1 ,woodman4    
,now1 ,i can truthfully say1 that this  
letter paid me well for the great risk  
,i had run1 as it gave me great         
pleasure4 ,some time after1 the ',janet'
 returned to ,hull1 and ,i went on board
 to see if ,i could find the youth1 but 
the bird had flown1 for the captain told
 me he had run away from his ship1 and  
that he had no idea where he was4 ,the  
captain was glad to see me and wanted me
 to have a glass of grog1 but ,i        
refused1 having become1 a short time    
before1 a pledged abstainer from all    
intoxicating drinks4                    
,thirty-eighth4--,,ann ,,martin499      
7#ahfj47  ,while the ,humber ,dock gate 
was being closed1 this woman1 who was   
forty-eight years of age1 came up to the
 bridge1 and refusing to wait until the 
proper time for passing1 she attempted  
to step from one half of the bridge to  
the other1 and in making the attempt1   
she fell1 head first1 into the water    

below4 ,it was high tide at the time1   
and she was rapidly carried away by the 
stream4 ,the night was dark and ,i was  
very ill1 but when ,i heard that a woman
 was overboard1 ,i ran to the spot2 but 
alas6 ,i could not see her1 and for a   
moment ,i thought there was no chance of
 saving her4 ,but knowing that          
assistance must be immediately rendered 
or the woman would be out of sight1 and 
beyond the reach of help1 ,i plunged    
into the water and soon brought her to  
the bridge4 ,they let down a boat hook  
to which we both clung1 and then a      
ladder1 up which to ascend4 ,but ,i told
 them ,i would rather have a boat1 which
 was soon brought and we were landed in 
safety4 ,while clinging to the hook1 the
 woman1 as might be expected1 was full  
of alarm1 but ,i knew she was safe      
enough1 so to allay her fears1 and wile 
away a few moments of painful1 but      
unavoidable waiting1 ,i jocosely said to
 her1 ',hold fast now1 ,missus4 ,you are
 as safe now as though you were watching

 the pot boil over4' ,she afterwards    
told me that the most pleasant sensation
 she ever experienced in her life1 was  
at the moment when she felt some one had
 hold of her in the water4 ,this woman  
has manifested the liveliest gratitude  
for what ,i did for her1 and she never  
crosses the bridge without calling at my
 house to enquire after me1 and she     
often says1 to my good wife1 ',you know 
,i aint right if ,i don't see the master
 about4' ,she was very poor at the time 
,i saved her1 but on the following      
,christmas she brought me a duck for my 
dinner4 ,i refused to take it1 for ,i   
knew she could not afford to give me it2
 but she said1 ',you must take it2 ,i   
meant giving you a ,goose1 but ,i       
could'nt afford to buy one4 ,now do take
 the duck1 do1 ,sir4' ,i saw it would   
grieve her if ,i refused1 so ,i took it2
 and this is the first1 and only        
occasion that ,i have taken aught from  
those whom ,i have rescued4 ,and ,i am  
sure in this case1 it was more blessed  

to give than it was to receive1 for the 
woman was both satisfied and delighted4 
,the gratitude of this poor woman1 and  
also that of her family1 seems unabated4
 ,witness--,william ,turner4            
,thirty-ninth4--,,john ,,eaby499 7,july 
#cj1 #ahfa47  ,police ,constable ,green1
 #fi1 was on duty at the ,south-end     
about half-past ten o'clock1 on the     
morning of the above date1 and about one
 hour before high water1 when he saw    
,eaby1 in a fit1 fall from the quay into
 the ,humber ,dock basin4 ,he           
immediately called out1 ',a man         
overboard1' and with the assistance of  
another man1 got the grapplings and     
caught hold of ,eaby by his clothes1 but
 he being of great weight1 they tore    
asunder1 and he again dropped into the  
water4 ,green then called for further   
assistance1 when our friend ran to the  
rescue1 and urged by ,eaby's fearful    
condition1 and the benevolent feelings  
of his own noble spirit1 he immediately 
jumped into the water and seized the    

drowning man4 ,from the effects of the  
fit1 the man struggled desperately4 ,our
 friend tried to get a rope round him1  
but could not2 he got his hand into his 
preserver's mouth1 and would have       
drowned him1 had not ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe  
had so many opportunities of trial in   
such cases4 ,eaby's first expression on 
coming out of his fit was1 ',what are   
you doing here8' when his deliverer     
replied1 ',havn't ,i as much right here 
as you have8' then ,eaby went off into  
another fit4 ,by this time a boatman1   
named ,john ,tickells1 came to our      
friend's assistance1 and was joined by  
,robert ,ash1 gateman1 ,humber ,dock1   
who slipped the grappling rope into the 
boat4 ,they then both seized ,eaby1 and 
got him into the boat and tied his legs1
 otherwise1 so desperate was he1 he     
would have split the boat up4 ,they then
 assisted our friend into the boat4     
,eaby struggled so desperately that the 
men had great difficulty in holding him 
in the boat4 ,he was taken to his house1

 #bj1 ,dagger ,lane1 where he was       
attended by ,mr4 ,lowther1 surgeon1     
accompanied by policeman ,green4 ,he    
soon escaped1 without clothes1 and1     
followed along the street by a crowd of 
people1 ran into ,no4 #aa1 ,fish        
,street1 and got into one of ,mr4       
,alcock's beds4 ,he was thirty-seven    
years of age1 and had been subject to   
fits for years1 which were often very   
violent4 ,witnesses--,william ,turner1  
,william ,steadman4  ,this rescue--the  
last of a large number that ,mr4        
,ellerthorpe was the honoured instrument
 of achieving--was witnessed by hundreds
 of spectators1 who were filled with    
admiration and wonder4 ,these were seen 
in their countenances and heard in their
 shouts of applause1 as he struggled    
with this poor unfortunate man4 ,not    
only so1 but it led the public to raise 
a subscription for ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4   
,two working men1 ,mr4 ,william ,turner1
 and ,mr4 ,william ,steadman1 who       
witnessed the humane and heroic conduct 

of their fellow townsman1 took the      
initiative1 and how hard they worked1   
and how nobly they accomplished their   
object1 will be seen from our next      
chapter4  ,the above list of thirty-nine
 persons saved by our friend1 contains  
three little girls1 fifteen youths1 six 
women1 and fourteen men1 in the strength
 and vigour of their days2 and one old  
man burdened by the weight of           
seventy-five years4  ,they were saved at
 the following places3 7,america17      
,quebec1 two2 ,toronto1 one2 ,barton1   
one2 ,castleford1 one2 ,humber ,bank1   
one2 ,burlington ,bay1 one2 ,london1    
two2 ,new ,holland1 three2 ,hessle1     
five2 ,hull1 twenty-two4  ,these        
deliverances took place in the following
 years3 #ahbj1 two2 #ahbb1 one2 #ahbd1  
one2 #ahbe1 two2 #ahbf1 one2 #ahbh1 two2
 #ahcj1 one2 #ahcc1 three2 #ahcd1 three2
 #ahce1 three2 #ahcf1 seven2 #ahcg1 two2
 #ahdc1 one2 #ahdd1 one2 #ahdf1 three2  
#ahdi-ej1 two2 #aheb1 one2 #ahed1 one2  
#ahfj1 one2 #ahfa1 one4  ,but though    

,eaby was the last person our friend    
actually rescued1 his readiness to      
imperil his own life1 that he might save
 the lives of others1 did not expire on 
that ever memorable occasion4 ,a        
clergyman called to see him1 and amongst
 other things1 said1 ',now ,ellerthorpe1
 your work is done2 ,god has honoured   
you above most men1 be satisfied2       
remember the old adage1 the pitcher goes
 often to the well1 but gets broken at  
last4' ,our friend shook his head and   
said1 ',do you think1 ,sir1 ,i could see
 a man overboard and not plunge in after
 him8 ,no1 ,sir4' ,and though upwards of
 sixty-one years of age1 and suffering  
acutely at times from his oft exposures 
in the water and cold1 he yet thought as
 deeply and felt as strongly as ever for
 his drowning fellow creatures2 and on  
two or three occasions his old zeal rose
 to furnace heat4 ,in proof of this we  
give the following extracts from the    
,hull papers3  ,sidenote3 ,a ,,sailor   
,,drowned4       ,a ,sailor             

,drowned4--,on ,monday last1 an inquest 
was held at the      ,parliament-street 
,police-station by ,mr4 ,p4 ,f4         
,thorney1 the borough      coroner1 on  
view of the body of ,thomas ,bates1 who 
had been a seaman      on board the     
screw steamer ',irwell4' ,on ,saturday  
evening1 about      eight o'clock1 the  
deceased fell from the forecastle deck  
of the      above-named vessel into the 
,humber ,dock lock pit4 ,mr4 ,john      
,ellerthorpe1 the foreman at the gates1 
immediately jumped in after      him1   
and though both were taken out within   
five minutes1 by the      dock gateman1 
,bates was pronounced to be dead by ,mr4
 ,lowther1      surgeon1 who was        
summoned to the spot4 ,a verdict of     
accidental      death was               
returned4--,hull ,news1 ,feb4 #adth1    
#ahfc4  ,respecting this case our friend
 says1 ',mr4 ,bates spoke to me in the  
water1 and said1 ,i shall soon be all   
right1 and ,i thought he would too4 ,the
 water was piercingly cold1 and ,i went 

and changed my clothes1 and when ,i     
returned to see how the poor man was1   
,dr4 ,lowther had pronounced him dead4  
,i never felt such a sense of distress  
as ,i did at that moment2 ,i did my very
 best to save him2 indeed1 ,mr4 ,lowther
 says1 ,the man died in an apoplectic   
fit4 ,it was deeply distressing to see  
the poor widow1 when her husband was    
pronounced dead2 she was overcome by the
 suddenness of the stroke1 and ,mr4     
,dale ,brown kindly sent her home in a  
cab4 ,this man1 and ,ashly ,taylor 7aged
 #ge years71 are the only instances out 
of upwards of forty ,i have rescued1 of 
death taking place in consequence of    
their being in the water4'       ,a ,man
 in the ,humber ,dock4--,yesterday a    
man1 named ,george ,taylor1      who is 
frequently employed in connection with  
the landing of fish1      c41 and who   
resides in the ',trippett1' while in a  
fit fell into      the ,humber ,dock1 at
 the ,south-west corner1 near to where  
the      ',alster' steam vessel was     

lying4 ,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 out4 ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 the 
foreman of the ,humber ,dock            
,bridge1 whose humanity and gallantry in
 saving people from      drowning1 has  
won for him the title of the ',hero of  
the ,humber1'      was ready to plunge  
in after the poor fellow1 had he not    
been      readily recovered by the      
hooks4 ,on being got on shore1 he was   
brought into the ,bridge watch-house and
 properly attended to4      ,before     
recovering he had several fits4 ,he was 
eventually sent home      wrapped in    
blankets4--,eastern ,morning ,news1     
,december #acth1 #ahff4       ,man      
,overboard4--,about two o'clock on      
,saturday1 whilst ,mr4 ,john            
,ellerthorpe was busy at the ,mytongate 
,bridge passing a vessel      through1  
he heard something splashing in the     
water1 which he      thought was a dog4 
,he called out to a lighterman1 named   

,george      ,woolass and another man   
who were on board of the vessel1 to     
bring a      boat and get the animal    
out4 ,a boat was obtained1 and the      
splashing      was found to be caused by
 a man who had fallen overboard4 ,on    
getting him out it was found he belonged
 to one of the fly-boats1      and had  
he remained many seconds more in the    
water he must have      been            
drowned4--,hull ,advertiser1 ,march     
#bnd1 #ahfg4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,efforts
 ,,in ,,the ,,watch-,,house4  ,we have  
seen in several instances1 that our     
friend1 after having rescued the        
drowning1 remained with them until all  
fears of immediate death were totally   
dissipated4 ,indeed his kindly          
ministrations in the watch-house of the 
,humber ,dock ,company1 have been       
scarcely less remarkable than his       
exploits in saving the drowning from the
 water4 ,in that room is the ',royal    
,humane ,society's apparatus for the    
recovery of persons apparently drowned  

or dead1 accompanied with directions for
 the proper treatment of such cases4'   
,and there our friend stood for hours   
together1 in his wet clothes1 during the
 piercing cold of winter and the        
oppressive heat of summer1 endeavouring 
to restore suspended animation4 ,he     
says1 ',i always felt very anxious about
 those ,i had rescued1 and in dangerous 
cases generally remained with them until
 they came round4 ,by remaining in my   
wet clothes on these occasions ,i have  
often seriously damaged my health2 but  
,i felt so anxious about them that ,i   
often forgot altogether my own wet      
state4 ,dr4 ,henry ,gibson says ,i have 
seriously injured my constitution by    
these long exposures in wet clothing1   
and ,i am afraid he is right1 and that  
it will shorten my days4'  ,sidenote3 ,a
 ,,remarkable ,,instance4  ,we give one 
instance of his ministrations in this   
watch-house3--  ,about three o'clock on 
the morning of ,july the #bcrd1 #ahfe1  
he suddenly awoke out of a profound     

sleep1 and thought he heard a boy call  
out1 ',there is a man overboard4' ,he   
sprang from his bed1 threw up the       
window1 but not a person could he see1  
not a sound could he hear1 not a ripple 
on the water could he discern1 to       
indicate danger4 ,he concluded he had   
been dreaming1 but when about to leave  
the window he saw one of his fellow     
workmen running with the grappling iron4
 ,the old ,spanish proverb says1 'that  
when a man's house is on fire he does   
not stay to consider if the shoe        
pinches1' and so absorbed was our friend
 by the fear that some one was drowning 
that1 without shoes on his feet1 and    
with nothing but his night shirt to     
cover him1 he ran down stairs1 leaped   
over two chains1 thrown across the      
bridge1 and in a few moments he was     
beside the man with the 'grapplings1'   
who had also heard the cry but could not
 tell whence or from whom it had come4  
,the surrounding waters lay calm and    
undisturbed by a single ripple1 and     

there was nothing to indicate that      
anyone had sunk4 ,at our friend's       
request1 his companion sprang into a    
boat1 and let down the grappling iron1  
and1 strange to say1 brought up ,mr4    
,thomas ,hogg1 of ,ulceby1              
,lincolnshire4 ,they at first pronounced
 him dead1 but after cleansing his mouth
 and nostrils he was thought to breathe2
 he was at once taken to the            
watch-house1 where our friend1 with     
fresh anxiety and awakened hope1 applied
 the ,royal ,humane ,society's          
apparatus1 and with complete success4   
,the process was continued till six     
o'clock1 when scores of persons were    
gathered round the watch-house4 ,the man
 then said to ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 ',come 
master1 it is time you were in your own 
house2 you're not fit to be here amongst
 all these folks4' ,it was not till the 
man thus spoke that our friend was aware
 of his half-naked state4 ,all did well 
on this occasion1 but ,mr4              
,ellerthorpe's conduct was exceptionally

 noble4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,efforts ,,on
 ,,behalf ,,of ,,the ,,brave4  ,the last
 to claim recognition and reward for his
 own humane and gallant deeds1 ,mr4     
,ellerthorpe has ever proved himself the
 first and foremost in securing them on 
behalf of others4 ,the following letter1
 received in answer to an urgent appeal 
which he made on behalf of an aged and  
destitute couple1 will illustrate what  
,i mean3--                      ,office 
of ,committee of ,privy ,council for    
,trade1                          ,marine
 ,department1                           
,whitehall1 #afth ,january1 #ahfc4      
,sir1--,i am directed by the ,lords of  
the ,committee of ,privy ,council       
for ,trade1 to acknowledge the receipt  
of your letter of the #cjth      ult41  
calling attention to the fact that the  
late ,charles ,anderson1      who lost  
his life in endeavouring to save the    
lives of others from      shipwreck1 has
 left a father and mother unprovided    
for1 and to      inform you that my     

,lords have this day forwarded to the   
,receiver of      ,wreck1 at ,hull1 an  
order for the amount of five pounds 7#e7
 to be      paid to the parents of the  
deceased4                               
,i am1 ,sir1      ,john ,ellerthorpe1   
,esq41                 ,your obedient   
servant1        ,humber ,dock ,gates1   
,hull4                   ,,james        
,,booth4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,appeal ,,to
 ,,the ,,board ,,of ,,trade4  ,in       
,december1 of the same year1 he made a  
similar appeal to the ,board of ,trade1 
on behalf of some ,hull seamen1 and     
received the following answer3--        
,board of ,trade1 ,whitehall1           
#dth ,february1 #ahfd4       ,sir1--,i  
am instructed by the ,lords of the      
,committee of the ,privy      ,council  
for ,trade to acknowledge the receipt of
 your letter of the      #afth ,december
 last1 calling their ,lordships'        
attention to the      services rendered 
on the #dth ,december1 by some fishermen
 of ,hull1      to the crew of the      

schooner ',john ,thomas1' of ,carnarvon1
 and ,i am      to inform you in reply1 
that my ,lords have presented the sum of
      five pounds 7#e7 to be divided    
amongst the crew of the ',washer1' as   
a mark of their appreciation of their   
gallant conduct1 and ten      pounds    
7#aj7 to the owners of the smack as     
compensation for loss of      time1 c4  
,the ,receiver of ,wreck has received   
instructions to pay the                 
above-mentioned sums to the parties in  
question4                               
,i am1 ,sir1      ,john ,ellerthorpe1   
,esq41                 ,your obedient   
,servant1        ,humber ,dock ,gates1  
,j4 ,h4 ,,farrer4                       
,kingston-upon-,hull4  ,the following   
letter explains itself3--               
,humber ,lock ,gate1 ,hull4             
,february #agth1 #ahfc4       ,to the   
,secretary of the ,royal ,humane        
,society4       ,sir1--,i take the      
liberty of addressing you in consequence
 of an      accident having occurred1   

last week1 in the ,lock ,pit of the     
,humber      ,dock ,gates1 of this town4
 ,a man fell from a steamer going out of
      the ,dock1 whom ,i followed into  
the water in the hope of being able     
to save his life2 but although he was   
not more than a minute and a      half  
in the water1 and he spoke to me when ,i
 had hold of him1 the      surgeon      
pronounced him to be dead when taken to 
the men's      watch-house close by4 ,a 
similar instance took place about three 
years ago4 ,i wish to know if1 in a case
 of this kind1 a surgeon is             
justified in pronouncing life to be     
extinct without having      previously  
used the means for restoring suspended  
animation4 ,we      have the ,royal     
,humane ,society's apparatus always     
close at hand1 but      rarely used4    
,having the honour to hold the          
,society's silver medal1      as well as
 its testimonial on vellum1 and also a  
silver medal from      the ,board of    
,trade for saving life from drowning on 

many occasions1      ,i feel much       
interest in this subject2 and ,i shall  
feel much obliged      if you will give 
me instructions how to proceed in the   
event of a      similar case taking     
place4 ,i believe the ,royal ,humane    
,society issue      printed instructions
 how to treat cases of suspended        
animation4 ,if      you will send me    
some of them ,i shall feel greatly      
obliged to you4                         
,i am1 ,sir1 with respect1              
,your obedient servant1                 
,,john ,,ellerthorpe4  ,our friend      
received the following answer3--        
,royal ,humane ,society1                
,office1 ,no4 #d1 ,trafalgar-square1    
,w4,c4                                  
,february #ahth1 #ahfc4       ,sir1--,in
 reply to your note of the #agth1 ,i beg
 to say that in the      course of ten  
days or so1 ,i will send some of the    
instructions      issued by this        
,society for the treatment of those who 
are      apparently dead from drowning1 

and you can place them in your room4    
,of course ,i am unable to give an      
opinion as to whether the medical       
man called in1 in the case you refer to1
 was or was not right1 as ,i      am not
 cognizant of the whole state of the    
case2 but ,i will suggest      that1 in 
all future cases which you may have to  
treat1 you will      persevere in your  
attempts at recovery for at least       
half-an-hour      before you give up the
 patient as dead4                       
,yours faithfully1                      
,,lambton ,j4 ,h4 ,,young1      ,mr4 ,j4
 ,ellerthorpe4                          
,secretary4     ,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,the
 ,,honoured ,,hero4   ,sidenote3 ,,the  
,,honoured ,,hero4  ,no labour is ever  
lost that seeks to promote the welfare  
of men4 ,at the outset there may be     
difficulties and opposition1 but        
patience and perseverance will in the   
end bring their reward4 ,and if the     
warrior rejoices in the number of his   
victories1 the patriot in the extension 

of his country's liberties1 the         
statesman in the success of his peculiar
 polity1 and the philanthropist in the  
mitigation of human woes1 how much purer
 and stronger must be the joy of the man
 who has been the means of saving the   
lives of his fellow-creatures8          
,alexander1 ,emperor of ,russia1 whose  
armies had won many a victory on the    
field of battle1 once rescued a man from
 drowning1 and he ever afterwards said  
that that was the happiest day of his   
life4 ,as no living individual1 perhaps1
 has saved so many lives1 on so many    
separate and distinct occasions1 and    
under equally perilous circumstances1 as
 our friend1 so we may infer that his   
personal joy was proportionately great4 
,he always did his best to save human   
life1 having made that one of the chief 
objects of his existence1 and he reaped 
a rich recompense4 ,he says1 ',i always 
thought it as much my duty to try and   
save the drowning1 as it was their duty 
to try and save themselves2 and ,i      

always felt myself amply recompensed1   
and highly satisfied1 when ,i got them  
out of the water and saw they were all  
right4 ,physically1 ,i often felt much  
exhausted by the efforts ,i had made1   
and could eat no food1 nor could ,i take
 rest1 for hours after rescuing the     
drowning4 ,but ,i was filled with a     
pleasure ,i could not describe2         
sometimes my feelings found vent in     
tears1 and at other times in loud and   
hearty laughter2 and when questioned as 
to my feelings1 ,i could only say1 ,i   
can't tell you how ,i feel4 ,i had this 
thought and feeling running through me1 
throbbing within me1 ,i have saved a    
fellow creature from drowning4 ,and that
 imparted to me a happiness which no    
amount of money1 and no decorations of  
honour1 could have given me2 a happiness
 which no man can conceive1 far less    
describe1 unless he has himself snatched
 a fellow creature from a watery grave4'
  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,personal ,,joy4    
,sidenote3 ,,the ,,gratitude ,,of       

,,those ,,whom ,,he ,,rescued4  ,our    
friend also reaped a rich reward in the 
gratitude of many whom he had the       
pleasure of saving4 ,and we have seen   
that he could receive no higher         
gratification than this4 ,king ,charles1
 the ,first1 had such an unhappy manner 
that1 even in granting a favour1 he     
often grieved those whom he obliged4    
,and we know that almost as much depends
 upon the manner of doing a kindness1 as
 upon the act itself4 ,indeed1 in some  
instances1 even a frank and positive    
refusal will give less pain than an     
ungracious and grudgingly bestowed      
favour4 ,now1 we hesitate not to say    
that1 what ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe did1 was   
kindly and generously done4 ,and he     
always felt that the cheers of the      
multitude as he bore the rescued to the 
shore1 and the spontaneous thanks of    
those whom he had saved1 surpassed in   
value any tribute of money which could  
have been placed in his hands4          
,wordsworth1 referring to the           

overflowing gratitude which had gone    
beyond the worth of the trivial favours 
bestowed1 says3      ',alas2 the        
gratitude of men     ,hath oftener left 
me mourning4'  ,but our friend performed
 the noblest deeds1 and grateful returns
 were always as pleasant to him as cold 
water to a thirsty soul4 ,he says1 ',i  
was always well satisfied if they       
manifested gratitude1 but ,i must       
confess1 that when they never came near 
me1 nor in any way communicated with me1
 as was the case with some whom ,i have 
saved1--for instance1 ,mr4 ,leeson and  
,miss ,hill--,i was not satisfied4 ,my  
pleasure at the remembrance of what ,i  
did for them is mixed with pain4 ,it may
 be a weakness of mine1 but an          
ungrateful man is1 in my opinion1 one of
 the biggest sinners in the world4 ,i   
hate ingratitude1 and ,i can affirm1    
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 me4'  ,and can we wonder that he   
should thus write8 ,shakespeare says3-- 
',i hate ingratitude more in a man      
,than lying1 vainness1 babbling1        
drunkenness1     ,or any taint of vice  
whose strong corruption     ,inhabits   
our frail blood4'  ,ingratitude for     
favours conferred is a most unnatural   
disposition1 and is reproved even by the
 brute creation2 for they manifest a    
strong instinctive feeling of gratitude 
towards their benefactors4 ',the ox     
knoweth his owner and the ass his       
master's crib4' ,some time ago1 a       
steamer sunk beneath the surging wave1  
with upwards of two hundred souls on    
board4 ,the captain1 who was as noble a 
man as ever steered a vessel1 sank with 
the rest of the passengers and crew4    
,fortunately1 however1 he came up again1
 and seizing a plank1 he clung to it    
until rescued by a vessel that happened 
to be passing4 ',ah1' said he1 on       
telling the story afterwards1 ',if my   
heart's affection ever clung to anything

 besides my wife1 and my mother1 and my 
child1 it was to that plank2 it saved my
 life4' ,and yet1 some forgot our       
friend1 whose skilful hand and brave    
heart bore them through the foaming     
waters to land4  ,sidenote3 ,,his       
,,services ,,recognised ,,by ,,the      
,,great4  ,all did not4 ',you shall     
lodge in my heart1 and ,i will never ask
 you for rent1' said a grateful         
,irishman to one who had done him a     
favour4 ,and our friend found a welcome 
and a home in the warmest affections of 
many of those whom he rescued4 ,the     
blessing of many who were literally     
ready to perish came upon him4 ,w4      
,turner1 whom our friend saved in       
,burlington ,bay1 says1 ',what a mercy  
it is that ,god has provided such a man 
as ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe1 to render         
assistance when assistance is required  
at his hands2 for he is ever willing at 
any moment1 and at the first call1 to   
risk his life4 ,i question whether there
 is such another man in the world4 ,he  

has a good and kind heart1 and in his   
general conduct displays kind feelings  
towards all and everybody4 ,i hope he   
will remain long with us1 and that at   
last we shall meet him in heaven1 never 
to part again4' ,robert ,tether1        
speaking of his deliverance1 says1      
',some one said to me on the occasion1  
,my boy1 you ought ever to remember that
 man1 and ,i do remember him and will   
never forget him4 ,if ,i had but a      
shilling in the world1 ,john            
,ellerthorpe should have half of it1 if 
he needed it4 ,i can say that from the  
time he delivered me ,i have always     
liked to see him1 and ,i never think the
 place is right if ,i do not see him    
there4 ,he shall never want if ,i can   
help him4 ,may he live long1 and always 
have plenty4' ,these1 and similar       
expressions of gratitude1 recorded on   
former pages of this work1 were more    
valuable1 in our friend's estimation1   
than stores of gold4  ,sidenote3 ,,his  
,,interview ,,with ,,lord ,,wenlock4    

,though ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe never urged   
his claims to public recognition1 yet we
 rejoice to state that his humane and   
gallant deeds were not permitted to pass
 unnoticed and unrewarded4 ,persons of  
high distinction1 and of great authority
 in the social world1 spoke to him words
 of greeting1 commendation1 and         
encouragement4 ,lord ,wenlock1 having   
had recounted to him some of the        
incidents recorded in the last chapter1 
said1 ',how pleasant it is1             
,ellerthorpe1 to have the satisfaction1 
while living1 of having done our fellow 
creatures good4'  ,captain ,wilson1     
whose gallant conduct enabled him1      
during the ,american ,war1 to re-capture
 his ship1 ',emile ,st4 ,pierre1' from a
 greatly superior force1 and who        
received1 for his valorous deed1 a      
silver tea and coffee service from #agj 
merchants of ,liverpool1 and also #b1jjj
 guineas from the owners of the ',emile 
,st4 ,pierre1' paid a visit to ,hull1   
and requested to have an interview with 

,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4 ,in company with     
,captain ,hurst1 he went to the ,humber 
,dock ,gates to see him4 ,they shook    
each others hand for some time2 at      
length1 ,captain ,wilson said1 ',i'm    
glad to see you4 ,i have often heard of 
your bravery in saving your fellow men  
from drowning1 and ,i have sometimes    
wished ,i could see you2 you are what ,i
 call a brave1 clever fellow4 ,they say 
,i have done a clever action1 but ,i may
 never do another4 ,but your life has   
been crowded with deeds of gallantry4   
,go on and prosper1 my good fellow1 and 
may ,god bless you2 and rest assured if 
,i again come near where you are1 ,i    
shall come and see you4' ,it must have  
been a pleasing sight to have seen these
 two men1 of brave hearts and noble     
deeds1 grasp hands in recognition of    
each others services4  ,towards the     
close of the year #ahce the following   
statement appeared in the ,hull         
newspapers3--       ',we understand some
 gentlemen are interesting themselves in

 favour      of ,ellerthorpe by         
representing his repeated exertions in  
the cause      of humanity1 and sending 
the particular cases to the ,royal      
,humane      ,society4 ,we shall be     
ready to receive any subscriptions for  
the      purpose of rewarding one so    
highly deserving recompense from his    
fellow men4 ,ellerthorpe is married and 
has two children4'--,nov4      #bc1     
#ahce4  ,the appeal to the ,royal       
,humane ,society was sent1 and ,mr4     
,ellerthorpe received the following     
response3--                             
,society's ,house1                      
,january #bast1 #ahcf4       ,the       
,secretary of the ,royal ,humane        
,society is directed to inform          
,john ,ellerthorpe that at an adjourned 
general court of the      ,institution1 
held on the #ahth inst41 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      

times4       ,john ,ellerthorpe1        
,barrow1 near ,barton-on-,humber1       
,lincoln4  ,sidenote3 ,,the ,,medallion 
,,of ,,the ,,royal ,,humane ,,society4  
,the ,medallion bears this              
inscription3--  ,illustration3 ,,hoc    
,,pretium ,,cive ,,servato ,,tvlit  ,j4 
,ellerthorpe1  ,,sit ,,ob ,,sow  ,,dovo 
,,dat  ,soc4 ,reg4 ,h4,v4,m4  #ahcf4    
,sidenote3 ,,royal ,,humane ,,society',s
 ,,thanks ,,on ,,vellum4  ,the following
 testimonial1 inscribed on vellum1      
accompanied the medallion3--            
,illustration  ,royal ,humane ,society1 
,,instituted #aggd4  ,,for ,,the        
,,recovery ,,of ,,persons ,,apparently  
,,drowned ,,or 7,,dead74  ,patron--,the 
,king4     ,patroness--,the ,queen4     
,president--,his ,grace the ,duke of    
,northumberland1 ,k4,g4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,at a    
,general ,court holden at the ,society's
 ,house1 ,chatham-place1 ,blackfriars1  
on ,monday1 the #ahth day of ,january1  
#ahcf4  ,colonel ,clitherow1 ,vice      

,president1 in the chair1 it was        
resolved unanimously--      ,that the   
noble courage and humanity displayed by 
,,john ,,ellerthorpe1      a ,seaman of 
the ,new ,holland ,steam ,packet1 on the
 #aith of ,november1     #ahce1 in      
jumping overboard to the relief of a    
,sailor1 named ,robert     ,brown1 at   
,hull1 whose life he saved2 and the     
repeated heroism which     ,ellerthorpe 
has on former occasions manifested for  
the preservation     of human life1     
wholly regardless of the risk he himself
 incurred1     and by which he saved    
eight persons from drowning1 has called 
forth     the most lively admiration of 
this ,general ,court1 and justly        
entitles him to the ,honorary ,medallion
 of the ,institution which is     hereby
 unanimously awarded him4               
,northumberland1 ,president4            
,besleley ,weshopp1 ,secretary4         
,james ,clitherow1 ,chairman4           
,sidenote3 ,,appeals ,,on ,,behalf ,,of 
,,mr4 ,,ellerthorpe4  ,in the year      

#ahdf1 a number of merchants and        
gentlemen sought to secure for our      
friend the highest rewards the ,royal   
,humane ,society could bestow2 but to   
their application they received the     
following answer3--                     
,royal ,humane ,society1                
,office ,no4 #c1 ,trafalgar ,square1    
#hth ,july1 #ahdf4       ,dear          
,sir1--,in reference to your letter of  
yesterday's date1 ,i beg      to inform 
you that the pecuniary rewards of this  
,society are      limited to ,london and
 its environs4 ,but honorary rewards are
 given      for cases which may occur at
 any distance1 upon the particulars     
being well authenticated by persons who 
witnessed the exertions of      the     
claimant4       ,should ,john           
,ellerthorpe have risked his life on the
 occasion you      now allude to1 and   
thereby merit an ,honorary ,testimonial 
from the      ,society1 ,i shall be most
 happy in submitting the particulars to 
the      committee1 on their being      

forwarded agreeably with the enclosed   
instruction paper4                      
,i remain1 dear ,sir1      ,h4 ,d4 ,r4  
,pease1 ,esq41 ,j4,p4                   
,yours very obediently1                 
,hesslewood1 near ,hull4                
,j4 ,,charlier1 ,sec4  ,a second        
application was made to the ,royal      
,humane ,society1 in #aheb1 when the    
following reply was returned3--         
,royal ,humane ,society1                
,office ,no4 #c1 ,trafalgar ,square1    
#bhth ,september1 #aheb4       ,dear    
,sir1--,in reply to your letter of      
yesterday's date1 ,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 ,society4      ,perhaps you are not
 aware that he has already received the 
,silver      ,medal of this ,institution
 for the case in #ahce1 which was laid  
before the committee at the proper      
period1 viz41 within one month          
after the occurrence4       ,i therefore

 beg to return you the statements1 and  
remain1 dear ,sir1      yours           
obediently1                             
,j4 ,,charlier1      ,jas4 ,r4 ,pease1  
,esq41 ,hesslewood1 ,hull4              
,sec4  ,sidenote3 ,,large               
,,congratulatory ,,meeting ,,in ,,hull4 
,in the year #ahfa1 and soon after our  
friend had rescued ,john ,eaby from a   
watery grave1 the people of ,hull made  
an effort to reward their brave and     
gallant townsman1 who had rescued from  
their own docks and around the pier1 not
 fewer than twenty-three persons4 ,a    
committee was formed1 under the         
presidentship of ,mr4 ,john ,symons1 a  
member of the ,town ,council1 and a man 
of untiring energy and philanthropic    
disposition4 ,mr4 ,symons thus states   
the origin and success of this          
movement3--                             
',hull1 ,sept #acth1 #ahfg1             
#gb1 ,queen ,street4       ,dear        
,sir1--,i must apologise for my seeming 
neglect in not complying      earlier   

with your request respecting ,mr4       
,ellerthorpe3 the fact is1      my      
public duties allow me but little       
leisure for writing4 ,however1      ,i  
will try to refresh my memory as to the 
way in which that kind1      humane1    
undaunted man1 received recognition4 ,in
 ,july1 #ahfa1 the      local papers    
contained an account of a young man     
named ,eaby1 who1      while in an      
apoplectic fit1 fell into the dock      
basin2 the tide was      running down   
rapidly and the wind was blowing strong4
 ,mr4      ,ellerthorpe1 while on duty  
at the dock gates1 saw the man          
struggling and beating the water into   
foam2 he immediately plunged      from  
the wall1 and after a fearful struggle  
between the two1 the      young man     
being violently affected1 both were     
saved4 ,this act was      witnessed by  
several people1 amongst whom were two   
warm-hearted      working men1 named    
,steadman and ,turner4 ,the following   
day they      called upon me1 with a    

written list of twenty-nine lives saved 
by      ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4 ,the account 
savoured of romance1 but then it was    
signed by living witnesses1 who         
corroborated the truth of the           
statements made4 ,the men asked me to   
assist them in getting up some          
public demonstration in favour of ,mr4  
,ellerthorpe4 ,i told them ,i      would
 lend my humble aid1 but they must      
obtain some man of mark for      their  
chairman1 to take the initiative4 ,they 
applied to several      gentlemen1 but  
in vain1 all refused4 ,they pleaded hard
 that ,i would      act as chairman1 and
 sooner than allow the thing to die     
away1 ,i      consented1 although1 at   
the time1 entirely unused to address    
large      public audiences4 ,the mayor1
 ,w4 ,hodge1 ,esq41 granted us the use  
of      a large room at the ,town ,hall1
 and then we issued large placards      
calling upon the people to attend and   
publicly congratulate ,mr4              
,ellerthorpe on his recent narrow       

escape1 and likewise to open a          
subscription for presenting him with a  
testimonial4 ,the meeting was      a    
crowded one1 but principally composed of
 working men4 ,i was not      in the    
least disheartened by this2 for long    
before ,i had got      through the list 
of persons saved by ,john ,ellerthorpe1 
the large      county-court room rang   
with cheer after cheer pealing forth    
ever      and anon4 ,when1 for the first
 time1 was enrolled the long1           
distinguished list of lives saved from  
drowning by the hitherto      obscure   
and humble servant of the ,humber ,dock 
,company1 such heroism      and bravery 
'touched' the souls of a few present who
 could afford      to subscribe4        
,sidenote3 ,,councillor ,,symon',s      
,,account ,,of ,,the ,,meeting4         
,the following letter from ,dale ,brown1
 ,esq41 was then read3--                
,pilot ,office1 ,hull1 ,aug4 #h1 #ahfa4 
,sir1--,having made an engagement for   
,friday evening before ,i knew        of

 your meeting1 ,i cannot possibly       
attend4         ,had one of our townsmen
 returned from ,india or the ,crimea1   
after        destroying half as many    
lives as ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe has been     
instrumental in saving1 he would have   
been considered a 'hero1'        and    
rewarded accordingly4 ,surely it is more
 blessed to save than        to destroy4
 ,should the object of the meeting be to
 raise a fund        for acknowledging  
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe's gallantry1 ,i shall 
gladly        contribute my mite4 ,i am1
 ,sir1 yours obediently1         ,mr4   
,john ,symons4                          
,,dale ,,brown4       ,i then recounted 
the interview with ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe    
before      attending the meeting1 when 
,i asked him 'what he wished in the     
matter1' when he made this reply1 ,sir1 
,i feel sufficiently rewarded      in my
 own breast1 without receiving any      
reward excepting the      approbation of
 heaven1 and the satisfaction of having 
won for      myself the gratitude of my 

fellow townsmen4' ,this was responded to
      by loud and long cheering4 ,i then
 called upon ,mr4 ,w4 ,turner to move   
the first resolution1 and ,mr4 ,steadman
 to second it1 because they      were   
the pioneers of the movement4 ,just at  
this crisis of the      meeting ,john   
,eaby came forward and publicly thanked 
,ellerthorpe for      what he had done1 
which called forth the most exciting    
cheering4      ,then the late ,rev4     
,charles ,rawlings 7,wesleyan7 rose from
 amongst      the people1 and1 in a     
sententious speech delivered with a     
stentorian voice1 asked1 ',how much does
 the meeting feel towards a             
testimonial1' and offered the first     
donation as a proof of his      feeling 
for ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4 ,our fears were  
then scattered to the      wind2 the    
vessel ,i saw was well launched4        
,another gentleman1 ,mr4      ,henry    
,taylor1 came forward and said1 in      
anticipation of a      subscription     
being made towards a testimonial to ,mr4

 ,ellerthorpe1      he had already      
collected a nucleus of #ce4 ,a committee
 was then      formed of which ,i was   
chosen chairman1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,haller1      
secretary1      and ,mr4 ,taylor1       
treasurer4 ,three cheers were then given
 for the      success of the            
',testimonial ,fund1' and when ,i rose  
and christened      ,john ,ellerthorpe1 
',the ,hero of the ,humber1' and        
',champion ,life ,buoy      of          
,england1' the people rose en masse     
cheering in the most      enthusiastic  
manner4 ,the next morning found the     
,humber ,dock foreman      a household  
word4 ,i will not weary you with        
recapitulating the      result of our   
labours4 ,from the ,premier of ,england 
down to the      humblest dock labourer1
 all vied with each other in subscribing
 to      the homage of this valorous1   
humane man4       ,and1 sir1 ,i think a 
moral may be drawn from this1--that no  
person1      however humble he may be in
 his circumstances1 but has it in his   

power to bless the world4 ,one man can  
do so by deeds of valour1      another  
by hard and plodding industry1 and a    
third by thought and      mental        
efforts4 ,it has been well said1 'they  
build up a loftier      population      
making man more manly4' ,it is evidently
 our duty to lend      a helping hand in
 the hour of need1 either by our wisdom1
 power1 or      benevolence4 ,this      
thought should act as an incentive1 more
 or less      powerful1 on each person1 
and make him restless until he becomes  
satisfied that he is doing something to 
ameliorate the condition of      his    
fellow men4 ,men should thus fulfil     
their mission until called      to      
receive their reward1 namely1 ',rest for
 their souls under the      tree of     
,life4'                                 
,i am1 dear ,sir1 yours respectfully1   
,mr4 ,h4 ,woodcock4              ,,john 
,,symons4  ,sidenote3 ,a ,,working      
,,man',s ,,letter4  ,the following      
letter1 addressed to ,mr4 ,symons1 is   

given as a specimen of the feeling with 
which the working men of ,hull regarded 
this movement3--                        
,hull1 ,aug4 #ith1 #ahfa4       ,mr4    
,chairman1--,i cannot let the present   
opportunity pass without      thanking  
the committee for the movement they have
 taken in this      affair4 ,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
      longer1 then out it must come2 and
 permit me to add that the moment       
,i heard of the movement to present some
 token of respect to ,mr4               
,ellerthorpe1 it put me in mind of the  
time when ,i was a boy about      eight 
years of age3 ,i was sailing a small    
boat aside of the steps      of what is 
commonly called1 ,sand ,south ,end1 in  
the old harbour1      when ,i           
over-reached myself and fell in4 ,a boy 
was with me at the      time who ran up 
the steps and shouted out1 ',a boy      
overboard4' ,a      gentleman1 who then 

lived in ,humber ,street1 was sitting in
 his      front room1 he immediately ran
 out1 leaped into the water1 took       
hold of me just as ,i was going down for
 the third time1 and saved      my life 
from a watery grave4 ,i have always     
reverenced that      gentleman ever     
since4 ,his name is ,mr4 ,bean1 and he  
was for several      years an alderman  
for the borough4 ,what1 then1 must be   
the feelings      of the thirty-nine who
 have been saved at the eminent risk and
      peril of ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe's life8
 ,we may help each other in a           
pecuniary point of view1 but very few   
amongst us have the nerve1      power1  
and ability to leap into the ocean and  
render assistance to      our fellow    
men4 ,i have therefore great pleasure in
 subscribing      five shillings towards
 anything you may be disposed to present
 ,mr4      ,ellerthorpe with4           
,i am1 my dear ,sir1 your obedient      
servant1                                
,,wm4 ,,allen4  ,sidenote3 ,,poetic     

,,tribute ,,of ,,respect ,,to ',,the    
,,hero4'  ,our friend's name had become 
familiar as a household word in all     
circles of society1 in the town and     
neighbourhood of ,hull1 and great       
numbers lent their influence to this    
effort to acknowledge the unequalled    
bravery of their fellow townsman1 whom  
we must1 henceforth acknowledge as the  
',hero of the ,humber4' ,the ',hull     
,daily ,express' contained the following
 poetic tribute of respect to our       
',hero4'      ',amid all changes        
evermore unfolded     ,by mental throe1 
by accident of time1     ,mankind shall 
venerate the men who moulded     ,heroic
 actions with an aim sublime6     ,o6 ye
 who shine along life's desert places1  
,who've lived for others' good to help  
and save1     ,affection hails ye with  
profound embraces     ,and bows before a
 brother truly brave6     ,one whose    
gallant deeds in noble brotherhood1     
,nobler far than warrior's valiant      
strife1     ,have found their own reward

 in others' good     ,and proved a      
blessing in preserving life4      ,and  
,,who ,,is ,,he of whom this land is    
proud1     ,whose name we honour and    
whose worth is known8     ,he's one who 
does his duty in the crowd1     ,a      
worker there--and yet he stands alone6  
,without pretension1 who by deeds       
endears     ,his name afar beyond his   
native strand1     ,a son of toil--yet  
one of ,nature's peers6     ,whose      
worth's acknowledged in his native land6
     ,his is the praise well won for    
gallant action     ,in saving life along
 our ,humber shore1     ,and there are  
many hearths where recollection         
,returns to him in blessings evermore6  
,and he is worthy6--for in his soul     
implanted     ,there is a noble         
usefulness--his choice     ,for others' 
good1 which bards of old have chanted   
,to those who1 like him1 have made      
hearts rejoice4     ,o6 should these    
lines be found in after days--     ,a   
tribute to his fair and honoured name-- 

,let such accord to him the meed of     
praise1     ,tell of his bravery and his
 worth proclaim6     ,all honour to     
thee1 ,ellerthorpe1 and thine1     ,and 
as duty calls thee to thy post each     
morn1     ,may good attend thee and its 
graces shine1     ,and lead thee upward 
and thy name adorn4'  ,sidenote3 ,,vote 
,,of ,,thanks ,,from ,,the ,,royal      
,,humane ,,society4  ,the following     
petition1 signed by ,w4 ,hodge1 ,esq41  
,mayor1 and upwards of sixty of the     
leading ministers1 merchants1 and       
gentlemen of ,hull1 was forwarded to the
 ,royal ,humane ,society3--       ,to   
the ,honourable the ,court of the       
,royal ,humane ,society4       ,we1 the 
undersigned1 members of the municipal   
corporation1 the      ,trinity ,house1  
and the ,dock ,company at               
,kingston-upon-,hull1 and      merchants
 of that borough1 beg most respectfully 
to submit to the      consideration of  
your honourable court1 the services of  
,john      ,ellerthorpe1 now a foreman  

in the service of the ,dock ,company of 
this borough1 who1 during the course of 
the last forty years has1      by the   
providence of ,god and his own          
intrepidity1 rescued from a      watery 
grave no fewer than twenty-eight        
persons1 often at the great      risk of
 his own life1 as may be seen from the  
statement of      particulars hereto    
annexed4       ,on a former occasion1 on
 the #ahth of ,january1 #ahcf1 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       
,ferry4       ,considering that the     
number of persons he has now saved      
amounts to      twenty-eight1 we take   
the liberty of bringing ,ellerthorpe's  
further      claims before your notice1 
believing that you will think with us   
that his further successful exertions in
 the cause of humanity1 in      saving  

so many persons from drowning1 merit    
some additional mark of      your       
approval4                           ,we 
are1                     ,your          
honourable court's most obedient        
servants4  ,in response to this appeal  
the society awarded to our ',hero' an   
especial vote of thanks1 of which more  
anon4  ,the following appeal was made to
 ,lord ,palmerston3                     
,yarmouth and ,rotterdam ,steam ,packet 
,office1                                
,kingston-upon-,hull1                   
#cjth ,august1 #ahfa4       ,my         
,lord1--,the enclosed documents relate  
to a series of1 perhaps1      unequalled
 acts of daring on the part of an       
inhabitant1 a working      man1 of this 
borough1 in rescuing persons from       
drowning4 ,he has      succeeded1 at the
 repeated risk of his own life1 in      
saving no fewer      than twenty-nine   
persons from a watery grave4       ,the 
,court of the ,royal ,humane ,society   
having1 in respect of the               

twenty-ninth case1 and in reply to the  
enclosed petition1 awarded      him     
their ',thanks on ,vellum1' a committee 
of his fellow townsmen      has been    
organised to ensure for him some more   
substantial award4       ,from your     
lordship's well-known appreciation of   
heroic benevolence1      the committee  
has ventured to lay his case before you1
 in the hope      that you would deem it
 worthy of your distinguished patronage4
       ,i have the honour to be1 on the 
part of the committee1                  
,your ,lordship's                       
,most humble and obedient servant1      
,,edward ,,haller1                      
,hon4 ,sec4 ',ellerthorpe ,testimonial4'
  ,sidenote3 ,,receives #bj ,,from ,,the
 ,,royal ,,bounty4  ,in reply1 ,his     
,lordship forwarded from the ,royal     
bounty the handsome donation of #bj4    
,the following is the letter announcing 
this gift3--       #acfcb ,treasury1    
,whitehall1 ,s4,w41         #fa #agth   
,september1 #ahfa4       ,sir1--,i am   

commanded by the ,lords ,commissioners  
to ,her ,majesty's      ,treasury to    
acquaint you that1 upon the             
recommendation of ,viscount             
,palmerston1 the ,paymaster ,general has
 been authorised to pay you      the sum
 of #bj1 as of ,her ,majesty's ,royal   
bounty4                                 
,i am1 ,sir1 your obedient servant1     
,,geo4 ,w4 ,,hamilton4       ,mr4 ,john 
,ellerthorpe1 ,kingston-upon-,hull4     
,the ,board of ,trade was next appealed 
to as follows3                          
,hull1 #hth ,august1 #ahfa4       ,to   
the ,right ,honourable ,thomas ,milner  
,gibson1 ,president of the      ,board  
of ,trade1 ,london4       ,honourable   
,sir1--,i beg most humbly to lay before 
your honourable      ,board the case of 
,john ,ellerthorpe1 foreman of the      
,humber ,dock      gates at this place1 
who saved the life of ,john ,eaby under 
most      trying circumstances1 and at  
great risk of his own life4       ,on   
the #cjth of ,july last the said ,john  

,eaby was seized with a fit      and    
fell into the dock basin1 a depth of    
nearly twenty feet from      the top4   
,john ,ellerthorpe1 hearing his cries   
for assistance1      spontaneously      
leaped into the water1 and after        
struggling with the      man in that    
dangerous condition1 eventually         
succeeded in saving his      life4      
,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 
grave4       ,if your honourable ,board 
should deem his actions of humanity     
worthy      of your honourable ,board's 
notice1 a committee of the working men  
of this town is in formation to present 
him with a memorial1 and if      your   
honourable ,board consider him worthy of
 any remuneration1 ,i      will         
communicate the same to the chairman of 
the committee1 who      will forward any
 information your honourable ,board may 

require4            ,i remain your most 
humble and obedient servant1            
,,thomas ,,rawlinson4       #b1         
,wellington-street1 ,hull4  ,sidenote3  
,,receives ,a ,,silver ,,medal4  ,in    
answer to this appeal1 the ,board of    
,trade1 through ,sir ,emmerson ,tennant1
 struck a silver medal to the honour of 
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4  ,the ,sovereign     
having awarded our ',hero' with a gift  
of #bj1 and the ,royal ,humane ,society 
and the ,board of ,trade having         
decorated him with their marks of       
honour1 it remained for the inhabitants 
of ,hull to show their appreciation of  
the humane and gallant deeds of their   
fellow townsman4 ,such deeds as our     
',hero' had performed are not less      
heroic than feats of valour on the      
battle-field1 and well deserve public   
recognition as well as reward from      
private associations4         99        
99       99       99       99           
,sidenote3 ,,presentation ,,meeting ,,in
 ,,hull4  ,the long-looked-for          

presentation took place in the ,music   
,hall1 ,jarratt ,street1 ,hull1 on      
,wednesday evening1 ,november the #fth1 
#ahfa4 ,upwards of four hundred persons 
sat down to tea1 and the local papers   
state that greater enthusiasm was1      
perhaps1 never witnessed than during    
this remarkable meeting4 ,the room was  
gaily decorated with bannarets1 and     
suspended over the chair was a large    
flag1 bearing the following motto3--    
',,long ,,live ,,ellerthorpe1 ,,the     
,,hero ,,of ,,the ,,humber6'  ,grace    
having been chanted and justice done to 
the sumptuous tea1 the public meeting   
began4 ,mr4 ,john ,symons occupied the  
chair1 and he was surrounded on the     
platform by a large number of ministers1
 gentlemen1 merchants1 mechanics1 and   
working men4  ,sidenote3 ,,chairman',s  
,,address4       ,the ,chairman         
said3--,it was a common custom of       
persons not novices      situated       
similarly to himself1 to preface their  
remarks by saying      that some person 

of higher local distinction ought to    
occupy the      honourable position as  
chairman1 and that was his request to   
the      committee4 ,but as such a      
person was not secured1 he felt proud of
      the position he occupied amongst  
them4 ,he little thought that the       
movement would have proved so successful
 when he embarked in it1      for with  
but little effort we have received the  
free-will offerings      of #agj4 ,of   
course printing1 advertising1 and other 
incidental      expenses were incurred1 
and cannot be dispensed with in order to
      succeed in similar objects4 ,the  
,royal ,humane ,society had awarded to  
,ellerthorpe an especial vote of thanks2
 the ,board of ,trade1 through      ,sir
 ,emmerson ,tennant1 had struck a silver
 medal in his honour2 and      last1 but
 not least1 the popular ,premier of     
,england had forwarded      from the    
royal bounty the handsome donation of   
#bj4 ,thus the      movement so humbly  
began1 resembled the 'little spring in  

the      mountain rock1' which became a 
brook1 a torrent1 a wide rolling        
river4 ,by narrating the lives saved by 
,ellerthorpe's unprecedented            
bravery1 they had struck a chord in the 
innermost recesses of the      heart of 
the benevolent portion of the people4   
,he was surprised to      find that no  
one had recognised ,ellerthorpe's       
heroism before4      ,during a period of
 forty years he had saved the lives of  
upwards of      thirty persons4 ,but    
however tardily it may appear to some1  
ultimately1 eternal justice will assert 
itself4 ,john ,ellerthorpe      never   
required1 never expected any public     
recognition of his      services4 ,the  
only praise sought by him was--         
',what nothing earthly gives or can     
destroy1          ,the soul's calm      
sunshine and the heartfelt joy4'        
in being the means of saving so many    
lives from premature death by           
drowning4 ,never let it be said the days
 of chivalry were over in      ,england 

while we have such a nobleman as a ,lord
 ,beauclerc#c of      ,scarborough1 and 
a commoner called ,ellerthorpe at ,hull4
 ,he believed      with those who say   
that the men who dares the 'tempests'   
wrath1'      and the 'billows' madden'd 
play' on the errand of saving life1 to  
be as great heroes as those who 'seek   
for bubble reputation at the            
cannon's mouth4' ,he would rather be a  
bearer of thirty blessings      than the
 hero of one hundred fights4 ,no true   
history of ,hull could      be written  
which did not contain the record of     
,ellerthorpe's name1      and the       
glorious deeds he had performed4 ,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 him1 and when   
disease shall overtake him in his       
declining days1      may the contents of
 that purse procure for him the means   
whereby      his pillow of affliction   

may be smoothed and softened4           
99       99       99       99       99  
,the ,rev4 ,c4 ,rawlings then           
expatiated1 in a most powerful address1 
on the life-saving labours of ,mr4      
,ellerthorpe1 which was listened      to
 with a rapt attention1 and when he     
resumed his seat it was      amidst a   
tempest of applause4            99      
99       99       99       99       ,mr4
 ,taylor1 the treasurer1 then presented 
the gold watch and guard1      and a    
beautiful purse containing one hundred  
guineas4 ,the ,watch      bears the     
following inscription3--                
,illustration                           
,,presented ,,to                        
,,john ,,ellerthorpe1        7,by       
,voluntary ,subscriptions7 together with
 a            ,purse containing ,one    
,hundred ,guineas1      ,he having saved
 ,twenty-nine ,persons from ,drowning4  
,hull1 ,nov4 #fth1 #ahfa4               
,sidenote3 ,,receives ,a ,,purse ,,of   
,,one ,,hundred ,,guineas4       ,,the  

,,purse ,,bears ,,this ,,inscription3-- 
,illustration                           
,,this ,,purse1                         
,,containing                       ,one 
,hundred ,guineas2                      
,,also1 ,a                        ,,gold
 ,,watch  ,,guard1                      
,,is ,,presented ,,to                   
,,john ,,ellerthorpe1                   
,foreman of the ,humber ,dock ,gates1   
,,by ,,voluntary ,,subscriptions1       
,,he ,,having ,,saved ,,twenty-,,nine   
,,persons ,,from ,,being ,,drowned4     
,hull1 ,november #fth1 #ahfa4       ,mr4
 ,alderman ,fountain1 amid loud         
applause1 and in a few appropriate      
words1 then presented to ,mr4           
,ellerthorpe the following vote of      
thanks1 inscribed on vellum1 from the   
,royal ,humane ,society3--              
,sidenote3 ,,royal ,,humane ,,society',s
 ,,thanks4       ,illustration          
,royal ,humane ,society1                
,,instituted #aggd4                     
,supported by ,voluntary ,contributions4

                      ,patron--,her     
,majesty the ,queen      ,vice          
,patron--,h4 ,r4 ,h4 ,the ,duke of      
,cambridge1 ,k4,c41 ,g4,c41 ,m4,g4      
,president--,his ,grace the ,duke of    
,argyll1 ,k4,t4            99       99  
99       99       99       ,at a        
,meeting of the ,committee of the ,royal
 ,humane ,society1 holden      at their 
,office1 #d1 ,trafalgar ,square1 on     
,wednesday1 the #bast of      ,august1  
#ahfa4       ,present--,thos4 ,eld4     
,baker1 ,esq41 ,treasurer1 in the chair4
 ,it was      resolved unanimously--    
,that the noble courage and humanity    
displayed by                 ,,john     
,,ellerthorpe1       ,foreman of the    
,humber ,dock1 in having on the #cjth   
,july1 #ahfa1      jumped into the ,dock
 ,basin at ,hull1 to the relief of ,john
 ,eaby1 who      had accidentally fallen
 therein1 and whose life he saved1 has  
called forth the admiration of this     
,committee1 and justly entitles      him
 to its sincere thanks1 inscribed on    

,vellum1 which are hereby      awarded1 
he having already received the ,honorary
 ,silver ,medallion      of this        
,institution for a similar act in #ahce4
                 ,argyll1 ,president4   
,lambton ,j4 ,h4 ,young1 ,secretary4    
,thos4 ,eld4 ,baker1 ,chairman4         
,sidenote3 ,,medal ,,from ,,the ,,board 
,,of ,,trade4  ,the medal1 which is said
 to be a fine specimen of artistic      
beauty and elegant workmanship1 bears   
the following device3--,one side of the 
medal represents a group on a raft4 ,one
 of the men is seated on a spar1 waving 
a handkerchief1 as a signal to a small  
boat seen in the distance2 another is   
supporting a sailor who appears in a    
drowning state4 ,there is also a female 
holding a child in her arms1 the sea    
having a stormy appearance4 ,the group  
forms a most interesting allegory4 ,on  
the obverse side is a large profile of  
,her ,majesty1 the border bearing the   
following inscription3--       ',awarded
 by the ,board of ,trade for ,gallantry 

in ,saving ,life4--,v4,r4'  ,engraved   
round the edge are the following words3 
',presented to ,john ,ellerthorpe in    
,acknowledgment of his repeated         
,acts of ,gallantry in ,saving ,life4   
#ahfa4'  ,it is enclosed in an elegant  
,morocco case1 the lid of which has     
inscribed upon it1 in gilt letters3--   
',board of ,trade ,medal for ,gallantry 
in ,saving ,life at ,sea1 ,awarded      
to ,john ,ellerthorpe4'  ,in presenting 
this handsome testimonial1 ,mr4 ,brown  
said3--       ,he quite agreed with the 
,chairman that the last great day alone 
would reveal the consequences of        
,ellerthorpe's bravery4 ,he had to      
present to him what he might fairly call
 a national testimonial1      as it was 
from a branch of our national           
institutions--the ,board of      ,trade4
 ,he had very great pleasure in         
presenting it to him1 and he            
earnestly prayed that none of his       
children might ever have to do      for 
him what he had done for his own father4

 ,he wished him long      life to wear  
the medal of honour4       ,sidenote3   
,,the ,,hero',s ,,address4       ,mr4   
,ellerthorpe then advanced to the front 
of the platform1 and      with a heart  
throbbing with hallowed feeling and eyes
 filled with      tears1 he said2 ,i    
cannot find words with which to express 
adequately the gratitude ,i feel at so  
much kindness having been      extended 
to me1 not only by the attendance of the
 large audience ,i      see before me1  
but by the numerous testimonials that   
have been      presented to me4 ,i never
 expected any reward for what ,i have   
done1      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 means1       
in the hands of ,god1 of rescuing from a
 watery grave4 ,i do1      however1 feel
 proud at receiving these testimonials1 
and ,i trust      they will be preserved
 by my children1 and by my children's   
children1 as mementos of my country's   

acknowledgments of the      service ,i  
have rendered my fellow-creatures2 and  
yet ,i feel that ,i      derive far more
 satisfaction from the consciousness    
that ,i have      done my duty to my    
fellow-creatures1 in their hour of      
danger1 than      ,i do from the        
splendid presents you have made me4 ,i  
hope ,i shall      ever be ready in the 
future to do as ,i have done in the     
past1      should circumstances require 
it of me4--,he was greeted with loud    
applause both at the commencement and   
conclusion of his speech4       ,a vote 
of thanks was then passed to the        
,treasurer and ,secretary1      ,mr4    
,taylor and ,mr4 ,haller1 who responded4
 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 ,petty also      spoke4 
,mr4 ,pearson 7ex-,mayor7 then moved a  
similar vote to the committee4      ,in 
doing so1 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 place4   
,as it was1 a hundred guineas were far  
below his      merits1 and he was sure  
that the merchants of the town had been 
remiss in their duty in respect to this 
matter4       ,mr4 ,rufford returned    
thanks on behalf of the committee4      
,rev4 ,c4 ,rawlings proposed a vote of  
thanks to the chairman1 shaking      him
 warmly by the hand1 and congratulating 
him on the part he had      taken in    
this noble movement4       ,the         
,chairman1 in responding1 said1 he had  
merely done his duty in      the matter2
 his work had been a pleasure to him1   
and he had      received many valuable  
lessons1 the good impressions of which  
he      hoped would endure in his mind  
through life4 ,seeing that we live      
surrounded with water1 and that         
casualties are occurring almost         
weekly1 he thought it was the duty of   
the people of ,hull to      stimulate   
others to follow ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe's    
example4 ,he should      always look    

back with pride and pleasure to that    
evening's meeting4          ',when time1
 who steals our years away1             
,shall steal its pleasures too1         
,the memory of the past will stay1      
,and all its joys renew4'       ,he then
 called upon the audience to close the  
present meeting as      they did the    
inaugurating meeting1 by cheers for the 
',hero of the      ,humber and          
,england's ,champion ,life ,buoy1' which
 was responded to by      the company   
rising1 en masse1 cheering most         
tumultuously4       ,the ,national      
,anthem was then sung4 ,mr4 ,morrison1  
organist1 and a      party of vocalists1
 enlivened the proceedings1 which were  
very      liberally interspersed with   
enthusiastic applause on every mention  
of the ',hero's' name4  ,sidenote3      
,,list ,,of ,,subscriptions4  ,it is but
 right to state that the entire sum     
collected towards the ',ellerthorpe     
,testimonial ,fund' amounted to #aig    
#ajs41 and that about #acc in cash was  

handed over to the ',hero of the        
,humber4'  ,mr4 ,hudson1 artist1 ,queen 
,st41 presented to ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe a  
photograph portrait4  ,footnote #c3     
,this brave nobleman was at ,scarborough
 during one of the most fearful and     
disastrous storms that ever swept the   
,yorkshire coast4 ,he had no sleep on   
the previous night on account of the    
storm1 and on ,saturday he said to a    
friend ',i shall have a sound sleep     
to-night4' ,alas6 before he closed his  
eyes in sleep1 and while nobly          
endeavouring to rescue a number of      
drowning sailors1 a huge wave carried   
him out to sea1 and he perished in the  
'mighty waters4'     ,,chapter ,,ix4    
,,mr4 ,,ellerthorpe',s ,,general        
,,character1 ,,death1 ,,etc4   ,in      
physical stature1 ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe was 
about five feet seven inches high1 and  
weighed about ten stones4 ,his build was
 somewhat slender for a sailor4 ,he     
stood erect4 ,his countenance was hard  
and ruddy1 and indicated long exposure  

to weather4 ,his ordinary expression was
 indicative of kindness1 blended with   
great firmness4 ,when spinning his      
yarns1 or describing his exploits1 his  
eye kindled1 and his face1 lit up with  
smiles1 was expressive of intense       
sympathy4  ,to his wife 7who has just   
followed him to the skies1 ,july1       
#ahhj17 he proved himself a kind and    
provident husband1 i4e4 houseband1 as   
,trench renders the word4 ,even during  
his wicked and drunken career he never  
forgot his matrimonial vow1 to 'love1   
honour1 and cherish' the partner of his 
life2 and hence1 he never but once took 
any portion of his regular wages to     
spend in drink1 and the sum he then took
 was about fifteen shillings4  ,of      
fourteen children1 but four survive     
their parents1 two sons and two         
daughters4 ,the father strove hard to   
give them what is beyond all price--a   
good education4 ,his eldest son1 7who   
has long been on the ,metropolitan      
newspaper staff17 when a boy displayed a

 strong instinctive love of learning1   
and when1 on one occasion1 his father   
urged him to devote less time to his    
books1 and to form the companionship of 
a a certain youth1 he replied1 ',no4 ,he
 spends as much money in cigars as would
 buy a library1 and consumes as much    
time in smoking them as would enable him
 to learn half a dozen dead languages4' 
,sidenote3 ,,hero',s ,,general          
,,character4  ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe proved  
himself a good servant1 discharging his 
duties faithfully and honourably4       
,during fourteen years he occupied the  
responsible position of foreman of the  
,humber ,dock ,gates1 ,hull4 ,and when  
it is borne in mind that ,hull is the   
third port in the kingdom1 and that it  
is annually visited by #cj1jjj seamen in
 connection with its foreign and        
coasting traffic1 and that1 in the same 
time1 about #bj1jjj small vessels1      
connected with the inland navigation1   
enter and leave the port1 it will be    
seen that the duties of our friend were 

numerous and important4 ,but the force  
and transparency of his character1 his  
undoubted honesty1 his indefatigable    
industry1 and his unwearied attention to
 the duties of his office1 won for him  
the confidence and respect of his       
employers1 the esteem of his fellow     
workers1 and the good opinion of the    
merchants of the port4 ,dale ,brown1    
,esq41 says3--                          
,dock ,office1 ,hull1                   
,sept4 #aath1 #ahfg4       ,sir1--,i    
have known ,mr4 ,john ,ellerthorpe as an
 active1 energetic1      ,christian man1
 for upwards of eighteen years1 and     
during the past      six years he has   
been under my immediate control4        
,his wonderful daring and success in    
saving the lives of drowning            
persons1 have now become matters of     
history1 and have been fully            
recognised by the late ,prime ,minister1
 ,lord ,palmerston1 the ,royal          
,humane ,society1 and the local         
officials in ,hull1 by whom he is best  

known and valued4                       
,i am1 ,sir1 yours very obediently1     
,,dale ,,brown1 ,supt4 ,dock ,master4   
,rev4 ,henry ,woodcock4  ,the following 
appeared in the ,hull newspapers1       
,november the #ith1 #ahfd4  ,sidenote3  
,,presentation ,,to ,,the ,,hero4       
',presentation to the ',hero of the     
,humber4'--,on the #fth of ,november1   
#ahfa1 a public presentation of a gold  
watch and a purse containing            
upwards of #ajj guineas1 was made to    
,mr4 ,john ,ellerthorpe1 of ,hull1      
known thenceforth as the ',hero of the  
,humber1' on account of his      having 
saved twenty-nine persons from drowning4
 ,to commemorate that      interesting  
event1 as well as to add another to ,mr4
 ,ellerthorpe's      well earned        
honours1 a few friends met last ,evening
 at ,mr4      ,rawlinson's1 ',sykes     
,head1' ,wellington ,street4 ,after a   
well-served      supper1 ,mr4           
,councillor ,symons1 who1 in the absence
 of ,mr4 ,alderman      ,fountain1      

presided1 called upon ,mr4 ,john        
,corbitt 7of the ,air and      ,calder  
,company71 who presented to ,mr4        
,ellerthorpe a purse      containing    
twenty-three and a half guineas1        
subscribed by the      leading shipping 
firms of ,hull4       ',mr4 ,corbitt    
said3--,the subscription was proposed by
 ,mr4 ,w4 ,dyson1      sen4 7,bannister1
 ,dyson1  ,co471 and has been most      
warmly and      heartily taken up by all
 the leading firms1 who were most ready 
and      forward to mark their sense of 
the obligations of the shipping         
interest to ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe's         
assiduous attention to duty1 obliging   
disposition1 and untiring activity at   
his post night and day      7,applause74
 ,all present knew how valuable those   
services were1 and      how much the    
dispatch of business depended upon them4
 ,it had been a      pleasing duty to   
himself to receive the subscriptions1   
they were      tendered in such a       
willing and hearty spirit 7,cheers74    

,mr4 ,corbitt      then presented to    
,mr4 ,ellerthorpe the purse1 which      
contained the      following            
inscription3--       ,illustration      
,,this ,,purse1                         
,,containing #bc-a_/b ,guineas1         
,subscribed by ,trading ,merchants of   
,hull1          ,was presented by ,mr4  
,j4 ,corbitt to                ,,mr4    
,,john ,,ellerthorpe1       ,for his    
unwearied zeal and attention to the     
requirements of the      ,trade of the  
,port by ,penning ,vessels in and out of
 the ,humber ,dock4       ,nov4 #hth1   
#ahfd4       ',mr4 ,ellerthorpe suitably
 acknowledged the presentation1 and     
thanked ,mr4 ,corbitt and the           
subscribers for their kindness4 ,as for 
himself1 he had certainly striven to    
secure the interests of the      port1  
but he had only done his duty1 as he    
hoped he ever should be      able to do1
 without the prospect of any such reward
 as that4 ,it1      however1 gave him   
unfeigned pleasure to find that anything

 he had      done could be so highly    
appreciated4 ,he hoped to live to       
advance      the interests of the town  
and of commerce4--,several loyal and    
complimentary toasts followed1 and the  
proceedings throughout were      of a   
most pleasant and agreeable character4' 
,sidenote3 ,,his ,,declining ,,health4  
,to the eye of a stranger1 our friend's 
cheerful countenance and erect form1    
during the last few years of his life1  
indicated a robust state of health1     
giving the promise of a green old age4  
,such1 however1 was not the case4 ,his  
employment as ,foreman of the ,humber   
,dock ,gates1 was very arduous1 exposing
 him to all kinds of weather1 day and   
night1 according to the tides1 and he   
found it telling seriously upon his     
health4 ,his frequent plunges into the  
water1 in storm and in calm1 at midnight
 as well as at midday1 in times of      
chilling frost as well as in times of   
warmth1 sometimes top-coated and booted1
 and at other times undressed1 also     

helped to sap his naturally strong      
frame4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,last         
,,affliction4  ,in a private note he    
remarked1 ',it is with difficulty ,i can
 talk1 at times1 and my breathing is so 
bad1 that ,i am now unable to address   
the ,band of ,hope children4 ,the other 
night1 and after ,i had been in bed     
about three hours1 ,i was seized with an
 attack of shortness of breath which    
lasted four hours1 and ,i thought ,i    
should have died in the struggle4 ,but  
it pleased the ,lord to restore me1 and 
since then ,i have felt a little better4
 ,i now suffer greatly from excitement1 
and need to be kept still and quiet1 but
 my present situation does not allow me 
much quiet4 ,in fact1 ,i am afraid1 at  
times1 that ,i shall be forced to leave 
it1 for ,i think1 and so does ,dr4      
,gibson1 that the watching1 night after 
night1 let the weather be as it may1 is 
too much for me4 ,but ,i leave myself in
 the hands of ,god1 knowing that he will
 never leave me nor forsake me4'  ,dr4  

,gibson1 his medical attendant1 wrote   
the writer thus3--                      
,hull1 #bfth ,sept41 #ahfg4       ,dear 
,sir1--,i received your letter this     
morning1 respecting ,john               
,ellerthorpe1 a man well known for many 
years past1 and greatly      esteemed by
 the people of ,hull1 on account of his 
great daring1 and      humane and       
gallant conduct in saving such a large  
number of human      lives from         
drowning4       ,as his medical         
attendant1 ,i regret to say1 that his   
frequent      plunges into the water1 at
 all seasons of the year1 and long      
exposure in wet clothes1 have seriously 
injured his health and                  
constitution4  ,after the ',hero's'     
death the same gentleman wrote3--',mr4  
,ellerthorpe had generously attempted to
 save the lives of others at the expense
 of abridging his own life4'  ,mr4      
,ellerthorpe knew the great source of   
religious strength and salvation1 and   
trusting entirely in the merits of      

,jesus ,christ1 he found a satisfying   
sense of ,god's saving presence and     
power to the very last4 ,he would often 
say1 'my feet are on the ,rock of ,ages4
 ,i cannot sink under such a prop1 as   
bears the world and all things up4' ,his
 affliction1 water on the chest1 and an 
enlargement of the heart brought on by  
his frequent plunges into the water1 and
 exposure to wet and cold1 was          
protracted and very severe4 ,he found   
great difficulty in breathing and had   
comparatively little rest1 day or night1
 for five months4 ,dr4 ,gibson said to  
him on one occasion1 ',mr4 ,ellerthorpe1
 you cannot live long unless ,i could   
take out your present heart and give you
 a new one4' ',ah1' said he1 with the   
utmost composure1 'that you cannot do4' 
,often after a night of restlessness and
 suffering he would say to his dear     
wife3--',well1 ,i have lived another    
night1' to which she would reply1 ',o   
yes1 and ,i hope you will live many more
 yet4' ',no1' he would say1 ',i shall   

not live many more2 ,i feel ,i am going1
 but it is all right4'  ,sidenote3 ,,his
 ,,triumphant ,,death4  ,during his last
 illness he had1 as was to be expected1 
many visitors1 but he loved those best  
who talked most about ,jesus4 ,he seemed
 pained and disappointed when the       
conversation was about the things of    
earth1 but he was delighted and carried 
away when it was about the things of    
heaven4 ,when his medical adviser gave  
strict orders that visitors should not  
be allowed to see him1 his pale face and
 lack-lustre eyes grew bright1 and he   
imploringly said1 ',do let those come   
who can pray and talk about ,jesus and  
heaven4'  ,the ministers of his own     
denomination1 the ,revs4 ,g4 ,lamb1 ,t4 
,ratcliffe1 ,t4 ,newsome1 ,j4 ,hodgson1 
,f4 ,rudd and others often visited him1 
and would have done so much more        
frequently1 but for the nature of his   
complaint and the orders of his medical 
attendant4 ,mr4 ,john ,sissons1 his     
first class leader1 ,mr4 ,harrison1 his 

devoted companion and fellow labourer in
 the work of ,god1 and others of his lay
 brethren1 frequently visited him1 and  
all testify to the happy state of soul  
in which they found him4 ,the ,rev4 ,j4 
,hodgson1 in one of his visits1 found   
him in great pain1 but breathing out his
 soul to ,god in short ejaculatory      
prayers4 ,his old passion for the       
conversion of souls was strong in death4
 ,mr4 ,hodgson told him of some good    
missionary meetings they had just been  
holding4 ',and how many souls had you   
saved8' was the ready inquiry4 ',you    
will soon be at home1' said ,mr4        
,harrison1 during his last visit1 to    
which he replied1 ',yes1 ,i shall1 my   
lad4' ,during the ,rev4 ,t4 ,newsome's  
visit ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe expressed       
himself as wonderfully happy and        
anxiously waiting the coming of his     
,lord4 ,toplady's well known verse was  
repeated by the preacher3--      ',and  
when ,i'm to die1     ,to ,jesus ,i'll  
cry2     ,for ,jesus hath loved me1     

,i cannot tell why2     ,but this ,i can
 find1     ,we two are so joined1       
,he'll not reign in glory     ,and leave
 me behind4'  ',ah1' said the dying man1
 now rich in holiness and ready for the 
skies1 ',,that ,,is ,,it4' ,he soon     
afterwards expired in the full triumph  
of faith1 on ,july #aeth1 #ahfh4        
,,chapter ,x4  ,,the ,,hero',s          
,,funeral4   ,the following account of  
the ',hero's' funeral is taken1         
unabridged1 from ,the ,eastern ,morning 
,news4  ,sidenote3 ,,his ,,funeral4     
,sidenote3 ,,the ,,funeral ,,procession4
  ,all that was mortal of ,john         
,ellerthorpe1 ',the ,hero of the        
,humber1' was on ,sunday consigned to   
the grave4 ,well did his many noble     
actions entitle him to the proud and    
distinguished title by which he was so  
familiarly known4 ,it may be questioned 
whether his career has any individual   
parallel in the world's history4 ,the   
saviour of forty lives from drowning1   
during sixty-one years' existence1 could

 not fail to be exalted to the position 
of a great hero1 and the worship which  
was paid to his heroism assumed no      
exaggerated form1 though it was intense 
and abiding4 ,he bore his honours       
meekly1 and his funeral partook of the  
character of the man1 unpretending1     
simple1 earnest4 ,no funeral pomp1 no   
feverish excitement1 but a solemn1      
subdued spectacle was witnessed4 ,the   
highest tribute which could be paid to  
departed worth was accorded to the      
memory of the ,hero of the ,humber4     
,thousands of his fellow-townsmen       
followed the funeral cortege on its way 
to the ,cemetery1 and when the          
procession reached the last             
resting-place of the deceased1 the      
number swelled into vast proportions1   
and a perfect consciousness of the      
solemnity of the event appeared to      
influence the conduct of the vast       
multitude4 ,the silence was deep1 and   
almost unbroken by any sound save the   
frequent exclamations of sincere regret4

 ,no man1 however distinguished1 has had
 more solemn homage paid to him than    
,john ,ellerthorpe4 ,there were many    
features of resemblance in the burial of
 ,captain ,gravill1 and in the          
,cemetery1 not far from each other1 now 
lie the remains of two men whose moral  
attributes and actions will ever stand  
conspicuous in the history of men4  ,the
 announcement that the cortege would    
leave the residence of the deceased at  
half-past twelve drew many hundreds to  
the house1 anxious1 if possible1 to     
obtain a look at that which contained   
the body of him whose acquaintance      
numbers of them had esteemed it an      
honour to possess4 ,at the time         
appointed the body was placed in the    
hearse1 and the family and friends of   
the deceased1 as they entered the       
coaches1 were watched by hundreds who   
sympathised in no common degree with    
their deep affliction and irreparable   
loss4 ,the coaches were followed by the 
gatemen of all the docks and others who 

had been associated with the deceased4  
,mr4 ,dumbell1 the ,secretary of the    
,dock ,company1 ,mr4 ,dale ,brown1      
,superintendent ,dock ,master1 and ,mr4 
,gruby1 headed the procession1 thus     
evincing the deep respect they          
entertained for ,mr4 ,ellerthorpe4      
,contrary to expectation1 the procession
 proceeded to the ,cemetery by the      
following route3--,railway-street1      
,kingston-street1 ,edward's-place1      
,waverly-street1 ,thornton-street1      
,park-street1 and ,spring-bank4 ,it had 
been expected that the procession would 
have gone along the ,market-place and   
,whitefriargate1 and thence to the place
 of interment1 and the streets were     
thronged with an anxious multitude4 ,the
 disappointment was very great4  ,when  
the cortege reached ,thornton-street1   
part of the congregation of the         
,primitive ,methodist chapel at which   
the deceased had been in the habit of   
worshipping when in health1 joined the  
procession1 and at once began to sing4  

,nothing could exceed the impression of 
the scene from this point4 ,as the lowly
 strains arose tears were trickling down
 many a hard1 rough face1 whilst a      
spirit of holy quietude appeared to     
pervade others4 ,few funerals have been 
characterised by greater impressiveness4
 ,all the avenues at the cemetery were  
crowded1 and hundreds had been waiting  
or a long time to meet the procession4  
,the funeral service was conducted by   
the ,rev4 ,george ,lamb1 for whom the   
deceased had long cherished a great     
affection1 and it is needless to say the
 reverend gentleman was greatly         
affected4 ,the coffin having been laid  
in the grave1 and the burial service    
having been read1 ,mr4 ,lamb spoke as   
follows1 amidst profound silence3--     
,sidenote3 ,,rev4 ,g4 ,,lamb',s         
,,address4  ',we have come here to-day1 
my friends1 to perform the last duties  
over the body of the dear friend who has
 passed away1 we doubt not1 to a        
brighter and a better world4 ,the ,hero 

of the ,humber1 the man who has saved a 
large number of human beings from a     
watery grave1 who has made many a family
 rejoice by his heroism1 has himself    
succumbed to the hand of death4 ,but1   
through the grace of the ,lord ,jesus   
,christ he was not afraid to die4 ,i    
have been frequently comforted as ,i    
have conversed with him during his last 
illness1 and have heard him rejoice in  
the prospect of that hour1 and seen his 
anxiety--yes1 his anxiety to leave the  
present world because he had blooming   
hope of a brighter and better           
inheritance4 ,my dear friends1 you and  
,i will soon finish our course4 ,the    
great question we ought to ask ourselves
 individually is ,am ,i prepared to die8
 ,if my corpse were here1 where ,john   
,ellerthorpe lies1 where would my soul  
be8 ,am ,i prepared for entering the    
mansions of everlasting bliss8 ,many of 
you know he lived a godless1 prayerless 
and sinful life for many years1 but by  
the gospel of the grace of ,god his     

heart became changed4 ,he abandoned his 
evil ways1 consecrated himself at the   
foot of the cross1 to be the ,lord's for
 ever1 and by ,god's saving mercy1 he   
was enabled to hold on his way to the   
last1 rejoicing in the prospect of that 
hour when he should leave the bed of    
affliction and this sinful world1 to be 
carried into that clime and those       
blessed regions where he would be with  
the saved for ever4 ,that ,god can      
change your hearts1 my dear friends4    
,oh1 by the side of this open grave1 may
 some here to-day be yielded to ,god2   
may you now consecrate yourselves and   
become the saved of the ,lord4 ,god     
grant his blessing may rest upon the    
mourning widow and the bereaved family1 
and that they after the toils of the    
warfare of earth1 may with their dear   
husband and father be found before the  
throne of ,god4 ,may those who have long
 enjoyed the friendship of our departed 
brother be ultimately numbered with the 
blessed in in the kingdom to come4'     

,sidenote3 ,,farewell ,,hymn4  ,before  
the mourners departed1 the beautifully  
affecting hymn1 beginning with          
',farewell1 dear friends1 a long        
farewell1'  was sung4  ,we may state    
that most of the ships in the docks     
indicated respect by hoisting colours   
half-mast high4--,eastern ,morning      
,news4   ,,the ,,end4   ,j4 ,,horner1   
,,printer1 ,,alford4     ,,works ,,by   
,,the ,,rev4 ,h4 ,,woodcock4  ,,wonders 
,,of ,,grace2  ,or1 the ,influence of   
the ,holy ,spirit manifested in upwards 
of #cej remarkable conversions4 #b_/-2  
#b_/f4       ',favourably as ,mr4       
,woodcock is already known by his       
previous      writings1 the present work
 will1 we are persuaded1 add to his     
reputation and increase his usefulness4 
,the substance of the work      is rich 
and precious almost beyond praise1 and  
its literary      workmanship bears     
unmistakable evidence of industry1      
intelligence1      and judgment4 ,its   
multitudinous facts1 drawn from a       

variety of      sources1 are skilfully  
marshalled1 are narrated in a lively and
      agreeable style1 and the spirit   
with which it is animated is deeply     
religious4 ,it is an exceptionally      
excellent book1 as full of      interest
 as a novel1 and yet as religious as a  
liturgy4 ,people of      all ages and   
conditions will find in its pages a mass
 of pleasant1      instructive1 and     
wholesome reading1 fitted in an eminent 
degree to      promote their spiritual  
growth1 and to nourish in their hearts  
an      interest in revivals of         
evangelical religion4'--,introductory   
note      by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,c4          
,m',kechnie1 ,connexional ,editor4      
',facts stranger than ,fiction stud the 
pages of this volume1 and      shed     
light upon the various ways in which    
,god is pleased to draw      men to     
himself4 ,the work is written in a clear
 felicitous style1      and affords     
about as agreeable readings as anyone   
can desire1 while      its rich         

illustration and forcible presentation  
of ,gospel truth1      cannot fail but  
prove a blessing4 ,it is in fact1 as    
full of      interest as a novel1 and   
yet as religious as a                   
liturgy4'--,christian ,ambassador4      
,,london3 ,s4 ,w4 ,partridge1 #i1       
,paternoster ,row2 ,wesleyan ,book      
,room1 #ff1 ,paternoster ,row2          
,primitive ,methodist ,book ,room1 #f1  
,sutton ,street1 ,commercial ,road1 ,e42
 and of all ,booksellers4     ,fifth    
,thousand4 #cef pages1 cloth1 #b_/f2    
gilt edges1 #c_/-  ,,popery ,,unmasked3 
,,being ,,thirty ,,conversations        
,,between ,,mr4 ,,daylight ,,and ,,mr4  
,,twilight4       ,in which the peculiar
 doctrines1 morals1 government1 and     
usages of      the ,romish ,church are  
truthfully stated from her own duly     
authorised works1 and impartially tried 
by ,god's ,word1 the only      unerring 
rule of doctrine and duty4   ,notices   
and ,recommendations4       ',this book 
is decidedly the best thing of the sort 

that has yet      appeared4 ,its range  
is comprehensive of the whole of the    
mighty      subject1 and it is literally
 crammed with fact and argument4 ,every 
section is a species of moral           
demonstration4 ,we defy ,cardinal       
,wiseman and all his cardinals1         
archbishops and bishops1 and clergy     
to boot1 to refute this volume4 ,in #cej
 pages we have a species of             
encyclopdia4 ,we know of no human hand  
from which ,popery has      received a  
more powerful1 death-dealing blow4      
,would that a copy of      this well    
crammed and very cheap volume might find
 a place in every      ,british         
household4'--,rev4 ,j4 ,campbell1       
,d4,d41 in the ,british      ,standard4 
',this is a very admirable and          
seasonable book1 displaying much        
reading and the soundest views4 ,it sets
 forth1 with much detail and      in a  
popular and picturesque style1 the many 
evils of ,popery' and      the present  
danger of ,britain from this insidious  

foe4 ,it would be      difficult to find
 a better text-book for popular lectures
 and young      men's classes1 on the   
subject1 and we cordially recommend     
it4'--,protestant ,bulwark4       ',a   
sensible1 smart1 and clever exposure of 
,popery1 with its      irrational       
assumptions1 and soul-destroying errors4
 ,the work is      timely1 and its      
circulation will do good4'--,rev4 ,w4   
,cooke1 ,d4,d4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,the ,,brave     
,,young ,,sufferers1 #f;d42 cloth1 #i;d4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,,the ,,three ,,soldiers1 #f;d42    
cloth1 #i;d4       ',the stories are    
full of pathos and moral beauty1 and are
 in every      respect likely to draw   
the hearts of the young to the love of  
,god      and goodness4 ,we hope our    
,sunday ,school managers will keep this 
little book in mind when providing their
 ,anniversary prizes4--,rev4      ,c4   
,mc,kechnie1 ,primitive ,methodist      
,magazine4         99       99       99 

99       99  ,,student',s ,,handbook    
,,to ,,scripture ,,doctrines1 #gs4      
#f;d42 gilt1 #hs4 #f;d4     ,,works ,,by
 ,,sophia ,,woodcock4  ,,sayings ,,and  
,,doings ,,of ,,good ,,boys ,,and       
,,girls4 #afjpp41 limp cloth1 #as42     
boards1 #as4 #c;d42 gilt edges1 #as4    
#f;d4  ,contents3--,the ,new ,heart2    
,prayer2 ,true ,happiness2 ,the ,right  
,motive2 ,for ,christ's sake2 ,stretch  
it a bit1 or ,true ,charity2 ,mutual    
,forbearance2 ,right ,words2            
,perseverance2 ,the ,little ,boy and his
 ,lost ,shilling2 ,the ,bible better    
than ,gold2 ,the ,little ,cripple2 ,the 
,patient ,sufferer1 c41 c4         99   
99       99       99       99           
,,children ,,leading ,,adults ,,to      
,,christ4 #afjpp41 limp cloth1 #as42    
boards1 #as4 #c;d42 gilt edges1 #as4    
#f;d4  ,contents3--,christ for evermore2
 ,children leading ,adults to ,christ2  
,the happiness of ,children leading     
,adults to ,christ2 ,praying ,children  
leading ,adults to ,christ2 ,casual     

remarks of ,children leading ,adults to 
,christ2 ,kind ,words of ,children      
leading ,adults to ,christ2 ,children   
leading sorrowful ,adults to ,christ2   
,singing ,children leading ,adults to   
,christ2 ,influence of good examples    
leading ,adults to ,christ2 ,dying      
,children leading ,adults to ,christ4   
',miss ,woodcock's charming little      
volumes are everything that could       
be desired4 ,it would be difficult to   
find collections of stories      and    
lessons at once so well suited to the   
tastes and capacities of      children1 
and so likely to plant and foster right 
principles1 and      to mould and build 
up a good and noble character4'--,rev4  
,c4 ,c4      ,m',kechnie4       ',our   
respected author is scarcely fair in    
presenting this capital      collection 
to the young of her own denomination    
only1 as indicated      in her preface4 
,the excellence of her work commends it 
to the young      of all                
denominations4'--,the ,christian ,age4  

',this little book is remarkably well   
adapted to convey moral and             
religious instruction to boys and girls 
from six to ten years of      age4 ,the 
stories are just of such a sort1 and    
told in such a way1      as are most    
likely to interest and impress the heart
 when the heart      is most susceptible
 of impression4'--,christian            
,ambassador4       ',our children are   
delighted with ',gems1' and we sincerely
 hope that      it will have the large  
sale that it deserves4'--,dr4 ,lamb1    
,hull4       ',i can truly say of       
',gems' that it is one of those books1  
interesting1 pleasing1 and profitable1  
that need multiplying to      prevent   
youthful readers from getting an        
appetite for that      senseless1       
vicious literature now so temptingly    
offered to them4 ,if      it be read as 
extensively as it deserves to be1 by our
 young      people1 the authoress1 ,i am
 sure1 will be abundantly               
encouraged4'--,rev4 ,joseph ,wood1      

,m4,a41 ,secretary of the ,sunday       
,school ,union4  ,,london3 ,wesleyan    
,book ,room1 #ff1 ,paternoster ,row3    
,primitive ,methodist ,book ,room1 #f1  
,sutton ,street1 ,commercial ,road1 ,e42
 and of all ,booksellers4               
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,contractions   
are inconsistently used1 such as both   
did'nt and didn't1 and have been        
retained as in the original in both     
cases4  ,there were many printers errors
 and typos in this book4 ,the obvious   
ones have been silently corrected4      
,others that might be cases of old      
spellings have been retained4  ,page    
#ai--;,i suspect of is missing in the   
phrase1 that he would have been unworthy
 7of7 the name of a ,christian but ,i   
did not change it in the text4  ,page   
#abj--,the paragraph that begins ,after 
the ',hero's' death was originally      
included in the preceding blockquote1   
but it doesn't seem to be part of the   
quoted letter1 so ,i moved it out into  
the surrounding text4