The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-19 00:00:00

ESCAPE FROM SHIPWRECK.

A lecture was_ deliatet,ed,oan •Tl'.ursday !tight -1:77
Mt.' Alfred Canning, engineer, ingrt"rheatre of
the London Literary and Scient;fie Institution,
Aldersgate-street, on the best means of escaping
from shipwreck. The theatre was crowded in all
parts by a most respectable auditory, who appeared
to rake a lively interest in the subject.
_ .

Mr. CANNING, who stood before a table covered
with plans and models of life-boats, rafts, &c., com-
menced his lecture by describing the various inven-
tions hitherto in use for the preservation of life from
shipwreck; and after explaining how ineffectual they
were in their practicable application, he proceeded
to exhibit to the company his own simple contrivance
for effecting the desired object. His plan is, to
join together five spars placed crossways, and con-
nected.by ropes both in the centre and at each
angle. To every point presented by these spars, six
in number, he proposes to affix an empty barrel for
the purpose of giving buoyancy to the machine, the
outer heads of each barrel to be protected by a sort
of stuffing, in order to resist concussions with sharp..
pointed rocks. A machine of this description pro-
perly secured by ropes, Mr. Canning assured the
company, was capable of carrying off persons from
wrecked vessels to the shore with the most perfect
safety, without the slightest danger either of its
upsetting, or immer,ing those who took refuge on
it in the water. Mr. Canning added, that he tried
the machine himself on the coast of France and
Jersey, and suffered himself to be towed from the
mouth of the port of St. Heliers to near Rizabeth
Castle, when he cast off the tow-rope and aban-
doned himself to the mercy of an impetuous wind,
and the waves of a raging sea, by which he was
driven to the dangerous rocks of La Collette, re-
clining backe arils in the centre of the raft with
"as
much security as if he was extended on a sofa
The raft continued to drive amongst the rocks,
against the points of which it Was dashed repeatedly,
until of length a tremendous breaker threw the ma-
chine high upon the shore, where he was received by
the congratulations of those who witnessed the un-
dertakitig. The great perfection of *a raft "of this
descrption, Mr. Canning observed, coesists in this,
that it is capable of surmounting the most s'ormy
seas, and of resisting the sharpest pointed, rocks, in
situations where a life-boat, life-raft, or any other
known means would have failed and been dashed to
pieces. Another great recommendation, the lecturer
observed, to the machine which he deicribed, was
its simplicity, and alq:, this fact, that putting it toge-
ther by seamen would occupy but a very few minute.,
there being always materials at hand in vessels of
every size and description out of which to form such
a raft. Mr. Coating produced a double raft, made
upon the same simple plan, which, with the addi-
tion of a boarded raft, slung from the centre, and
capable of righting itself in the heaviest sea, would,
he said, be competent to the carrying off a great
number of persons. Had this invention, he added,
been applied to in the case of the Rothray steamer,
every soul on board that ill-fated vessel might have
been saved. After. describing a buoy of his invens
Lion for the purpose of carrying a liue from a wrecked
vessel to the shore, and reading a number of high.
testimonials from different persons to whom his
inventions were submitted, Mr. Canning concluded
his very entertaining and instructive lecture with the
announcement of his intention to make a publics exe
hibition on the Thames Of his invention, preparatory
to a definitive trial on the most dangerous part of
the seascoast in a storm. He proposes to place
self on his raft above Vauxhall-bridge and at half-
ebb of a spring tide, when the fall of water in the
river is greatest, he will suffer the raft to be carried
with the curt ent through the bridges, causing the
machine to dash with violence against the abutments
and upset in being propelled with violence by the
rush of water over ropes extended across 'the most
dangerous arch of old London-bridge. The trial
will be sanctioned by the Lards of the Admiralty,
and his Mijesty 'is expected to appoint the day.
We were on the whole considerably pleased with
Mr. Canning's lecture, and without pretending to
offer any decided .opinitin on the merits of his life-