The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-08 00:00:00

PRESERVATION OF LIFE IN

CASES OF SHIPWRECK.
Some experiments were aside on Thursday in the pre-
sence of Sir Gordon Bremer, and the principal autho-
rities of Woolwich Dockyard, to test the merits of
an invention which has for its object the saying of
human life in cases of shipwreck. A great
number of inventions, similar in principle, have put
forward their claims to attention, but hitherto, how-
ever laudable the purpose and ingenious the mode by
which that purpose was to be accomplished, there have
been found insuperable objections to general adoption—
the principal of which may be stated to be, the
complexity of the machinery, and the impossibility
of instantaneous application in cases of sudden emer-
gency. Cork has always been favourably regarded on
account of its permanent buoyancy ; but the great
objection to this substance, as an aid in case of
shipwreck, has always been the room it would occupy in
the vessel, if a sufficient quantity were stored on board
for the assistance of the crew and passengers. A
method, however, has been discovered which does
away effectually with this obstacle, and enables the
material to be adapted to the purpose of saving life
in cases where human aid and skill appear to
be most needed, and yet hitherto most unavailing.
The invention consists of shredding the cork and packing
it into mattresses, and pillows to be substituted for those
in common use aboard ship. This process while
it preserves the buoyant qualities of the cork, creates
other advantages which need not be here specified.
These cork mattresses and pillows are so constructed
that they may be used either separately or lashed
together as a raft. The object of the experiments
was to test their efficacy as a support to an individual
when immersed in the water, and their power of sus-
taining numbers when formed into a raft. At two o'clock
Sir Gordon Bremer and several officers connected with
the dockyard assembled at the steam-basin, where the
materials for making the proposed experiment had
been conveyed. The first experiment was by lashing
six of the mattresses together with boat oars, a process
which did not occupy a minute. The raft was then
thrown into the water, and Captain Stevens, the swim-
mingc master of the Royal Humane Society,dojukmpfeor
on it from the pier, and floated about
tbhaotisnth
son,
atnhde
some time. His son, a lad about seventeteh
ne,
slettelvet
the water as if accidentally.
on the raft, went to the assistanceCoa,
pulled him on the raft, which supported
ent consisted in
on the pier in safety. The nex3tieihxsp
utmost ease, and by this means wa enablederim to land him
throwing a bolster weighing...,
which the lad placed himself,.
mattress, found
him while inand
power to support and
the intowater.the demonstrated water,A boat iotns
length—was supported
triin
iyebel.tbnAethxets,ihg.alteeeira, sand
on
answercushion
oushion of
thethe same
ee
Refight
j .t
weight 12 lbs., was theniosb object
wreofxau:al
l water, and in this way lie paddled,
othnisitCqaupittaeinoudti
part of the dock he wished.
who witnessed the whole of the ex-
without any
expressed his entire satisfaction at the result,
peritnent9, elp • t were loud inpraise of
Stevenst
lio ut hl
t i;
to any
their praise the
aSbird,Gibodrdeoedn, Bremer,sl pres
vast improvement which had been made on all other in-
ventions devoted to the same object. The next experi-
ment .with these mattresses is to ascertain their capa-
bility of resisting musket balls shot, &c. Mr. C. Taylor
of the firm of R. Taylor and Sons, of Great Dover-road,
the patentees, was present throughout the proceedings.

The celebrated contralto, Mdlle. Schwartz, reached
London at three o'clock yesterday. She will appear
with Lablache in an opera ou Tuesday. Madame Tado-
lini left Milan on the 29th ; and a letter was received
this morning, announcing that Mdlle. Jenny Lind had
left Stockholm for London.