Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-11-19

Grantlng the lowering tackle to be per.
fect, II the boat is to be put into the
water, she must be knocked abont nv
the waves or the swell, and any holiday
voyager can imagine what this means
IL circumstances where lives have to be
rescued from a disabled ship. The diff
Guilty, therefore, is not overcome by inge-
NOUS tackle for lowering; the difficulty
consists in the hard and breakable ma
terial of the boat itself. Where a boat
of wood or iron would have it's side
cracked or broken by a heavipg crash
against the ship, cane-wicker boat
would bound off uniniured, certainly
unbroken, and if broken still no worse
for sailing and saving life. This,is
the peculiar triumph of the new life
boat. You may take an ak and hack
the side, you may chop away the bow,
you may cut off the keel. still her
bouyancy is unlmpaired, aud she is as
good for her work as before. Can
that be done with any other boat to
which life has to be Entrusted in per
ilous sea?
The trial boat was exhibited yester-
day on lorry near the Town Hall. for
short time before noon, and was then
launched in the river sans cere02o3aie.
1t was a rough and tumble baptism
and no mistake, for the boat took a
line from the Agincourt, by favor of
the Liverpool Steam Tug Company,
and steaming off sharply, the boat was
pulled clean off the lorry with her
crew of six, and plunging nose under
in the tide, as bold diver takes a
header, came up trim and lively. halt
filed, one oarsman completely DOUGH
ed, the others wet variously, and a
general chorus of applauding
laughter from miscellaneous
crowd. OF course the waite,
above the wicker floor drained through
instantly, SO that in minute the men
were standing on dry floor, and ap-
pear1ng surprised to find themselves
floating SO comfortably. The boat was
literally tumbled into the river height
OF Is to 20 feet, in order to demon.
strate her behavior under the worst
conditions, and her lively independ-
ence of any C lowering apparatus ;;
The tug now "let go the painter" and
the scratch crew IN the new boat put
their oars in the rowlocks and pulled
about in a rough tide. She went very
steadily, and seemed about as
light as an ordinary boat. Mr..
Graves and Mr.. King then resolved to
sink their property. if overcrowding
would do it. They got into it as many
mel as could stand Up anyhow-about
fifty the boat was so far from
sinking that double the weight might
possibly have proved insufficient. This
showed the boat might be overcrowded
without danger-a great matter during
the tumult and wild selfshness of q
shipwreck. What different tale there
would have been to tell if three or foul
boats of this kind had been attached
to the Northfeet. The Agincourt
once more took the life boat in tow,
and steamed at full speed down
stream to the Tower, and back to the
Georges stage, the boat riding the
wash in admirable style, satisfying
even the exactions of nautical critics,
and putting some amateurs in ecstacy
AS to the boats dimensions, she is %
feet long 3 feet inches deep, with
feet beam, her weight being about2, OO(
weight, or, Say one-third the weight oil
an ordinary boat Of equal capacity. Al
either end is water-tight tank fol
provisions. She is fitted with the
usual valves required by the Board Of
Trade, but these are practically I'M
necessary in wicker cane life-boat.
We shall watch with interest the pro
gress Of this admirable invention"