Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-30

The Capt. Paul Boyton, who has made
himself famous by his exploits on the water
Is. it seems, an American. lie served in the
army during the war, and since then in the
Life-Saying Service on the New Jersey
coast. Last fall he gave up this sort of life,
and with his swimming costume embarked
on the steamer Queen, bound for Liverpool.
He intended TO run out about two hundred
miles, and then jump overheard and return.
The captain, however would not permit him
to carry out his intention, though when
within fifteen miles of their destination, he
was permitted to leap over and try the ex-
pertinent. which he did successfully. His
trip across the English Channel from Dover
to Boulogne, the other day. was so near COM
plete that it may be set down as grand
triumph of art and skill over those bois-
ferrous waves. He was in the water fifteen
hours, and made about fifty miles, and
would have reached Boulogne in safety and
with ease had they let him finish mis- trip by
himself. His apparatus is the invention of
Mr.. c. 5. Merriman of New York and Capt
Boytons mission to Europe is to get it
adopted by the Arctic Expedition, the Ma
tional Liie-Boat Institution, and the ROYAL
Humane Society. The dress consists of
solid india-rubber tunie with head piece and
gloves attached, and pair of trousers ter
minating in boots. II is secured with a
water-tight joint at the waist the wearer
: rendered bdoyant by the imitation of FIVE
air chambers paddle Is used for propul-
sion in the water, and an umbrella can do
duty as a sail. Provisions also can be taken
along, and rockets and fog signals The
dre,s weighs only fifteen pounds. How
ever adaptable to male voyagers, the New
' World thinks it will never do for the
aentler sex.
1t IS evident that the only way in which
passengers crossing the ocean can use the
new invention with any general success is for
the women to array themselves in the life
dress before going on board a steamer, and
10 wear 1t constantly, night and day, until
the voyage is over. The sex can never Crap
pie with the garment with any hope of sue
cess when their nerves are disordered by the
presence of sudden danger and that the
male passengers should avail themselves of
their familiarity with trousers, and, putting
on their life-dress, should abandon the
women to certain death. is Of course impos-
sible. Only the most selfish of towards
could calmly paddle away from sinking
ship with its deck filed with shrieking
women wildly striving to thrust their arms
into the unfamiliar legs of injia-rubber
trousers, or TO force their feet into the
sleeves of the Boynton jacket. and thus pre-
pairing to float head downwards when the
sinking deck yanishes from beneath them
But on the other hand, it would be an i'm
possibility to induce women to put on india
rubber trousers and tickets and to exhibit
themselves in grossly inflated state to the
gaze OF masculine eyes. The moonlight ilr-
tatiOns that the summer seas have witnessed
so many thousand times would become mere
ly legend of the past should the romantic
youth find only obese india-rubber waists
round which to twine his arm, and naught
but elastic shoulders whereon to strive to
rest his reboundlng head 1t would be
better to abandon the aid of vessels al
together and to make the passage of the
Atlantic exclusively in Boynton's life-dresses.
Were the inventor to substitute sails for his
double-bladed paddle the thing might be
feasible, and the youthful, cutter-rigged
bridegroom, setting on a trans-atlantic we'd
ding trip with his cat-rigged and centre
board bride, might find in the lonely wastes
Of the vas, Atlantic that privacy which BELTS
the honeymoon of romantic lovers.