The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-12
LIFE-sAvING AT SEA.
The Wonderful Balsa Wood and Its Amazing
BuoYancY.

Buoyancy.
Mr. Walton w. Evans, civil engineer. who has
lived for years in South America, said to a re-
porter Considerable attention has been paid
of late years, in England and in the United
States to improved methods of saving life at
sea, and since the loss of the State of Florida
shipownerS and builders have been aroused to
the necessity of providing steamships with life
saving apparatus free from the defects now in
use. 1t has been repeatedly proven that in the
hurry and excitement of abandoning sinking
ship the present means have proven inadequate.
The RATS, with their heavy cylinders of galvan-
lied iron, cannot be got over the SIDE or, in
the attempt hole is frequently made into the
pipes, rendering them useless while the life
boats are usually swamped by bad handling or
over7crowding. 1t is therefore at once APPARENT
that every perfect Gfe-saving apparatus should
combine three essential features-great buoy
ancy, indestructibility and facility for handling
Now, the very thing" continued Mr.. Evans,
'sthat would fulfill all these conditions is balsa
wood, which is celebrated in South America for
its extreme lightness, and grows beside the gulf
of Guayaquil, in Ecuador. On the west coast of
South America there are few good harbors
and in some cases all landing is done through
the surf by RATS made of balsa wood. These
balsas, as they are called, come sailing up to a
steamer in open ocean to receive cargo and pas
sengers, with their baggage, and land them in
safety. The risk is considered small, and loss
and accidents are not frequent, as the RATS
never upset or break Sometimes the lashings
give way, but they are easily repaired These
RATS are also employed to sail far out into the
ocean for fish, and to carry fruit to ships going
to California. They are very roughly CON
structed of six or eight round logs, laid side by
side, well strapped by ropes and cross timbers,
and are rugged with a tall mast and square sail.
"Balsa wood, when dry, weighs about thirteen
pounds to the cubic foot, and would have, in salt
water, supporting power of fifty-one pounds
perscubic foot. Therefore a raft Of say ten
logs twenty feet long by sixteen inches square,
would support over eighteen thousand pounds
or carry one hundred people, and ten would
support the crew and passengers of a large
steamer. On the promenade decks of all steam
ers there are seats, settees, to hold say, four
persons. Now, | would propose to lengthen
these and make them of balsa wood, the backs to
be easily removed in case of shipwreck The
logs could be quickly brought together and
formed into large raft 1t would be buoyanJ
indestructible and easily launched.
again, RATS of this timber might be made to
form all the after part of the hurricane deck,
and arranged so as to be easily cast loose.
Crews should be drilled to make these RATS, and
observant passengers would, in case of emergen-
cy, be able, not only to lend assistance, but to
construct them unaided These RATS should be
ready to be launched in three minutes; in fact
launching would mean pitching them overheard
as they could not break or fill AS the absorb
ton of water by log is mainly carried on
through the ends, would advise that each log
be coated at the ends with a solution of gum
shellac Should it be proven in experimenting
that the shellac is carried too far into the wood
by capillary attraction, the ends should be paint
ed three or four times and the sides twice with a
thick solution of the same gum
Every passenger steamer" said Mr.. Evans,
in fact every vessel, should be provided with a
cylinder of galvanized iron, Theoretically sealed
filled with provision, also water barrels for in
slant use in case of shipwreck. While was
building the africa and Tacna railway, in Peru
/ employed large body of Quichua and Amara
Indians, and / had to supply them with coco
stitute for food and water, recommend it to be
placed in some convenient receptacle securely
fastened to the RATS and life boats. =