Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-07-31
LIFELINE ROCKETS.
The Most Useful Life-SavIng Apparatus
Ever Invented.

The Most Useful Life-savIng Apparatus
Ever Invented.
"There have been a vast number of
inventions of life-saving apparatus to
be used in times of shipwreck," said
Captain Fairchild, of the steamboat
board, to New York Star reporter.
MANY of them" he continued, shave
proved practicable and useful. When a
vessel strikes q sandy bar off main
shore during heavy gale prompt and
Immediate measures must be taken
with a view toward saving life and
property. Sky-rockets are sent up, and
the attention OF the life-saving agents
on the shore is attracted. Invariably a
high surf is to be encountered on
dangerous coast, and to launch life.
boat is almost next to an impossibility
The practicable method known OF
saving the lives thus imperiled
aboard wreck is to make
connection between the land
and the wreck by means of
hawse2 A 'breeches sling is rugged on
the hawser, and the shipwrecked per-
sons are brought ashore singly. The
great trouble, however, is in getting the
line from the shore to the wreck. 1t is
well known how difficult it is to get
line to the vessel from the shore in the
teeth of gale, but the very difficulties
in the way of such task would be helps
toward getting line to shore from the
wreck. With this object in view, some
genius has invented perfect Hne-car-
rying rocket, which is designed to carry
line from vessel to shore in case OF
wreck. The invention consists of a
rocket carrying a tube containing a
coiled line, which is paid out Of the tube
as the rocket and tube pass through the
air on their fight from the vessl to the
shore. In most cases stranding occurs
on lee shore in gales Of wind. A
projectile with shot line attached to
it, fired from the shore toward a vessel,
is loaded with the weight OF line, and
in the second place impeded by the
force OF the wind, hence the range is
greatly lessened. A vessel presents but
u small mark, and if the wind be quar-
tering OF gusty it is difficult to aim a
shot so as to cause the line to fall on
the vessel. On the other hand shot
fired from the vessel toward the shore
under such circumstances flies with
the wind, and of course will carry a
line much greater distance; besides,
no accuracy of aim is required. The
;,,ttia1 IiAnau1tu Of 70 hi iob M
munication with the shore might thus
be overcome, and line be got from the
vessel to the life-saving crews, who
could then attach the hauling lines
and speedily make the necessary
connections for the use of the sling, the
boatswain's chair or the life-car. Guns
or mortars, such as are used by the life
saving stations, could not be used on {
wreck. They require horizontal
foundation to rest on, whereas wreck
is often on beam ends. With gale o
wind and waves washing the deck i
would be well-nigh impossible to ar
range line so that it could be used.
''When the United States warship
were wrecked at Samoa there wer,
plenty of guns on the naval vessels, bu
the only proiectile found practical l
and used was common sky-rocke
shot from the flagship into the rigging
of the Vandalia few yards away. Re
peated attempts were made to get line
ashore in that dreadful emergency, bu
they all failed because the vessels ha
no suitable line-carrying apparatus"