Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-10-20
FOR WRECKED BOATS.
M IMPROVED l'-l RAFT FOR YES
SELLS m DISTRESS AT SEA.
AZ Present There Does Not Seem to he
Any Lifeboat That Answers All the Re-
quirem of IA ship About to Founder.
Some Objections to IIost Boats.

Some Objections to Most Boats.
In the many methods adopted to prevent
loss of life ut sea the use of lifoboats and
life RATS has not yet proved very success
full and it is doubtful if any great ocean
steamer carries lifcboats with sufficient
capacity to float the crew and the passen-
gers. If the vessc' should 20 down at sea
the iuadcquacy Of these lifeboats would
be manifested in several ways.
In mudcratc heavy sea it would be
difficult undertaking TO lower them sue
cessfuly from the davits, and almost an
impossibiity to land the passengers in
them if once fioatcd. The roll of the ship
and the swclls Of the sea would very likely
capai2c them. Should they, however, es-
cape destruction so far The sudden sinking
of the huge steamer would undoubtedly
draw them down into the terrible vortex
and swamp them.
If a steamer is stranded upon deserted
coast and attempts are made to land the
crew upon the beach, an ordinary rough
surf would make the lifeboat OF steamers
an insecure craft for the purpose Many
instances are recorded where the boats
were quickly swampcd and finally washed
upon the beach with the crew half dead
and drowned.
For mcn-of-war the lifeboats are still
less adequate to meet sudden emergencies
of this character Ammunition must he
landed without getting wet and the sailors
must be transported to the shore in num-
beers on short notice. Previous to the bonn
bardment of Fort Fisher some forty boat
loads Of the fleet wfre dumped into the
surf while the troops were landing on the
beach near Cape Fear river
A life raft has been invented at the Kit
terry navy yard, in Maine which is de
signed TO surmount all these difficulties.
and which may be used for war vessels
| and for big ocean steamers. The raft re-
sembles in general shape that of n cata-
maran, and it viii be impossible to sink or
swamp IL except in the heaviest kind Of
| sea.
The raft consists of two long floats made
Of fObin bronze and about the size and
shape Of canoes. These two floats are Sc
curely fastened together by metallic bands
and fangcs 50 that the heaviest strain in n
/ rough sea cannot rnrt them. The level
platform is constructed over the top with
seats aud rowlocks attached. A mast and
sail can also be quickly used if the float is
| cast away upon the sea. Inside the hollow
! floats lockers are built for storing water
and provisions and in the toughest surf
! they could not get wet. On warsh FPS arms
| and ammunition could be stored in these
water tight compartments.
y sudden collision which might break
! into the water tight floats would be the
only way to swamp these improved life
RATS. Each raft could sustain fifty per
sons in a rough sea, and in the event of be-
ing cast away upon the ocean during n
storm the mast and sail could be used as a
! drag, and by means Of oil, always kept in
one of the compartments, the "combing"
Of the seas could be prevented from doing
any great HARM
When the storm was not raging the mast
and sail could be put up and the lifcboat
would make fair time in almost any direc-
ton, carrying it's load of people lightly
over the rolling waves. In landing upon a
beach the rough surf could easily be ridden
by q raft of this nature, and the rescued
people could be safely landed upon the
shore.
The improved life raft is not perfect in
every sense of the word yet for it, weight
and cost make it impractical for many Of
the ocean steamers u carry it, Their size
and shape, however, are such thatthcv can
b" slowed away without occupying much
more room than the old fashioned lifeboat.
winch all the vessels are compelled by law
10 carry
So light and buoyant are these metal
RATS II IS estimated that not even the
heavy suction of the sea when large
steamer went down could draw them into
the vortex with sufficient power TO swamp
them. No other lifcbout Of any de.crin-
tiOn has ever been supposed to he able to
withstand such strain upon her noatin,,
powers. They are thus practically incapa-
Die Of swaInping, and this is one OF the
great st. dangers rXnprirrppj -Ia,
ers become total wrecks at sea. Nearly
every month some terrible calamity ut sea
illustrates the need of some such foatjnl,
raft TO prevent shlpWrccked crews and
passengers from going to the bottom Of the
ocean.
Tie question of launching the RATS and
then Of landing the passengers on them
has been considerably discussed. With
both the raft and the disabled steamer
rolling heavily in the sea this would be no
mean work to underta AXE but it ha, been
proposed to launch the float aud ,hcn To
send the passengers down what is COM
monty known as the "Luuduu fire c-cape. -
The passenger, would by this means be
shot down an inclined and inco,ed plane
TO the very deck Of the raft This work
would be performed over the stern Of the
vessel, where the rolling would be less Sc
we're than elsewhere.
The use OF oil for calming the seas dur.
Ing the transterence Of passengers, from
the steamer to the floating raft has
also been wisely recommended H. "a good
method Of performing the WorI. easily and
successfully. SO generally valuable j., the
Use Of oil for this purpose that every
l steamer aud vessel If any importance can.
. rice, sufficient quantities 10 calm! the sea,
. for long time. Il could probably be Put