The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-30
ALife Saving Kite.

Several days ago an interesting kite ex-
hibition was witnessed off Sandy Hook,
under the direction of Mr.. j. Woodbridge
Davis the inventor of kite apparatus
for carrying lines from a ship to the lee
shore. The kite in questionssis foldable,
the sticks, of light ash. revolving upon a
common centre axle, and the frame is
covered with oiled muslin.
1t has been demonstrated that under
certain conditions it is impossible for
our efficient life-saving men to get line
out to a stranded ship, and that loss Of
life under such "Reminiscences naturally
follows. A case in point is that of the
four-masted schooner that went ashore in
a southeast gale on Long Island only a
few weeks ago. For several hours futile
efforts were made to shoot line to the
vessel whose crow could be seen In the
shrouds above the combing seas that
continually rolled across the decks,
while, to add an element of pathos to
the picture, a woman stood upon the
ratlines among the men. Several times
the life-saving crew ran their boat out
into the jaws of the breaker until the
icy waters formed about their sturdy
shoulders, only to be beaten back to
shore again. Happily rapid change of
WIN eliOotaCt ul1C oCd dliO 1lld0O POSSlS
BILE the rescue of the shipwrecked ones
before the masts iell
1t is for just such emergencies that
Mr.. Davis has designed the kite that
bears his NAME When beyond the reach
of the projectile that carries the line,
the kite may be used to establish COM
| munication with the beach. Although
the mariners kite is not an original
idea, yet the Davis apparatus presents
several decidedly new features, the most
valuable of which is the simple contriv-
ance by which it may be detected from
its natural course, or, as a sailor would
say, from dead to leeward. Instead OLA
single line leading from the face of the
kite two lines are employed, one from
either side. and b. Checking one or the
other trifie after the kite has been
raised, it may be- directed four compass
points, or As deg, from its direct lee
ward course, so that it may be landed
anywhere within an area of so degrees.
| The value of this steering property
may be appreciated when it is explained
that it often happens that the only near
| land to wrecked vessel is not directly
to leeward, but to the right or left of
| that point. The principle of the steer
ing action of the kite is based upon that
of the fore-and-aft sail, which may be
trimmed to a certain limit without spill
ing the wind. AS soon as the kite is
raised and the guy lines adjusted so
that it is directed Alright, these are Sc
| cured to wooden float or buoy, and the
latter is thrown overheard, having fast
paid out as the kite flies to the land,
dragging the buoy through the water.
When the float reaches the beach the life
saving crew detach it and bend on to the
ships rope the regular lines and blocks,
which the wrecked seamen haul out to
their vessel and make secure according
to the directions found painted in the
small wooden tags fastened to the block.
The crew are then brought to land
either in the breaches buoy or life car
hauled out to them by the life-saving
crew. wallpapers Weekly.