The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-21

the Mechanics Institute In Boston, for
which he received . certificate OF
merit and a cash prize equsl TO the
va,ue OF the handsome boat NJ. Francis after
ward established q boat yard in New York. aud
the secretary OF the navy requested him to go
to the Portsmouth navy yard and build wooden
nfeboats for the frigate Santce and the iinc-of-
battle ship Alabama Soon after this he iu-
vented Q portable boat that could be taken
apart. and u method OF building boa;s over .
frame or mould with inch square strips OF cedar
nailed cdgs to edge, the joining showing neither
nail heads uoY seams, aud requiring no caulS-
Ing These boats, all OF whicn were liiebosts.
came into general use. His greatest achieve
appliances. These consisted OF litcboats. life
cars and sur: liieboats. OF the lifeboats, the
called the hydrogen lifeboat The interior was
fitted with copper air tubes. and the invention
proved successful. As q result OF later expert
ments. the use of wood In the construction Of
mis- boats quickly gave way 10 iron, although
the use OF iron in the manufacture OF vessels of
any kind was practically unknown at tina: time.
TO MI; Francis may b conceded the first use OF
was added by having the spaces at the bow and
stern of the boats made into reservoirs OF air, 40
well as the spa .es at the sides. thus enabling
the boat to sustain . great lead in the heaviest
sea.
1t was in 1883 that Mr.. Francis conceived the
frcm q wreck. Hts experiments with iron re-
suited In one of the most valuable inventions of
modern times. that of tho corruearion OF metals
t III. s snss so iron; ss9p sn.s etc liz n ~, is a. he produced luce. q
for four adults. lie offered the lite car to the
government IN lst7 for a test under the direc-
ton Of the secretary of the treasury, but this
was the answer he received from the secretary.
William NJ. Meredith: "There 10 no means
known under heaven. nor will there ever be, OF
saving Lille under circumstances such as you
recount: besides. the government cannot
afford to try experiments. Try your life car,
and II it viii do anything like what You
ernment viii adopt it," Mr.. Franci. protested
against the attitude OF the government, bur
he was no. discouraged. Opportunity for prov
ing the worth OF his work would surely come in
time. a. his own expense he carried his life
Car 10 sQuan Beach, \. j.. In the autumn OF
1919, but 1t was not until January Il. 1850. that
!. was called into use. THEN the life car, oper,
person, from the British emigrant ship AYR
shire. Tho only life lost was that oi a man who
insisted on rlaing on.s,a e, the car whe e. , M. lam.
metallic lite surf boat. designed tor riding
lightly on the widest sea. and In the same year
he obtained patents In the United states. En-
gland. France. Germany and Russia for his
method OF constructing vessels OF corrugated
sheet metal and for the machinery by which
they were produced. His inventions for the
machinery and for the application of the by.
dranlic press were ~adjnncts of the greatest I'M
portance.
Alter the value of hts life car had been demon.
strated ut sguan beach, there was a great de-
mand for his many useful inventions and Mr..
Francis established large maeuisctorics In sew.
erRl cities. Liseboa.s were furnished By him to
the Dead sea and Arctic expeditions, TO the
war, navy aud treasury departments and to sew
erai European governmental. Mr.. Francis cx-
tended the application of corrugated metal to
the haiiding OF eamer floating docks. hsrbor
buoys and pcntoen wagons. aud his inventions
have been adopted by every civilized countrs.
Among his maay other inventions are . mill
sary hood made Il cloth for tue protection of
sen;inels in storm, a circular yacht and a
double ioiat row .oek. For several years after
1855 be lived abroad aud established large fac
tories In five countries under government pa.
trunage.
Mr.. Francis received many medals and deco
rsfions from European sovereigns, including Y
gold snuff box. studded with diamonds and
valued at 1851 francs, IRON Napoleon HI ifeb-
ruary 1. ihsil, and the order of kuighthocd Of
81. stan,slaus, with It's medal aud diploma
fis6ll. He mas also received u large nun Der of
medals from the American ana other institutes,
u media. aad diploma from the European ship
wreck society for Ali Nations, in France, Ia
ls42, and = second in England, designated ''Bsn-
efactor,' by the Imperial Royal European soet-
ETY., OF JAY !. 1872 In March, issS, congress
passed a joint resolution tnanSing him for his
"lifelous services % humanity and 70 hts cour-
Try"
On August 81. isss. congress offered him a
gold medal which was made nj the Ph.lsdeithia
mint. and presented 30 SIR. Francis by President
Harrison al the White House on April IL, 1880.