Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-05-18

or style of boat that would prove useful
in saving human life in case of ship
wreck.
In 1919 he invented and built a light.
fast row boat, possessing all the life
lslNing qualities he had perfected I'D
to that time. By close APPLICATION and
determined perseverance between the
years of 1915 and 1926, Mr.. Francis
had attracted the attention of men of
liberal ideas. which brought to his aid
patronage and capital
In 1889 he invented the corrugatea
galvanized iron life saving car to he
used III connection with line thrown
from a mortar on shore to the slip in
= peril When it became known that
he proposed making his apparatus of
IRON instead Of wood those who had
previously rdiculed him as a schemer
quickly changed the epithet to that of
idiot, for did not everyone know that
iron would sink" True to his instincts.
he devoted his entire time for the
next year to experimenting with sheet
IRON. Ills attention was given entirely
to the matter of moulding a sheet of
metal to the shape of boat and hold
| ing it in that shape At last the idea
occurred to him that if projection
like a corrugation was formed. the
sheet would be held ngidly and firmly
to the shape of the mould. Having
conceived and demonstrated the use of
, corrugated iron in the building of life
saving cars, he eXerted himself to tie
perfection of his invention. 1t was not
: until the year 1S47 that he COMPLETED
and pronounced perfect the first life
car that the world had ever seen. and
placed it at Squaw Beach, ON the New
Jersey coast, where it's first great per-
1ormance was an almost miraculous
success. Its great value was demon
strated on Jan. II, 1850, when The
staunch British ship Ayrshire was
wrecked during a severe snow storm
Off the New Jersey coast. In the ter
rifle binding gale 200 men, women and
children We're brought ashore dry and
safe, the car being handled by a few
| inexperienced sJtrfmen without inn
proved appliances. She had POI per-
sons on board, and after striking the
beach lay there stranded, the sea break
ing over her and the surf rolling in so
high that it was impossible for any
boat to reach her. Fortunately the life
car was at hand, and there was no
time for delay as the ship was fast GO
ing to pieces. The mortar line was
thrown over the wreck and caught by
the crew: a hawser was then hauled
on board by that line and made fast
10 fhn nS,t. 4In oh,
Ser was passed through the rings of
the life car and made fast to shore;
the car was then drawn to the wreck
and loaded with it's human freight, and
the hatch closed, shutting them in Sc
culely. In three minutes the first car
load was landed safely, and the trips
to and fro were repeated until every
soul on board, except one, was landed
safe and dry. The loss of this one life
was in consequence of an attempt
made by a gentleman to go with his
nieces and their mother in the car, not
being allowed to do so, he jumped
upon the outside of the car as she
started and was instantly washed off
and drowned. This was the first and
only use ever made of this style of
life car, the breeches buoy being so
much lighter and easier to handle is
now used in its stead.
! Besides the life car Mr. Francis is
the inventor of % other life saving APP
planes. He spent several years in
foreign service. In recognition and of
his genius and services, Alexander II,
emperor and autOcrat of all the Rus
sias, car of Poland, grand duke of
Finland, etc, nominated Joseph Fran
els to be knight of the Imperial and
Royal Order of st. Stanislaus, at ST.
Petersburg, Nov. 10, 1860. Napoleon
Ill, emperor of France, presented him
with a diamond mounted gold snuff
box, costing $4,000, and. Ferdinand
| Ill, king of Sicily, gave him gold
medal three inches in diameter The
Imperial International Shipwreck so
ciety, composed of ali the crowned
heads of Europe, gave him a silver
medal in 1874, and numerous other
Organiza tons honored him similarly.
Our own government was the last of
all to recognize him. Had he died 10
years ago, his name would have lain
obscure on the mouldy records of the
patent office at Washington, and, per-
haps, another's name would have gone
down to pOSterity as the originator of
his productions. This piratical pre-
tender existed in the shape of a reven-
lie officer, whose duty had been, at one
time, to supervise the construction of
stations to contain the cars and appli-
ances which Mr.. Francis had previously
invented and constructed. During Mr.
Francis absence in Russia this officer
obtained $4,000 from the United States
governments a reward for having in
vented the same appliance. But when
he appeared upon the floors Of con-
gress to be retired in full pay, because
Of his donation to the government, Mr..
Francis appeared also. His rightful
claims again saw the light of day, and
with astonishing energy, which old age
had not impaired, he confronted the
pretender, won a decided triumph and
received in 1856 from congress a joint
resolution passed, thanking him for
what he had done for mankind Aug
n, 1888, congress passed another reso-
luton offering him gold medal, which
was made at the United States mint in
Philadelphia, and presented to Mr.
Francis by President Harrison at the
executive mansion, April -, 1890.
AS last honor his title as father and
founder O. the life saving service was
ch2' Sed i,y congress to that Of inventor