The herald., 1894-12-19
PERILS OFlTHE OCEAN
INVENTIVE GENIUS TO THE. AID OF
Dl5TRESSEOj MARINERS.

! Many Absurd Devices ProGerc6-Au Are
Considered by tho Life saving Service
Board-Cutting theI Throat Of the Timid
with Feather.
In order that tles sur1men VINO patrol
our beaches, roadysto lend their assist
Rnce to distressed mariners, may have
at their co1nmand,tAle most efficient ap-
paratus inventive'ga Mus can suggest, a
board on life sfgving1appliances appoint
ed by the secrhtary Of the treasury is
connected with the life saving service
and convenes upcu the call of the,presi-
dent about once az year to consider the
merits Of all boats, apparatus OF meth.
| DDS which may be presented TO them
with view to adoption in that service
if found practicable. This board makes
! public tests Of the,apparatus presented
FOR adoption, and their report is en-
bodied in theiannuel report of tho life
saving service'for the year in which tho
Investigations weres made.
Many valuable suggestions are
brought to tho ATTENTION of the board
which secure for,the use Of the service
strong lines and effective gear. But
some of the schenas and apparatus Of
| fered in good faith are so ridiculously
absurd as to roquiretbut very short re-
port, and the decis ion is ''found i'm
| practicable, the BOARD being good
enough to "cuJ his throat with u feath-
err in order that timid genii with
meritorious apparatus may not be un-
duly discouraged orIfrightened at the
decision made upon these devices and
thereby deferred from preeenting some
thing which might ito of incalculable
value to humanity.
One Of tho,poculiar facts sascertained
by the Investigations Of tlse board is
that those who are probablymosJ apt to
submit models,and descriptions are those
who know least, about the real dangers
and consequent needs of stranded or
stranding vessel. Some of the concep-
tions of the inland residents are truly
marvellous.
The subject easily divides,itself into
three heads: Boats for going out through
the surf, apparatus for efecting COM
municat1on between the shore and
| strandedwessels, and meaiNfOr prevent
ing straDlings. Tho devSr.s to be con-
sidered as coming first areymost natural
! ly those TO prevent stran'iings, and only
recently a scheme was presented in
which the government was urged to
stretch very largo cable the entire
length of the coast sdne distance from
the shore anchored with mushroom an
ohors. Thus if a vessel were dragging
her anchor she would float over this ca
BILE toward the rockssuntii the flukes of
her anchor engaged with the cable,
where she would be hsald safe and sound.
No provision is madeafor preventing the
parting Of her chains4 however. But the
scheme of stretchingta "a large cable from
Maine to Mexico anGj stringing thereon
mushroom anchors dixie bangles Oh a
necklace will hardlyameet the approval
of congress.
Another amateur submits sketches
and drawings, minussthe pretty painted
model, however, of a,great boat intend
I'd to run simply by opening a gate
yalve in two Large longitudinal tubes
which open fore and aft below the wa
Ter line. The valves aro'open when the
boat is launched, and the water rushes
,uto the forward intake and passes out
at the stern. Tho water, passing out,
pushes the boat forward, and the intake
helps relieve the resistance on the bows,
SO that the boat, Of course, is pro-
PEELED by the water passing through
these tubes. The boat thus goes on for
ever through the surf most speedily be-
cause the water is driven out through
the stern most forcibly in a boisterous
sea. To stop the boa5 the valves are
closed.
Another bright man with q less cum
bersome contrivanoe, although the ac-
tion is as hard or harder to understand,
suggests lifeboat or life raft built upon
the exact model of q window shutter or
blind, arguing that the water, operating
| upon the Stats, will set them vibrat-
| ing and that this vibration by its ac-
ton upon its own motive force will
cause the boat to work forward against
wind and tide. Bathers at Atlantic City
q couple of summers ago will no doubt
remember this inventor and his shutter.
A heart swelling with pity-it ought
TO be woman s--for the poor drenched
| cdptdlu Wll6, IGSCubu tuEOuSn tIt
mountainous surf from a vessel fast
breaking up, has suggested a canvas
cover similar to a wagon cover tightly
fastened down to the gunwale as pro
lection from the wet. The dear soul,
however, never stopped to consider the
tremendous force with which the break
ers, which at times turn 81 foot life
boat end over, would ride down that
fragile protection burying in its folds
every one underneath. And those mem
bers of the board who had served at sea
shivered when they read the description
of this protection" and pictured to
themselves their exciting endeavors to
sxtrioate themselves from the ruin of
the death dealing oontrivance suggested
in love and kindness by an ignorant
| friend. " Washington Star.
Roman House Heaters.
Methods used by the Romans for