The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-11-26
THE IRON LIFE-BOAT.

nnce.
But such work as this, successful
as it was, was only what we might
call amusement-there was far more
serious work to perform. From 1880
to 1910 the young man was spending
all his spare time and money at work
upon a boat which should not only save
lives but which could not be crushed
ON the rocks when the waves were
hurting themselves shore ward. His
cork-lined boats were successful, and
were giving him a worldwide fame
as an inventor and philanthrOpist; but
he felt that unless he could invent a
boat Of some other material than wood
his object vas but half attained.
He resolved to try iron. Those of
his friends who new of this step looked
upon him-as many an inventor is
looked upon in Il day-as little less
than a lunatic. Iron for a boat? Why,
it would take such a vast amount of
wood to float the iron that it would
be impossible to propel the bOat-to
say nothing of having 1t breast the
waves of Il furious gale and go out
through the storm to Il wrecked ship!
The idea, they said, was simply prepoS-
ferrous. The young man acknowledged
the apparent force of the argument,
but he believed there was a way out
of the difficulty. He started in the
path alone. He found many cruel and
disheartening ditliC ulties in the way,
but he bravely met all trouble. and he
nobly maintained his high purpose,
and won at last a magnificent victory,
not only for himself but for all man
kind.
In his later years Mr.. Francis loved
to tell of the trials of that critical time.
Amid his later honors he never forgot
the days when at II moment he
seemed so near to success and at an
other so near to the saddest of fail
ureS.
1t was now the year 1871. He had
taken his family-for he was married
to a country place where they could
live more cheaply than in the city.
He had the use of a In Il house on
Anthony street, in the city of New
York, in which to carry on the work
of his inventions, by the favor of NIyn-
dert Van Shoick, a gentleman who was
much interested in the outcome of the
matter. Here, shut in from all the
world, in sore poverty, he worked fol
twelve months, a long, discOuraging,
weary year. The end to he gained was
to make iron float on water. something
which his best friends thought the
dream of a lunatic. Day by day and
night by night he worked ceaselessly
He denied himself all luxuries, al
comforts. He met with failure after
failure.
He found himself one day at the
close of the year reduced to actua
want-and his object not attained. HI
had but a p%ittance in his pocket. HI
was hungry, but he needed one more
piece of iron to make one last supreme
effort. He went out to a junk shol
with his last twenty-five cents. HI
bought his piece of iron for thrice.
cents. With the rest of the money h
bought bread and molasses. All tina
night he worked. In the morning h
found that the rats had stolen the piec
of bread which he had saved for hi
breakfast, but the labor of the nigh
had brought victory. He had SOLVED
the problem! He had conquered il
the ~tiercest battle of his life. He ha,
achieved the success he sought, ant
this victory meant the saving of tn
lives of many thousands of his fellow
men.
The corrugation of iron, fOrmin
ridges in lines along the sides of tn
boat, had been invented. BY this h
was enabled to make the iron float, TO
he could bend it and shape it to tn
curved form of Il boat, and the bend
ings or ridges in the sides took tn
place of all stays, supports, ribs, an
timbers, furnishing in themselves tn
support and strength, while nothin
was added to the weight. The metz
was put under great pressure to d
this, but it stayed in place, and til
victory vas won.-'Joseph Francis,
/ by w. S. HARDWOOD, in st. Nicholas.