The herald., 1897-03-27
FOR MARINERS
Life Saving Experiments
by the Government
A LUMINOUS LIFE LINE
LOOMS LIKE A SHAFT OF Light
IN THE DARKNESS
The Life Line Is Covered With Phos-
phorus and Resembles q
Fiery Serpent
A LUMINOUS LIFE LINE

perimenting with decidedly new idea
in life lines the results of which are prov
ing highly important. 1t is among the
probabilities of the near future that the
crews of vessels wrecked within the
range of the life saving stations will be
able to see the line shot to them from
the mortar from the time It starts on its
career until it reaches them.
This marked addition to the chances
of saving the lives of shipwrecked sea-
men is the invention of Reuben H. Plass,
of sos Lafayette avenue, Brooklyn, N.
Y. Mr.. Plass will be remembered as the
inventor of a system of maritime ocean
buoys, which it was intended should
form a chain of communication by
means of cable and telephone between
America and Europe.
In spite of the magnificent work of the
life saving corps of the government, and
regardless of theEpparatus for the rem
dering of aid to the shipwrecked which
is at their command, many life has
been lost by the inability of the persons
who are clinging to a wreck to see the
line shot at them from the shore, or, Il
it reached the rigging, to tell just where
1t might be seized upon. AS, in such
cases, minutes mean lives, the inability
to see and grasp the life line without the
delay of second has lessened the pop
ulation of the earth by several II many,
many instances.
The idea which Mr.. Plass has sue
cessfully evolved is to provide a life
line which emits a phosphoreecent light
of sufficient luminosity to be visible for
long distance Immediately it leaves the
mortar's mouth and is shot through the
gale and across the waves to the wreck.
In the past, If it happened to be daylight
when the lifesavers were at work, they
could, by means of their glasses. tell
whether or no they had landed a life
line aboard the wreck. 1t unfortunately
happens. though, that the majority of
wrecks occur at night, and therefore
luminous lifeline becomes an invention
of the first Importance. By its use the
lifesaver can tell just exactly what has
happened to the line. There need be no
more uncertainty.
Mr.. Plass is more than confident that
the final results of the experiments with
his invention will be the adoption Of
the luminous lifeline by the govern
ment. He Is a very practical sort of man
and not at all given to theorizing on
possibilities not warranted by facts.
THE idea of the luminous lifeline was
suggested to me-" said Mr.. Plass when
questioned in regard to the matter, by
reading an account of the wreck OF the
bark Mason on the reefs of Cape Cod
few years ago. In this case. the life
savers shot line out to the wreck. but
could not tell for long time, in fact
not until daylight, whether the line had
reached the bark or not. When day
light came to show how the wreck had
stood the beating anG the surging OF
the waves, the men who composed the
crew were seen frozen in the rigging,
while the line which meant life to them
all lay within their reach. They had
not seem it, They had peen unaple 10
find it at all.
1T seemed a great pity to me then
that such thing as that should be, and
the thought came, Why could not line
be SO constructed that it would be lumi-
nous? Then there never need be any
thing like the loss of life on the Mason
for similar cause. The theory was
admirable, 1 was firmly convinced, and
ought to be carried out. But just how 20
do this was a poser. OF course phos-
phorus must of necessity be prominent
factor in any such invention. The
principal thing to find out was how to
siake phosphorus stay on cable. Then,
again, the line in the process OF being
fired from the mortar and the chafing 1t
receives in the rigging of wreck would
be apt to ignite the phosphorus. Phos-
the temperature of the human body, and
it would only be the natural result Of the
friction caused by paying out the cable
rapidly to make the line ignite.
"Well 1 worked along this line for a
long while, but finally 1 managed to
make a combination of chemicals with
phosphorus, which, I believe, has en-
tirely solved the problem The exact
figures at which the solution of phosphor-
us with which the lins is coated will ignite
are ia degrees, while the temperature of
the body is 9S degrees. Sumner /. KIM
ball. general superintendent OF the
United States life-saving service, has
been making thorough test of my in
vention. He is not quite ready yet to
give the result of his investigation, but
l am not feeling at all nervous because
of anticipating that my invention will
not be recommended to the government
for adoption"
Persons who have never lived along
the coast or in the vicinity of the shores
of the great lakes may find it hard to
realize the full measure of Importance
with which Mr. Plass invention is bur-
dened The life line is really the most
important and principal aid to life saw
ing of which the government service can
boast. More than rs per cent of the per-
| sons rescued from wrecks are saved pri-
mariIy, if not directly, through the life
! line.
The mortar from which the lifeline is
! shot is of bronze. with a smooth two
| and -one -half-inch bore. weighs with It's
| carriage 1856 pounds and carries shot
weighing II pourds The projectile is
soMd, elongated, cylinder, fourteen and
one-half inches in length. Into the base
of this is screwed an eye-bolt for re-
ceiving the shotline, the bolt projecting
sufficiently beyoEd the muzzle' OF the
gun to protect the line from being
burned off in the firing. When the gun is
fired the weight and inertia of the line
cause the pr9jectlle to reverse.
In discharging the gun any charge
may be used up to the maximum OF six
ounces There are three sizeS OF life
lines in use by the government Mfe-
saving service. A range Of 695 yards has
been obtained with the large lifeline un-
] der favorable circums tances, although
It is not strong enough to sustain the
hauling of what is called whip line,
| or the lines which give the victims OF
storm and wreck immediate aid and
support in getting ashore.
1t is estimated that the luminous Me-
line of Mr. Plass will be visible with as
much distinctness as II the light were
emitted from 56-candle power electric
bulb. In that way, unless the storm
were too dense, the line would be visi-
BILE its entire length from shore to wreck,
and the watchers on the beach could tell
Just what progress towards safety was