Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-05-15

4
HAE eral superintendent
MAk@ Of the ~.ife-saving
R service al Wash
ington. ID. C.. says
the New York Herald. II does not call
for an apparatus TO shoot oil from
shore upon troubled waters. nor for
any other spectacular novelty OF sim
liar sort On the contrary. il depends
for its success upon an exceedingly
cheap and simple apparatus and an
expenditure Of good muscle on o
part Of u bTawny surfmen. an arti-
Gle with which nature and their hardy
manner OF life have a~bundantly pro-
vtded them. The plan has been sub
mirted TO local l~ife-sayers in actual
government service on our coasts and
has been declared by them TO be per-
festly feasible and more practical than
any yet suggested. This new plan is
thei~ invention Of Capt. Julius A. c. Jen-
sen Of South Brooklyn. who mad. In
its development, the assistance Of Capt.
James A LOesch OF the same city.
Both men are bronxed seatogs OF ex-
perienee and each commands a yacht.
I've been thinking over this thing
for a good while" Capt. Jensen tod
me. and Il seems TO me that the
scheme Is just about the right thing.
IL IL very cheap and perfectly prac-
tieable- Capt. Loesch here helped me
with 10. and we have shown Il 70 .
good many seamen and sarfmen. all
Of whom think II solves the problem"
Have you got Il patented" | asked
NO. indeed" said Jensen. and Ne
don't intend to. either. We are NOT
after any money. or in fact. profit OF
any sort II the plan 10 a good plan
and will result in saving any lives.
the government Is welcome 10 il AZ the
lowest price II can Be put In for"
You see" interrupted Capt. Lnesch.
v are yachtsnen and either one Of
rs may get blown ashore some stormy
night. and IL We do We believe we'd
stand q better chance IL the surfmen
had this apparatus than any other in
use Or suggested That Is our interest
In the matter
The plan calls for a buoy swimming
outside the outermost bar and held In
place by a chain fastened 10 a mush-
room anchor. Opposite 70 il ashore Is
q pole and from pole ! buoy l. 50
a double endless line. running over
p~uIleys. one pulley fastened to the pole
ashore and the other to the bottom
Of the buoy. This line Is OF manila
rope Of great strength. woven about
a heart Of cork 70 keep Il afioat. That
Is the entire special apparatus. with
the exception Of an oil bag. the pur.
pose Of which will be seen presently.
Now. we will suppose a ship goes
ashore opposite the spot. A heavy gale
lows from the sea and the surf il es.
ceedingIy heavy. Those who are IA
miliar with the experiences OF ships
ashore know that the surf IL the great
enemy OF the Tescuers. II only a boat
could be put through II all would be
well. for the sturdy surfmen can han.
die the pillows. however heavy. once
they are beyond the fatal line OF surf.
But time and again valuable hours are
lost to the life savers and the I'm
periled sailors By the f~erocfty Or the
surf. There are few cases where life
could not be saved were IL not for the
impetuous. resistless force OF breakers
that set at naught the sturdtest efforts
OF the rower8. Right here comes in
the value Of this new apparatus. In
the supposed case the surf prevents the
life savers from getting out and the
darkness and storm prevent their
shooting a line across the ship. They
then Immediately drag their seIf-bail-
ing lifeboat to the apparatus and fasten
IL 10 the line. They attach the oil bag
to the line thirty feet ahead. The
rowerB jump In and cling 10 the seats
holding their oars tightly. Then the
rest of the crew seize the pulley line
and lay to with a rill. dragging Il in.
hand over hand. Out goes the boat.
right through the surf-not over IT,
dragged with a force that the breakers
cannot check, toward the anchored
buoy, the oarsmen within merely cling
ing fat TO avoid being washed away
In this name the boat quickly
reaches the stiller water beyond the
outer bar. where. thanks to the oil
bag, the sea 10 calm enough to enable
rowers to scramble to their seats and
grasp their oars. The captain has un-
hitched the pulley line and the boa,
has bailed itself. The rest can be Ieft
to the stalwart oarsmen. This IL tho
simple plan. Capt. Jensen's idea "a to
have such a buoy anchored every two
miles all along the coast. When 4 yee-
sci comes ashore the life savers have
only to find the nearest one to wind.
ward OF her and send out their lifeboat
Memory.