The times., 1901-04-07
LIFE FE-SAVING INVENTIONS
Many Devices to Aid Castaways
on Angry Seas.

Few of Multitude of Plans That
Are ReIiabIe--An Invention De
signed by Abraham Lincoln
Tragic History of the Norton Bont.
The invention of some means of en-
surfing the safety of life at sea, in the
event OF disaster, has engaged attention
! for many years, and numerous, indeed,
! have been the suggestions offered. There
still remain however but three really
/ practicable devices for the object in ques-
/ tion-the lifeboat, the lifecar, and the
! English buoy. The lifeboat is the main
I reliance of distressed crew at sea; the
! lifecar and English buoy are employed
by the United States Life-Saying Service
and the efficacy of the former may be
I judged from the fact that. on its first
/ trial, just fifty years ago last January, at
| Squan Coast, New Jersey, it was instru-
mental in saving 2Ol lives This identical
| car is doubtless familiar to persons who
/ have visited at the National Museum.
/ Tie little gun used on that occasion in
carrying the lifeline to the distressed
| vessel and the shot fired to the latter
have been sent to the Buffalo Exposition.
! A singular circumstance in this connec-
! tion is that the wreck lay buried in the
sand for over twenty years when, after
| peculiarly heavy storm, it was found
/ fully disclosed to view and the shot and
portions of the haWSer and lifeline were
obtained.
| The seIf-bailing lifeboat is said to have
( been invented by an English coachmaker
about rs years ago. II is a simple de
vice. Its deck is placed above the water
! line and is pierced with openings when
/ connect by tubes directly with the sur
face water beneath When the boat be
! comes swamped the tubes drain off the
superintendent liquid, which, of course,
| Immediately seeks its level. In addi-
| tion, the boat is provided with air-tiSht
compartments, which keep il afloat and
protect it from the danger of being
! crushed by the force of the waves. The
| be launched. The English buoy is work
/ ed upon the same principle as the life
car, being drawn on an overhead haw-
ser through the surf. 1t may be deScrib-
ed as a large bag, the upper portion of
the occupants body being exposed.
In establishing a connection between
the shore and a vessel in distress, the life
line, thin but strong rope is first at
tached to a shot. which is then fired from
a mortar. The line, being thus received
on board the vessel. is passed through a
! pulley and its extremity returned to
Shore in the same manner in which it
was received. A cable, or hawser, is then
fastened to the lifeline and drawn by
means Of the latter, both ends of which
may be worked from the station on shore,
TO the ship, where it is securely fastened
The Iife-car or buoy is then run along
lllt ndHSeI, the iAEQ emu or WHICH IS al
ternateiy raised or lowered to allow for
the passage of the apparatus to or from
the ship.
The great importance of an official rec
ognition and endorsement of live-saving
devices led to the establishment, by this
Government of a board of experts for
the examination of inventions designed
for use at United States lGe-saving sta
uOns. The necessity for such board
was admirably illustrated in the instance
of the Norton lifeboat, to which tragic
Z i ait o. IA
that of the inventor and builder of the
first Eddystone lighthouse, who, conf
dent Of the efficacy of his structure, per
/ ished therein upon the night of terri
BILE storm.
The Norton boat, after thorough and
careful investigation by the board of the
Life-SaVing Service, was rejected as un-
worthy. Hereupon Captain Norton, to
demonstrate the efficacy of his invention
and the fallibility of the Government eH-
pertS, embarked. with his wife and niece
Miss Annie Richerby, and seven other
persons upon his frail-looking craft for
( a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. They
left New York on the oath of November
1890. and were nevermore heard of. Cap
tain Norton was president of the Norton
Naval and Shipbuilding Company of New
York.
a great many devices have been in
vented by persons who. however praise
worthy their motives, would seem la
mentally deficient ia practical knQwi-
edge of the ocean and its terrors. Many
such appliances would answer admirably
upon the placid bosom of a river or small
| lake, and then only for a brief period;
Thus there have been patented inflated
suits. life RATS. and the like, without
number. but their originators seem to
| have little idea OF the power of heavy
sea the difficulty of sustaining life for
any length of time in a cold element
| There have been shfety sofas. chairs.
and the like, upon which shipwrecked
person could recline at ease in the water
One thoughtful genius provided, in
safety suit, for the stowage in a con-
venient pocket Of bottle of alcoholic
stimulants use of which in such situ-
alton could scarcely be objected to by
Mrs Nation herself. Many OF the in
ventors of such devices reside in inland
districts, and. in all probability, never
saw the ocean in their lives.
1t is only d few days ago that Captain
Pepper of the Life-Saving Service, receiv-s
ed a letter from young lady in the
country stas=ag that she had been in
| formed that the Government was in need
of a lifesaYing appliance and affirming
her intention to invent such a device
without delay. The difficulties of the un-
dertaking were represented to the fair
aspirant for inventive honors, together
with warning to keep out of the way
of speculative patent attorneys, and she
has not been heard from since.
Many odd kinds OF Hfeboats designed
to ride safely over the most furious
breakers have been devised, one of these.
a model of which is TO be seen at the
Patent Office. being the invention of
Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately. it was
not considered practicable enough Tor Il
trial. One of the most extraordinary in
Vcntions of this kind is that known as
FoX's Vacuum Cum" which is designed
7 to propel TO a distant vessel in distress
a boat in the shape of light steel shell,
containing a man and methods for bring
ing the crew to shore. The inventor,
Mr. Fox, thus describes his device and its
use:
THE ii-fated ship is nearing the coast
to which il was bound. but cannot
account Of the fury of the sudden gale
get safely to port. The breakers i'm the
immediate vicinity Of the life-saving sta
tiCn tell that dangerous rocks have been
struck, and we witness the sinking of a
noble ship and the drowning of her crew.
An alarm is sounded. Immediately the
service men run out to the beach, taking
with them the Fox gun which is always
ready at the station, like fire engine
The horses are now unhitched and the
gun waiting for the landsman on shore
to make fast the line pin He is driving
it into the sand with a hammer. 1t is
called the shore spike and has a long
fat trOWel-like point similar TO that of
an anchor. The forward part Of the gun
wagon has underneath ii a hollow drum
which rolls around like the other wheels
at the rear of the wagon and serves to
run the wagon 10 the water. This hollow
drum acts as a float and when the huge
tidal waves come in the wagon bed is by
this means converted into a floating bat
terry or stage.
Now it will be seen that so soon as all
hands are on the spot. and the relief boat
is ready, the markSman primes his gun