Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1902-04-17
NEW LIFE SAVING DEvICL
Chicago Mans Invention to
Take People From Wrecks.
RESOLVING MADE MORE CERTAIN

Line Carrying proIectile Leaves
Trail of Light. Enabling Men on
shore 10 Get Rope to TmperiIed
CRATE Quickiy-~severai other Ina
prevements Have Been Added.
The saving of lives from wrecked
ships is made more speedy and certain
by device invented by Captain W, l..
Andres of the Jackson Park life saving
station ut Chicago The new inven-
ton. which makes possible the prompt
shooting of life line over wreck, no
matter how dark the night. was tested
the other evening. says the Chicago
Tribune. The old cannon is used, but
instead of the old style projectile sort
of steel rocket is fired During its
flight 1t leaves long, bright trail of
colored fire. which will make ii easy
10 get the exact range of a wreck after
two or three attempts. Several other
Improvements on the present system
are made.
The test was complete success.
The projectile was charged with red.
white and blue powder, and the light
from the cannon was marked by the
trail of light The powder burned for
thirty-tive seconds. much longer than is
necessary. as the shot Is spent in a
fraction of that time.
Covering the powder holes is q fiat
disk, which is uncoupled from the
shell by the conclusion of firing. The
charge in the cannon ignites the slow
burning powder in the shell through
the medium of four small openings in
the disk. AT the same time this Is
done the disk dies to one side, leaving
the rocket powder. which is packed
into the four holes exposed.
The inventor thinks his device means
the ultimate displacement of the con
ventional life line shot. The problem
of eliminating certain Objectionable
features connected with the projectile
now in use throughout the world has
been made the subject of study among
inventors for many years.
In the manner of rende ing aid TO
ships in distress in vogue now shot aft
or shot often is fired from shore with
out conveying knowledge to a crew
that efforts are being made TO effect
their rescue. In the darkness there is
often no clew to the exact whereabouts
Of the distressed craft, and as a conse-
quence shots with life line attached are
fred at random. Though the proiectiles
may pass close to the spars of the yes
sci. the crew knows nothing of it be
cause of the heavy sea and strong wind
which drown the whlr OF the shot.
Under the new conditions Captain An
dres declares it will be hard to miss
the position of boat needing assist.
ance
The shank that throws OFT the disk
from the breech of the shell In Captain
Andres invention is the same agency
that is utilized to overcome an obstacle
in the old shot which greatly lessons
the range and binders accurate aim
That the shot may lead ahead OF the
life line in its flight through the mir II
is necessary FOR the device now in use
to turn over once, for, before firing, the
emu WHICH pipJttAS il1Ah tht il3odth ~
the cannon is the one TO which the life
line is attached. In reversing its posi-
ton while in the air the shot loses mo-
mentum. In the new invention this Is
overcome by shank which opens from
q grove in the side of the shot and al
lows the life line to trail after it with
out changing its course through the air
In daylight whistle will take the
place of the pyrotechnlc display used
at night. and it Is expected that this
will be of value ia fogs.