The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-02-20
NEW bREECHES BUOY.
APPARATUS TO WREST PREY
FROM DEEP SEA. -
Invention OF j. w, Dalton. OF Sandwich,
Mass, Claimed Great Improve
mcnt--tiss Been Placed in
Many Marine Stations.

Many Marine Stations.
Philadclphia.--To increase the eff.
clcncy of life saving apparatus over
100 per cent. seems a rather broad
statement, yot this is what captains
aud members of tho crews of tic
United States life saving service dc.
clare has been accomplished by an I'm
provemcht on the old style brccchcs
buoy which has Just bccn adopted ~
tho United States government Tho
station at Orleans. on Cape Cod. hats
bcen equipped with tho nov device. as
have also two stations on tho New
Jersey coast The entire service win
be supplied with the new "brceChcs"
MS fast as they can be madc.
Tho brccchcs buoy now used by life
saving crews all over tho world was
invented in England over 100 years ago,
and In all these years there has never
been an Improvement on tho appara.
tus that increased It's efficiency to any
apprcclahlc degree. The old style
buoy is heavy cork ring life pro
server such as are seen aboard any
ship. To this ring is attached "a short
canvas "brecchcs" that forms q SORT
Of basket in which the shipwrcckcd
sailor sits.
When ship in distress is discov-
crcd by n life saving crew and it Is
impossible because of high seas, 70
launch lifcboat the crow quickly
prepare to use the brccchcs buoy a
light throwing line is shot over tho
;csScl. To this line is tied the heavy
hawscr used for the brcechcs buoy,
which is pulled out TO the ship by
those on board. The hawscr is at.
tachcd to mast, or anything that win
aold. On the hawscr is a whip" or
pulley rope, and an iron travelling
block. This block, 10 which is hung
he "brccchcs." is pulled ont to the
hip and back to the shore by the
whip" o.
Under tho old system when the
'breechcs" leave the shore it is almost
impossible to tell just where they arc,
md when they reach the ship. Hun.
lredS OF lives have been lost because
VI the brccches being pulled away
rom the ship before tho unfortunate
'ailor could get in the basket" An.
other element of danger in the old
style buoy is that no protection is
,iveu the occupant of the "hreeches"
rom banging his head against the
leayy iron tackle block as he Is being
'aulcd through tho heavy surf to the
horc Many poor fellow has been
aken from the basket with a frac.
ured skull
Tho improvements made on The old
lyle eliminate all these uncertain.
los The now feature or improve.
nci consists Of small box mounted
IN q rubber ring buoy, surrounded
BY four hollow pests which arc affixed
the rubber cushion, and on top TO y
steel square sprcader II hangs direct
y under and from the travelling block.
md above the ring of tho brooches
ouoy. The lanyards for the brooches
>uoy, instead of hanging obliqutly
rom The travelling block, run down
trough tho hollow posts .C-
The sprcadcr arrangement protects
he box, holds the brecchos right side
~, and always in position for an uc-
,upant, and WHOM once a man is in the
basket the rubber cushion above his
hcad protects him from having MS
brains beaten out by the heavy iron
n I., t. la
Trough tho breakers
The most important feature, how
eycr, Is he box Itself II is a storage
battery electric light, capable of bum,
Ing ~ hours, and absolutely noncxtin
Sulshablo by any action Of watcri0r
banging or tossing about. The box
has three bullscyc windows or ports.
One is on the under side and sheds
strong light down onto the brcccbcs
buoy Another is on the seaside, and
he third on tho shore side
The light on the side nearest Ile
ship is green, the universal safety
signal. The light on tho shore side.
n view Of the life savers, is double.
- f''''i'N ~ a SHuhANA' 40 lHt DNDN
S hauled ont TO the ship and as long
y 1t remains empty a white light
shows. The instant man gets into
The brceches, or rather, just as soon
as his weight rests on the canvas seat.
the light changes automatically from
white TO red The change can only be
made by a weight of more than 50
pounds in the basket" Tho instant
the light changes TO fed--and the light
Is strong enough TO be seen many
times the distance a breeches b,ioy
can be used--it Is signal for tho men
IN shore 10 haul away.
The new buoy Is the work of John
W. lSeiton, of Sandwich. Mass, who has
and ,ectured on life saving,
md who is acknowledged to bc one of
The best informed on the subject ont
iide Of The regular service. Mr.. Dal-
ton was born on Cape Cod and hasal.
ways lived thcre amid scenes of ship
wreck and disaster. He has seen
'vcry shipwreck on the shore She
cape in the past 20 years, and the
improvements are the rosHlt
VI long sttldv and Familiarity vith.ttha