Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-06-10
LIFE SAVING DEVICE,
Trigger That Launches Lifeboat
 From a DirigibIe Way"
SIMPLE IN ITS MECHANISM.

Invention of Albert r. Brock Success
 fully Tested From Lighter In the
 oeean-If Ship Sinks Suddenly the
 Boat Is Automatically Released and
 Floated.
 In the upper New York bay off Owls Head the other day there was tested new life saving boat, the invention of Albert Theodore Brock Although the apparatus was not in perfect con dition and the vessel from which the test was made was not entirely adapt ed to the purpose the trial was sue cessful in the extreme, the boat taking the water within three seconds after the command Let go.'
 The apparatus used was, except in point of size identical with the per fected device. It consists of a boat supplied with air tight compartments which make 1t unsuitable and an ex- aggerated keel into which are sunk small copper rollers, the purpose of which is to reduce friction as the ves- sel is launched from dirigible way"
 It is this latter feature which makes the device unique among life saving apparatus. The boat rests upon this way. held in place by hooks, which release it when trigger is sprung. At the will of the person directing the launching the portion of the way im- mi taf fntu h hn ha swung overside from the ship at any angle. When adjusted to meet the con- ditions and upon the release fof the trigger the movable part of the way tilts at an angle of 45 degrees, and the boat fairly leaps into the water, says the New York Herald. In>event of the vessel sinking suddenly the boat is au- tomatically released and foated. The entire mechanism is simple in the ex- treme.
 In its perfected state the boat will be of ample size to carry fifty passengers, each having seat on a settle or tran som running around the cockpit, with partition rails for each person. In the bottom, resting upon the keel, are two fresh water tanks, and in lockers un- der the seats is storage room for food and other necessaries sufficient to SUD- ply fifty persons for several days. The boats have a waterproof canvas cover that drops from the ridge of the avn ing supports 1y pressure on lever to admit passengers and Is closed in sim liar manner when S;le weather Is bad or high seas are running.
 It Is asserted by Mir. Brock that this feature of his device will permit the loading of the boat to its full capacity fin minute at most. The boats are provided with a metal tube for the ingress of air when the cover is on and which may be used as a mast if desired.
 For the purpose of the test the way was attached to the after upper deck of the Daniel McElroy. big lighter. On board were several shipping men and Captain William c. Cannon, assist ant depot quartermaster, U. S. A. Mir. Brock stood in the cockpit of his boat, and when all was ready he signaled to an assistant, who pulled the trigger and caused the way to drop toward the water. Simultaneously the boat started on its journey. At the time the McElroy was making about six knots, and the little craft hit the wake with a great splash, rising on wave like a cork. Not drop of water was ship ped, and the decks were hardly damp ened by the spray, though the vessel had taken a sheer drop of fifteen feet after leaving the fixed part of the ap- paratus.
 All those who witnessed the trial were enthusiastic over its success, and Captain Cannon, who has paid much attention to life saving devices, ex- pressed himself as being satisfied with the feasibility of Mir. Brooks invention.
 Mir. Brock afterward explained that several of his ways could be perma- nently attached to the decks of liner, with several of his boats slowed near by. without unduly taking the avail able space. He declared boats could be launched at intervals of few sec onds and that all persons able to reach the deck could be saved. provided, of course. A sufficient number of boats