Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-09-25
Adds Life-Saving Suit.
WILL PRESERVE LIFE In ANY WATER.

gar Aud, native Of POOlesville district
this county, now resident of Herndon,
Va, is taken from pamphlet describing
the invention
At the beginning the pamphlet informs
us that during the past twenty years
400 vessels, totaling 100000 tons,
have been lost at sea, with the drowning
of 1914 passengers and crew.
The Aud Life Saving Suit is the last
word in safety at sea. Marine history of
the past three years has proven that life
boats are impracticable in the event of
collision or fire in rough sea. This suit
was designed especially to do away with
the danger of drowning in sinking life
boat, Or death from exposure in the water
1t is made of the best diving suit cloth, so
simply constructed that it can be donned
in from one to two minutes by any mex
perienced person and will keep the wearer
dry and warm even in the coolest water
for many days. When in the water the
body is in an upright position with arms
and shoulders above the surface of the
water. The suit will last for fifteen years
or longer with proper care.
Mr.. Aud has often been asked how he
hit upon the life saving suit. He says:
II was deeply impressed by reading a
newspaper account of the finding of the
body of Col. John Jacob Astor, who lost his
life in the terrible Titanic disaster. His
death was not due to drowning. according
to the newspaper. but freezing He had
been properly attired in cork life pre-
server. but the severe cold was too much
for him to stand. This set me to think
ing, with the result that within three days
| had the plan for the life-saving suit well
under way.
THE suit is of waterproof canvas, COM
pletely covering the body and limbs. with
bands of rubber about the wrists, neck and
ankles. Five pounds of lead are in each
shoe. to insure an upright position in the
water. Underneath. regulation life belt
is secured by bag in the canvas, which
automatically initiates when the wearer goes
into the water"
The New York Herald says:
Lewis Nixon. the shipbuilder, said last
night that in his opinion there was no
special problem of ship construction in
vOlved in the sinking of the Empress of
Ireland
1.-THE question of collision is one that we
cannot anticipate in building steamships.
We do not build vessels with the expecta-
ton that they will be rammed by other
ships.
'In my opinion. the most important ques-
ton now to be considered is the invention
of some device that will keep the passen-
gers and crews of vessels that are in such
collisions alive and afloat until aid reaches
them.
IN a case like that of the Empress of
Ireland where the whole side of the vessel
is ripped away. it necessarily follows that
many of the lifeboats are lost and that
there is usually panic on board. What
is needed is life preserver that will pre-
serve life. no matter how cold the water
may be.
Such device, in my opinion, has re-
Gently been invented by Mr.. T. f. Aud, of
HerndOn. Va, who is now at the McAlpin
Hotel His invention more nearly fills the
bill for the requirements of a life preserver
in case of shipwrecks than anything have
seen.
But" he added. 1T all comes back to
the starting point. We don't build ships
for the purpose of having them run into
by other ships. So it is necessary to take
adequate precautions for the protection of
passengers and crew in other ways besides
in ship construction, and one Of those ways
is for the use of life preserver that will
protect them from the water and the
weather while they are awaiting rescuers'
New York Evening World says:
"A crowd which thronged Pier A on the
North River to-day watched four men as
they demonstrated the efficiency of spe-
cially constructed rubber suits as life-sav-
ing devices. When the exhibition ended
the crowd and representatives of several
steamship companies voted the demonstra-
ton a success.
Shoes weighing five pounds were first
put on and then a regulation cork buoy
was placed about each mans waist. Over
all one-piece rubber suit, fitting loosely,
to permit the carrying of certain amount
of food supplies, was laced up to the neck
THE demonstrators jumped from floats
and piles and walked about in the water
without difficulty. Even when the jumps
were made their heads did not disappear.
while afterward both head and shoulders
were above the surface. II is claimed by
the inventor that the suits will prevent
death from cold"
House of Representatives. u. S.,
Committee on Labor,
Washington d. C.. April 20, 1914.
Nv. T. Griffith. Esq. Secretary. Beallsville.
Maryland:
my Dear Mr. Griffith attended the
demonstration of the Aud NOn-Freezable
Life Saving Suit at the Washington Navy
Yard on April I'd. and was very much
impressed by the apparent simplicity and
effectiveness Of the suit. know nothing
of the technical questions involved, and
am not in the least a sailor. but realize
the great need for an effective life-saving
device along the lines upon which you
have been working. | trust that your in
vention may accomplish all the benefits
which, from layman's view. seem prob
able. Yours very truly,
DAVID J. LEWIS"
The pamphlet contains many more tes-
timonials Of prominent persons and news
papers, but those given above are sufficient
to indicate the public's high estimation OF
Mr.. Aud's valuable invention.
With Mr.. Aud as its president, com