AN IMPROVED LIFE PRESERVER RAFT OF BUOYANT MATRESS
Year: 1858

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jozé Luis at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th September,.
1858. A communication.
I, Joze Luis, Patent Agent, of No. 1, Welbeck Street, Cavendish Sqr,
London, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED LIFE PRESERVER RAFT OF BUOYANT MATRESS,"
(a communication to me from a foreigner residing abroad), to be as follows:-
My Invention is specially intended for application to waterproof duck-
cotton matresses, which are stuffed with cork shavings, such matresses being
very comfortable as a bed, and also very buoyant when in water.
The improvement made by me consists in providing a ship's matresses
with straps and buckles on their upper & under surfaces, and with loops
round their edges in a peculiar manner which I will explain.
By this arrangement, in case of emergency, a series of matresses can be
buckled together, and a life-preserving raft formed by placing several layers
or tiers of the matresses buckled together on the top of one another, in a
manner to form angular break joints; and the said layers or tiers so buckled-
& strapped together that it will be impossible for the tiers to separate or
change their position either longitudinally or laterally.

page_text: A raft of this character, formed of ten matresses, is calculated to buoy up
or float 3,000 lbs. Now, in case of a ship taking fire at sea, or getting on a
lee shore, when the watertight bulkheads are of no use whatever, and when
it is impossible to lower a boat on account of a heavy sea, if my matresses
are on board any number of persons may be safely landed, the elasticity and
buoyancy of the raft preventing it being dashed to pieces against the shore or
rocks. A raft of this character will also answer admirably for transporting
troops, horses, or heavy pieces of cannon in water where the most shallow
boat could not float; and, on a man-of-war in time of an engagement, a
breastwork can be formed, and the sides of the ship protected from being
riddled with balls.
The construction and arrangement of the matresses and their fastenings
are as follows:-The matresses are made of duck canvas, rendered imper-
vious to water by any suitable process, & are stuffed with cork shavings, each
of which is cut so as to have the form of a scroll spring, in order that the
matresses may have greater elasticity and be more pleasant to sleep on; this
form of cork shavings also renders the matresses more buoyant. On the
matresses are fixed eight straps with buckles; four of these straps are
fastened on one side and four on the other side of the matresses, in such
a manner that their ends extend beyond the side edges of the same. One
end of each of the straps is furnished with a buckle in such a manner that
four buckles come on one side edge of the matresses, and four on the opposito
edge; the buckles are so disposed that four come on the bottom side edge
and four on the top side edge of the matress. By thus providing a buckle on
only one end of each of the matress straps, and leaving the other end without
n buckle, two matrsses, or any number with the straps and buckles similarly
disposed, can be buckled together in a very substantial manner.
At the ends and sides of the matress loops are arranged. By means of
these loops several layers or tiers of matresses, which have been buckled
together, can be strapped together from side and ends, so as to form a sub-
stantial life-proserving raft. By arranging the tiers of matresses so that the
centre of the matresses of one tier cover the joints of another tier, the water
has not a direct passage to ascend to the top of the raft as the raft is pressed
down by weight. The straps also have no chance of slipping either to the
right or the left, owing to their passing through the loops near the sides of the
matresses.
In conclusion, what I claim as my Invention is, providing a ship's matresses
with straps and buckles on their upper and under surfaces, and with loops

page_text: round their edges in the peculiar manner above shewn, whereby, in case of
emergency, a series of matresses can be buckled together, and a life-preserving
raft formed by placing several layers or tiers of the matresses thus buckled
together one on the top of another, in a manner to form angular break joints;
and the said layers or tiers strapped together in such a manner that it will be
impossible for the tiers to separate or chango their position either longi-
tudinally or laterally.