An Improved Method for Saving Shipwrecked Persons from Drowning.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Dec., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Jan., 1893—Accepted, 25th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method for Saving Shipwrecked Persons from
Drowning.
I JOHN BRIDGES LEE M.A. Barrister-at-Law of 3 Brick Court Temple
London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the employment of floating cords to connect two or
more life buoys as parts of an extended floating system of life-saving apparatus.
With a number of life buoys I prefer to use one long strong floating cord from
which spring at intervals shorter floating cords each one of which terminates in a
life buoy. A dozen or even twenty or more life buoys may thus be all joined
up to one connected system of floating cords so that any person in possession of
any one floating buoy can at will detach his buoy from the system without inter-
fering with the connections which hold together the rest of the system or he can
at will obtain access to any other part of the system by the aid of the floating
cords.
For the floatation of the cords I use a number of small floats of any ordinary
kind at short intervals apart.
The buoys used may be of any approved pattern. There may of course be
several complete systems of buoys and floating cords on one ship and at different
stations on the ship so that in the event of a vessel foundering at sea there may
be readily accessible life buoys with their connecting cords floating about on all
sides.
Some of the advantages to be derived from the employment of this invention
will be
(a) That the chances of any person being able to obtain access to a floating
life buoy will be much greater than is ordinarily the case after a shipwreck.
(b) The chances for a good swimmer to save the lives of other people who
cannot swim will be much increased because having obtained possession of a life
buoy for his own support he will be able with certainty to obtain rapid possession
of others.
(c) Boat crews coming to the rescue of shipwrecked people will be able by
laying hold of any part of a connected system of buoys and cords to pull in and
take out of the water all persons attached to any part of the system with much
greater ease and rapidity than if they were all scattered about as detached
units.
(d) Boat crews by taking these systems of buoys and floating cords in tow
can cause them to sweep the surface of the water in any required direction so
as to bring floating supports rapidly within reach of numbers of people who
might in a few minutes have been drowned for want of timely support.
(e) In cases of serious collisions at sea followed by rapid sinking of one of
the vessels there may be time to launch from the sinking ship a number of
systems of buoys with floating cord connections when there might be little or
no time to spare for launching and loading the ship's boats.
Dated this Twelfth day of December 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Method. for Saving Shipwrecked Persons from
Drowning.
JOHN BRIDGES LEE M.A. Barrister-at-Law of 2 Paper Buildings Temple
London E.C. (formerly of 3 Brick Court Temple London), do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,', to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to the employment of floating cords to connect. two or
more life buoys as parts of an extended floating system of life saving apparatus:
With a number of life buoys I prefer to use one long strong floating cord
from. which spring at intervals shorter floating cords each one of which terminates
in a life buoy. A dozen or even twenty or more life buoys may thus be all
joined up to one connected system of floating cords so that any person in
possession of any one floating buoy can at will detach his buoy from the system
without interfering with the connections which hold together the rest of the system
or he can at will obtain access to any other part of the system by aid of' the
floating cords.
For the floatation of the cords I use a number of small floats of any ordinary
kind at short intervals apart.
The life buoys used may be of any approved pattern.
In order to prepare my apparatus for use I first select my ropes and 'cords with
reference to the maximum strain to which these ropes and cords may be exposed
when the life buoys to which it is intended to connect them are charged with
human beings (floating by their aid in the water) who may have to be hauled in
towards a ship or boat by pulling on the ropes or cords. The main connecting
rope or cord of a system will have to be very much stronger than the branch cords
and the tensile strength of every individual cord should be such as to enable it to
resist the individual strain to which it may be likely to be subjected.
Having selected my ropes and cords with reference to the number and kind of
life-buoys to be joined to them and the strain which those ropes and cords may be
expected to have to bear I next select a number of small floats of such buoyancy
that when attached to the ropes and cords at short distances apart (from one to
two feet intervals will commonly be found convenient) those ropes or cords will be
floated at or very near the surface of the water without aid from the life buoys.
These floats are then firmly tied to the ropes and cords at regular intervals. The
thickest and strongest ropes or cords will require floats of greater individual
buoyancy than the finer cords if these floats are used at the same distances apart
and it is adviseable that the floats should always be so near together that any
person in the water who has seized any part of the rope or cord can easily reach
from one float to the next and thus travel rapidly and easily towards a life buoy
by seizing hold of the small floats one after the other until a buoy is reached.
Next the buoys selected should be joined up with the system of cords: A's.a
general rule each buoy should 'have its own connecting cord which may be of any
desired length or may be so short as to hold the buoy always in close proximity
to the main central rope of the system.
As a general rule the buoys should be so connected up with the branch cords
as to be detachable from them at will by any person who has obtained possession
of the buoy.
Any form of simple suitable attaching and detaching arrangement can be used.
Lastly having selected and adjusted all the parts of a system of floating cords
and buoys I pack the whole united system into as compact a space as the
circumstances admit of in such positions on the ship as shall cause least general
inconvenience at ordinary times to the ship's crew while admitting of the whole

page_text: system being easily and quickly launched at any moment by being slung over the
ship's side and quickly lowered to the water level.
One end of the central rope or cord of the system should ordinarily be attached
to a rope of which the other end can be retained as long as is desirable on board-
ship or by means of which the whole system can be taken in tow by a boat.
Every large ship can carry several such systems of cords and buoys united & ready
for immediate launching and boats going to the relief of numbers of people who
have been suddenly immersed may take such systems of connected cords and buoys
in tow and after manoeuvring so as to bring rapid and efficient support within the
reach of large numbers of people the boats' crews can gradually haul in and take
on board at the stern one by one all the people who have found support by laying
hold of some part of the system.
It may be here observed that generally whenever there are a number of people
simultaneously immersed in deep water floating cords with numerous small floats
at short intervals will be of greater assistance in helping to save life than ordinary
ropes flung out towards drowning persons. Life buoys will help people to remain
above water until such time as it is possible to haul them in and to take them out
of the water and if the life buoys are connected with a system of floating cords the
chances of being able to obtain the support of a lifebuoy may be increased con-
siderably and even in cases where people have provided themselves with life belts
before immersion systems of cords and buoys such as are described in this
Specification will be commonly of great use in helping people to save the lives of
others.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is,
(1) The use of a combined system of floating cords and life buoys substantially
as described in the body of this Specification for the purpose of saving shipwrecked
persons from drowning.
Dated thin 02-1 dow of January 1893
J. BRIDGES LEE.