Life Buoys.—Besides those life boats which have been constructed for the especial pur pose, there have been several inventions for converting ordinary ships' boats into life boats upon a sudden emergency, which may be ap plied by the crew of a ship in distress. Mr. Bremmer, about the year 1800, proposed that empty casks should be strongly fixed in ships' boats upon a plan described by him, which on trial was found to answer perfectly. Captain Gordon's lifb buoy consists of a series of bam boos of different lengths fastened together; the uppermost piece is the longest, the others diminish gradually to the lowest, which is the shortest of all; thus forming a triangle, which is covered with pieces of sound cork, strongly fixed to the bamboo rods. Two of these tri angles are intended to be fastened to a boat, one on each side, the long pieces being close to the gunwale, the shortest near the keel. Well-tarred sheepskin bags, inflated with air ; air-tight copper tubing fitted under the seats of boats; and many other contrivances have been partially used. Cork mattresses have been found useful, but it was alleged that they gave sailors facilities to desert, and they were discontinued; floating ropes lined with cork have also been suggested, but, like fire-escapes, these contrivances are never at hand when most wanted. Boyce's life buoy is intended to be kept suspended at a ship's stern, to be dropped into the water in case a man falls overboard. It is composed of two hollow wooden cylinders, either made air-tight or else filled with cork, and connected by a wooden grating so as to form a sort of raft. It has been suggested to convert the warping buoys which abound in our harbours into a sort of life buoys, by fitting them up with wooden battens placed lengthwise from end to end upon their circumference. Cooke's life buoy is formed of two hollow copper spheres, con nected by a horizontal rod ; and from the middle of the rod rises a vertical stem con taining a fine at the top. The fuse is lighted,
the buoy is lowered, and the person in the water, attracted towards the buoy by the light (if at night), seeks safety by clinging to the floating mass. Captain Beadon's buoy con sists of a metal tube, eight feet long by one foot in diameter, tapered at its after end ; it is divided into water-tight compartments, and ias a keel ten or twelve inches deep. There is i kind of saddle across the cylinder, on which man may sit; a staff, on which a light may )e kindled ; and a paddle to work the buoy, nr two oars hinged to it. Irvine's safety-port manteau, which will support two persons flinging to it in the water ; Henvey's cork boat ; and Taylor's deck chair, are among the numberless modern contrivances for a similar object.
Safety Dresses.—Among these contrivances is the life hat. The upper part of the crown of the hat is made air-tight and water-proof, so that, in the event of the wearer falling into the water, its buoyancy may (according to the intention of the inventor) save him from being drowned. The lining of the hat is capable of being loosened, and the vacant space expanded by air being blown into it, so as to form a buoy capable of being grasped by any one immersed in the water, instead of being worn like a hat. Macintosh's life cape is a waterproof garment, which is capable, by the introduction of air through a stop-cock into a vacancy formed by a double thickness of cloth, of being con verted into a life-buoy. Air tight jackets, belts, pads, cushions, &c.,have been devised in many forms.
Besides all the above contrivances, may be mentioned those, such as Captain Manby's, in which a rope is propelled by a cannon from the shore to a ship in distress.