186 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



'<.: 



1. Anchor. 



2. Cable. 



3. Bow heaving-line or grapnel- 



rope and grapnel. 



4. Drogue-rope. 



5. Stern heaving-line. 



" ( Veering-lines. 



8. Jib outhaul or tack. 



9. Mizzen-sheets. 



10. Drogue. 



11. Life-buoy, 

 heaving 



12. Loaded cane, 

 and tub. 



line, 



mons for wreck duty. Carriages of a peculiar construction are pro- 

 vided in England for the transportation and launching of these boats, 



together with skids and roll- 

 ers for returning them to 

 their carriages ; but at pres- 

 ent in this country they are 

 let down by the trap or in- 

 clined platform directly into 

 the. water, the station being 

 always at the water's edge. 

 The surf -boats are provided 

 with carriages, by which 

 they are hauled from the 

 stations abreast of wrecks. 

 They are four-wheeled, with 

 bed-pieces between each pair 

 of wheels, on which the boat 

 rests, and a long bar or reach 

 connecting the front and 

 back wheels, made separable 

 half-way to enable the boat 

 to be lowered to the ground 

 by withdrawing a portion of 

 the carriage. The American 

 life-boat, invented by Cap- 

 tain J. M. Richardson, Super- 

 intendent of the First Life- 

 saving District, five speci- 

 mens of which are now in use, would seem to be better adapted for the 

 service on our coast than the English, being considerably lighter and 

 of less draught, and equally self-righting and self -bailing. 



When boat service at a 

 wreck is impracticable, re- 

 sort is had to life-saving 

 ordnance. The gun first in 

 use was an eprouvette mortar, 

 of cast iron, weighing 288 

 pounds, throwing a twenty- 

 four - pound spherical ball 

 with a line attached thereto, 

 its extreme range being 421 

 yards. This gave place to 

 the Parrott gun, of cast iron, 

 with a steel tube or lining, 

 weighing, with its ash-wood 

 carriage, 266 pounds, car- 



13. Tailed block. 



14. Pump-well hatch. 



} j- Deck- ventilating hatches. 



17. Foot-boards for rowers. 

 13. Side air-cases. 



19. Relieving tubes and valves. 



20. Samson's post. 



21. Thwarts. 



22. Central batten, to which the 



masts and boat-hooks are 

 lashed. 



Fig. 4. Deck-Plan of Self-Righting Life-Boat, 

 showing Manner of stowing Gear. 



Fig. 



-Eprouvette Mortar, Faking-Box, and 

 Match-Stave. 



