16 WONDERS OF THE DEEP 



baby-carriage, which is now used by many 

 thousands of children all over the world, and from 

 which he continues to draw a royalty. On another 

 occasion he constructed a rotating lamp shade, 

 operated by the heat of the lamp acting upon a 

 little turbine over the chimney, and designed to 

 show pleasing transparencies. He also evolved an 

 amusing and instructive aerial golf game, which is 

 played on a red-and-white sheet stretched beneath 

 the ceiling, the balls being small balloons driven 

 into pockets in the sheet by means of cork- 

 tipped sticks. But perhaps one of his most useful 

 inventions was his system of code signalling be- 

 tween vessels at sea, by the use of certain 

 recognised coloured lights. 



A few years ago the ship that was being 

 navigated by Captain Charles Williamson encoun- 

 tered, off Cape Hatteras, an exceptionally heavy 

 gale, which had the effect of straining the side 

 seams of the vessel near the water-line. With 

 every roll of the vessel the water rushed like a 

 torrent through the gaps that had been made, and 

 Captain Williamson was not slow to see that if 

 his ship was to be saved the seams must be closed, 

 and that without any further delay. Here, for- 

 tunately, his inventive genius came to his aid. 

 He had himself lowered over the side of the ship 

 in a long canvas bag fitted with legs, like a 

 breeches buoy, and sleeves, and provided with a 

 glass window to enable him to look through. 



Nothing like this had ever been used before. 



