312 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



in New London during its bombardment and burning by 

 the fleet under command of Benedict Arnold, 1 and never 

 recovered from the hardships and agitation of her escape 

 from the town, and journey on foot through the woods 

 to the nearest settlement. 



' For his education, J. C. Dyer was sent to the common 

 school of Opdike's Newtown, now called Wickford, on 

 Narragansett Bay. He boarded with Mr. Sands, a watch- 

 maker ; and there his natural turn for mechanical contri- 

 vance received its first direction and training. When he 

 was about fourteen his father sold Noosenec Manor to his 

 brother George Dyer (the Revolution having of course 

 broken up all the settlements under royal grants), and 

 went to Wickford, to be near his son and to enjoy fishing 

 and boating on the bay. This circumstance led to the first 

 practical effort of J. C. Dyer's mechanical ingenuity, in the 

 construction of an unsinkable, or life-boat. The problem to 

 be solved was to combine handiness and security, so as to 

 build a boat small enough to be easily managed by his 

 father and himself alone, and strong and buoyant enough 

 to enable them to extend their excursions to Block Island, 

 Nantuckett, or even Cape Cod. The boat was 1 8 feet long 

 and 6 feet broad, with a half-deck forward and two masts, 

 with thole-pins for oars or sweeps. The buoyancy was 

 attained by small water-tight casks, securely lashed round 

 the inside of the boat, below the level of the seats. When 

 loaded and filled with water, with her crew of an old man 

 and a boy, she floated well above the surface. I have no 

 plans of this boat, and only describe it from verbal descrip- 



1 Arnold was in command of the troops, but the fleet was under his orders. 

 The English officers protested to a man against the burning of a defenceless 

 town, but, of course, they had to obey. 



