H.— LIFE-SAVING MATERIAL, ETC. 



74. life-boats, rafts, and mattresses. 



Life boat. 



Model of Higgins & Gifford's life-saving surf-boat; scale, 2 inches 

 to foot. Sharp forward and aft; round bilge; carvel-built; good 

 sheer; air-charnbers forward and aft; air-tight cylindrical cases 

 underneath thwarts on each side. Gloucester, Mass., Higgins 

 & Gifford. This model represents a style of life-saving surf- 

 boat built by Messrs. Higgins & Gifford, of Gloucester, Mass., 

 which has been used with much success in rescuing crews and 

 passengers from stranded vessels on the Great Lakes and along 

 the Atlantic coast. 



Life-raft. 



Model. Patented April 26, 1881. Made of frames attached to empty 

 casks, provided with oars, masts, tent, &c. " The strings at- 

 tached to the man-holes are to be lashed across to prevent any- 

 thing from coming out." Frederick S. Allen, Cuttyhunk, Mass. 

 This invention is designed to be carried on board of vessels, 

 and to be used in case of stranding or foundering at sea. 



Holmes's life-preserving mattress and berth. 



"A life-preserving mattress inclosed in a berth, which is movable, 

 and answers the four functions of a bed, boat, life-preserver, 

 and, when a number of them are lashed together, they make a 

 very formidable raft. Each berth is supplied with an extra 

 cord or line, to be thrown to any one in distress, or to lash the 

 berths together when forming a raft, and each berth has a pair 

 of oars for the purpose of propelling the same. In case of an 

 accident the berth is drawn out with its contents and dropped 

 or lowered overboard. The buoyancy is very great. The mat- 

 tress, containing solid cork and cork shavings, will support the 

 largest person in the water. There is also a central hole in the 

 center of the mattress, through which the occupant can go and 

 seat himself or herself on a saddle underneath, which throws 

 all the upper part of the body out of the water and gives the 

 person the free use of the oars, which are chained fast to the 

 berth. The whole device weighs from 32 to 35 pounds; is the 

 full size of a berth, and it slides on cleats in the state-room the 

 same as a drawer. This invention has been adopted as a life- 

 preserver by the United States Board of Supervising Inspect- 



822 C178] 



