APPARATUS FOR RAISING BODIES UNDER WATER. 2p f 



when in action. The bar clears the way for the drags. Apparatus for - 



breaking and removing weeds or what else might otherwise edbodierde"' < 



impede their progress and action. The drags, being sus- scribed. ^ 



pended to the bar and separated from each other by nothing 



but what will give way, are undulatory in their progress as 



the bottom is, but will yet preserve the full extent of their 



sweep. 



Thus formed, the machine is ready for use, and may be 

 drawn in this shape backwards and forwards at pleasure ; 

 but should the water wherein it is to be used be thought to 

 contain roots of trees, or any thing likely to occasion the ne» 

 cessity of drawing up or releasing any one of the drags from 

 the obstacle it has met with, then another appendage is ad- 

 visable : a bar E, less in substance than the leading one, but 

 of the same length, and which, for distinction sake I call the 

 floating- bar. Holes are made through this bar at the same 

 distance from each other as those in the leading bar, and 

 ropes of equal length (either ten feet, or any other length 

 that may be chosen) after having been tied to the bottom 

 swivels of all the drags are to be brought through these 

 holes, and there stopped, either by a knot or pieces of cork 

 at their €nds. By this means any particular drag may be 

 got at, vpithout altering the position of the others, for, as 

 far as the flexibility of the rope in the intermediate spaces 

 between the several drags will admit, each is free and inde- 

 pendent of the other; and since, by means of these ropes, a 

 parallelism is preserved from the leading bar to the floating 

 one, the floating one of course brings into view the direc- 

 tion the one which is sunk is taking. 



Should the current of water be strong, it would carry the 

 floating-bar before the leading one in drawing down the 

 stream. A rope b, therefore, weighted with a stone or piece of 

 lead at its end, is requisite. This will act as a kind of anchor 

 to it, will steady it, and keep it where it ought to be, behind 

 the leading one. If bored pieces of deal d d, 15 inches long, 

 are, after passing the ropes of the floating-bar through them, 

 made fast by wooden wedges to those ropes, at three inches 

 dititance from the bottoms of the drags, they will by their 

 buoyancy and tension prevent these ropes of the floating bar 

 entuagiing round the points of the dragsr. 



U 2 With 



