L I F E-P RESERVE R. 
664 
each), provides himfelf with twelve pints of common air 
confined in one, two, or more, air-tight calks, or life-buoys. 
If he weigh 15 or 16 (lone, he takes with him fifteen or 
lixteen pints of confined air; and fo in proportion. 
This allowance of air having been found by experience 
greatly to exceed what is neceflary ; men, either indivi¬ 
dually or collectively, by applying it, would be perfectly 
fecured againft drowning in frefh water, and doubly fo in 
fea-water. But, taking men collectively, let there be al¬ 
lowed fixteen pints, or two gallons, of confined air for 
each man on-board of a finking-(hip ; with this ample al¬ 
lowance, one hogthead of confined air, placed in a boat, 
would fupport in frelh water (at two gallons per man) 
27 men, and in fea-water (at one gallon per man) 54 men, 
even were each man to weigh fixteen (tone. Thus then, 
in a large (hip, 26 hogfheads might fave 702 men in fre(h 
water, or 13 hogflieads in fea-water, though each man 
(hould weigh fixteen (tone. The reader may already per¬ 
ceive how eafy it is to prevent the lofs of lives in water. 
The general principle being now laid down, its applica¬ 
tion is next to be c&nfidered. Many trading veflels have not 
ten men ; but let it be fuppofed that a merchant-fhip, or 
any other, having 27 men on-board, is in extreme danger; 
that the water is gaining rapidly, and that there is not the 
lead doubt of her finking in half an hour No afliltance 
can be expected from any quarter; the neared land is too 
didant to be reached by the mod expert fwimmer, and 
there is nothing on-board more than w hat is ufual in every 
(liip of the fame kind. Let there be even lefs. Let her 
only boat have been walked overboard. A more dreadful 
crifis can hardly be imagined. In a much lefs deditute 
condition than this have numberlefs crews, with their (hips, 
been fwallowed up by the deep, while they had at hand 
every thing that was neceflary to lave them from perilh- 
ing. No (hip is without calks. There is fcarcely one 
which has not a much greater number of cades with wa¬ 
ter, wine, beer, fpirits, &c. than would be requifite, in 
mod cafes, to fave every human creature on-board. This 
will appear the more drikingly obvious, when we confider 
that every veffel, on going to fea, has in calks more than 
two gallons of water and other liquids for each perfon on¬ 
board. Now this very fmall quantity of liquids of every 
kind (i.e. two gallons for each perlon) is no fooner drawn 
from the calks, but it is fucceeded by air, amply fufficient 
to fupport in frefh water, (and doubly fo in fea-water,) 
and bear to a place of fafety, every human creature in the 
(hip. The fiiorted and fimpled method of efcaping from 
the perilous fituation deferibed, would be to lay hold of 
all the air-tight calks at hand, if any, that were empty ; 
if none of this kind, to empty as many as might be quickly 
procured, and bung them well; to nail to or tie round 
them ropes, and tie to thefe other fmall ropes or ftrong 
cord in loops, at a little diftance from one another, as 
many as would be requifite for each man to have at lead 
one of thefe loops to lay hold of. It may be allowed that 
in half an hour or lefs, three hogflieads might be got 
ready, or fix hogflieads or more. If fix hogflieads could 
be got ready, four or five men would cling to each. If 
three hogflieads, nine men would cling to each. But one 
liogfliead only, if no more could be had, would fupport all 
the 27 men, provided they could find room to hold and 
hang by it. It mud however be obferved, that when there 
is only one air-calk, without a boat, for feveral perfons, it 
will be apt to roll or turn in the water if not equally loaded 
on both fides, or made to float (leady by having planks 
la(hed to it. But if two calks could be had, as it is fuppofed 
they always might, the bed way would be to lafli them to¬ 
gether fide by fide. This would completely prevent them 
from turning; and, though one hogfliead of confined air 
might be managed fo as to fupport in frelh water 27 men, 
and 54 in fea-water, two half-hogflieads, containing 
the fame volume of air, being la(hed together, would ne¬ 
ver turn, would fupport the fame number of men, and 
afford much more fpace for them to hoid by and float in 
■the water. It may all'o be remarked, that calks lafhed to¬ 
gether two by two, for detached parties of men, will ge¬ 
nerally be preferable to any other number of calks fo ladl¬ 
ed; becaule, as has been juft faid, two calks thus united 
cannot turn in water, like one calk, and they have a 
greater proportion of horizonal circumference than three, 
four, or any other larger number; for, when caflcs are 
laflied together in pairs, men may cling to both ends and 
to one fide of each; but, if three or more caflcs be laflied 
dole together, fide to fide, men can only cling to the ends 
and to one fide of the firff and lad, there being no room 
for men between the fides of the intermediate calks. 
It appears, that very ufeful rafts might frequently be 
made by lalhing empty calks to planks, broken malts, 
yards, oars, boards, or almoft any other pieces of timber 
at hand. Thus, let a broken malt, yard, or plank, have 
an empty calk lalhed acrofseach of its ends; being fo much 
heavier than the calks in water, it would always be under¬ 
molt, and ferve as a keel. Let two ropes be fixed to the 
uppermoft parts of the ends of the calks, and drawn tight, 
parallel to the keel and to one another, for the men to 
hold by. This would form a very good life-raft, or fub- 
ffitnte for a life boat; would fupport, in fea-water, (if the 
calks were not lets than hogflieads,) about 50 men, allow¬ 
ing two gallons, or 100 men, allowing one gallon, of con¬ 
fined air for each man. It would float fteady, efpecially 
if iron, brafs, or lead, vyere flung to the keel by way of 
ballad ; care being taker* not to have more weight of hu¬ 
man bodies and ballaft than the raft could well bear, ac¬ 
cording to the proportions of ai'r already given for both. 
Let it be fuppofed, from a Ihip’s linking lb very fait, or 
any other caui'e, that the men take to a boat without bal¬ 
laft, which threatens to upfet with the firlt fquall ; and 
that they have only air-calks fufficient to prevent it from 
finking with them. The only danger here being of up¬ 
fetting, it may be prevented, in great meafure, or entirely, 
by lalhing tight one or more of the air calks to each of 
the outfides of the boat. The refiftance this gives a boat 
to the upfetting impulfe of the waves is very great, and, 
it is thought, would wholly preclude the danger of up¬ 
fetting, almoft in any cafe. Here it will perhaps be ob¬ 
ferved, that a boat, though it (hould have only one air- 
calk on each of its outfides, would have its prqgrefs 
through the water greatly impeded by the heads of the 
calks prefenting their flat furfaces to the water; but this 
is not neceflary, as the calks might eafiiy be placed and 
made fall with their foremoft heads raifed above the fur- 
face of the water, which would meet with but very little 
refiltance from their circular fides. 
Suppofe that men, whofe (hip is finking fall, in order to 
fave their lives, take to a boat without ballaft, which boat 
is only in danger of upfetting. Suppofe that they have 
but one air-calk, which, were it lalhed to the outlide of 
the boat, could only prevent it from turning over on that 
fide, and that there is danger of its turning over on the 
other fide. If the boat has a mail, or a ftrong ftick of any 
kind, or even an oar that can be fixed upright in lieu of 
a malt; let the air-calk be laflied to it as high as poffible, 
without rilk of breaking the malt, or its fubllitute. Should 
the boat, thus rigged, upfet, it would inftantly be turned 
right again, by the buoyancy of the air-calk afting on the 
malt as on a lever, with a power proportioned to the fize 
of the air-calk and the length of the malt-lever. It is, 
however, thought that it would be impoffible for fucli a 
boat to upfet, owing to the refiftance of the air-calk on 
its reaching the furface of the water, when the boat might 
perhaps lie a little on its fide till righted, but it could not 
upfet. 
Suppofe that a firft-rate (hip of the line, at fea, is link¬ 
ing, and feven or eight hundred men on-board, without 
any refource but fuch as might be found within tlie fliip. 
Let one (or more) of its boats be bailalted, with fuch 
weight of iron, cannon, or ftone, as may be molt conve¬ 
nient, fo as to carry fail in ftormy weather, and air-calks 
in the proportion already given. The number of men 
here being fo great, (hould it feem quite impoffible to 
fave 
