Life-car.
This is an apparatus used to communicate between a wreck and the shore, for the purpose of rescuing persons on board.
Francis's life-car resembles a boat, being a watertight metallic shell, with a hatchway or cover, and is adapted to travel on ropes whose ends are connected to the ship and to the shore respectively.
This connection is made by means of firing from a mortar a shot having a cord attached.
The cord is so coiled upon a rack as to pay off freely as the shot is fired and falls beyond the vessel.
The cord, being caught by those on board, is made the means for sending ashore a hawser or larger cord on which the life-car may be suspended.
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Francis's life-car and ball with claws. |
The passengers, to the number of 3 or 4 at a time, are inclosed in the car, and the trips are made by hauling on a rope attached to the car and grasped by parties on board and ashore.
One of these cars was the means of saving 200 passengers from the “
Ayrshire,” which went ashore at
Long Branch, January, 1850.
