NON-COLLAPSIBKE LIFEBOAT

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2601, 8 September 1909, Page 3

NON-COLLAPSIBKE LIFEBOAT

TRIAL IN WELLINGTON HARBOR. TPEii PnEss Association. 1 WELLINGTON, .September 7. Yesterday . morning about 8.30 the Fisher patent non-coltapsible lifeboat left the boat harbor. Oriental .Bay. Mr G. McLaine was in charge, and there was a passenger list of four, throe ladies (Mesdames Fisher, McLaine, and Davies), and the inventor’s only daughter, Approaching 11 o’clock the boat 'was towed alongside the Glasgow wharf. The passengers. disembarked in good . order and condition, and expressed themselves as well satisfied with the journey across the harbor. There had been no inconvenience of any kind. The three ladies conjointly manipulated the driving gear attached to the torpedo-shafted craft, the apparatus working excellently, while Mr McLaine steered. After leaving the boat harbor the boat was cut away, and the man in charge manoeuvred her across the harbor for a distance and demonstrated her qualities as a. traveller, stern first. I Altogether the life boat was on the I water for a couple of hours or more, and the passengers inside informed a. “Post” .reporter that the ventilation was quite equal to all the demands made on it. On arrival at the wharfside the inventor, who, with the aid of a boat’s crew of four boys, had towed the life boat in from the centre of the harbor that faitli might tie kept with ’the public—who had been advised that a demonstration would be given at II o’clock—with the -aid of onlookers' and several ropes endeavored to capsize' the craft, but without success, the vessel absolutely refusing to roll more than Half way over. When the boat was being transferred from the. harbor to the Maori, which was to take _it to Lyttelton, last night, a quantity of water rah away from her. This, it is said, was the result of the previous exhibition, the water not having been all baled out. Mr. Fisher states the demonstration to have been in every way satisfactory. The boat is only a ■rough example as yet, but when properly fitted up will have more ventilation valves and inset bull’s eyes, for the purpose of noting where one is going (the latter will do away with the conningtower at present in use). He expects his invention to convince most sceptics. The ideal, boat in support of the selfrighting principle would be built doubly heavy down below, thus lessening the ■chance of a capsize, though the inventor does not at all fear the latter. It is understood that improved plans of the life-saving vessel are in active preparation for patenting throughout the world.