Douglas's Boat-Lowering Apparatus.

Cromwell Argus, Volume II, Issue 102, 24 October 1871, Page 6

Douglas's Boat-Lowering Apparatus.

The following description of a recent invention for lowering boats at sea is given in the Melbourne Argus of the 2nd instant: —

" Opportunity was taken on Saturday afteri noon last, during the pleasure trip of the 3.3. City of Adelaide, to try a new boat-lowering apparatus lately invented by Mr W. H. Douglas, Local Government Inspector of steamers at Dunodin, and master of the Government steam-drodge at that port. The '. apparatus, which lias been already favourably I spoken of by various judges of such matters, | may be thus described. In each end of the I boat is placed an upright stanchion, termi- ; nating in a socket. These sockets contain i each, an iron ball, in the upper side of which j is an eye, to which the usual block and tackle ! is affixed. The balls are held in the sockets j by means of bent levers, hook-shaped at their i extremities, and connected at the lower ends ! by a chain traversing the boat's bottom in a | horizontal direction. While a strain is kept I upon the chain the points of the levers press I on the balls, and keep all fast and secure ; but when, by touching a rod, this strain is relaxed, the balls fly up attached to the tackle, and the boat is free. The experiment took : place under the immediate supervision of ; Capt. F. 11. Trouton, manager of the A.S.N. j Company, and certainly appeared quite successful. The boat, with a number of men in it,' was lowered from the davih by tackle in the ordinary way, the ship going at 12 knots. It did not go down so regularly, however, but that one end touched the water first, when the balls being released, the boat fell evenly on the water, and the men in her were scarcely splashed. The wh"le cost of the apparatus is only £4. Mr Douglas has been awarded three medals for his inventions by the Royal Scottish Society of Arts." Cap, 1 ,. Morsoby, of H.M.S. Basilisk, who

experimented with tho .apparatus on board that : vessel lit Wellington A few clays'ago, 1 thus writes to hia-Excellency the Governor regavding'it:— •' •'• ■ '! ': ' '" Haying witnessed the vari'ons : experiimenta made, in lowering a boat noted with tho .improved) lowering apparatus (invented- by Mr Douglas'of the" New Zealand Marino D> part-'neiit) 'from steamers going at a Jspeed of seven or eight knots, a3 also the'the'trial on II er Majesty's 'ship Basilisk under my 'directions, I am of ■■ opinion that; for facility and safety in dropping tho boat clear oftho 3hip, as well, as simplicity and economy of construction, it is far superior to either the Kynaston or Clifford lowering apparatus, a3 at present used in Her Majesty's ship 3. (Signed) "F. Mof.E3by, Captain." -b