TO SAVE LIFE
FLOATING MATTRJCSSES AND ' PILLOWS. At tlio To Aro Batlis yesterday a do-mon.-itratioii was given hoforo Lieut.Colonel W. G. Collins (who is to leavo tho dominion in nicdic.il charge of tho hospital ship Mamma) of tho buoyant properties of a uatent pillow and niattress invented by Mt. A. Binnie, of New Plymouth, and made by Mr. David M'Crao, of Wellington, Tlio articles mentioned are for use on "board s\iips, that :;re likely 'to traverse tho war zone, and aro intended to provide'' chances for life-saving among tlio passengers andl crow' of such vessels. Tho pillow is simply a (Samarang) kapoc pillow, stitched in tlys centre to divide the kapoc equally, and long enough 'to go round tho body undo/ tho arms. At oither ond aro tapes to tio it fast when it is adjusted, and the addition of a loop on ono sido for tho head keeps t'iie pillow lifebelt in position. Mr. Binnie maintains that such a lifebelt ■will keep a person afloat for a weok or a month for that matter. The mattress is merely a singlo kapoc mattress on a light wooden frame, und strong tapes round tho side for people to catch hold of.
Both articles wero tested at the baths by Captain. Dunbar Sloan. He testified at once to tlie wonderful buoyancy of the pillow-belt, and he and tliroe boys at comfortably astride tlio mattress without submerging it. Then Mr. J. Calnan, tlio custodian of the baths, dressed fully in old clothes and wearing heavy boots, went into tho water- in a Binnie belt, and bobbed about like a cork. Ho, a skilled swimmer, attempted to swim under water, and to tho bottom, but the experiment found him kicking his legs in the empty air. ; Ho tried to dive for a coin that Colonel Collins threw into six feet of water, but could not "got down to it, however hard he tried. Both tlio pillows and mattresses wore afterwards weighted down in. order to ascertain what soakage tliqre is, if any, in 24 hours. Mr. Binnie says that tlio Marine Department approvos of tho mattresses for deck cabins, but not for 'tween deck cabins, as it is anticipated that the alleyways would ge blocked by people trying to carry these life-savers to tho main deck. Tho pillows, however, could be used -for ordinary purposes anywhere, snd also as cushions for deck chairs. Only IJlb. of kapoc is used in each pillow-bel l -, and the cover is of ordinary ticking.
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Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2905, 18 October 1916, Page 6
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416TO SAVE LIFE Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2905, 18 October 1916, Page 6
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