NEW LIFE-SAVERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2916, 31 October 1916, Page 7

NEW LIFE-SAVERS

FOR USB AT SEA BINNIE'S PATENT LIFE-SAVING , MATTRESS AND PILLOWS On Tuesday of last week an exhaustive test was made of Binnie's lifesaving mattress and pillows at the Te Aro baths, in tho presence of Colonel W. E. Collins, Principal Medical Officer, who is to leave m charge of tho hospital ship Marama. Captain Dunbar Sloane (who will leave New Zealand' as adjutant of tho Marama) accompanied Dr. Collins, and consented -to act as demonstrator. Captain Sloane, who donned ono ,of tho pillows, and stayed in'tho water for about a quarter of an hour, remarked on its extraordinary buoyancy and comfort (for it presents no harsh edges or corners to the skin, but is soft and comfortable,, and conforms to the figure immediately). Later ho tried the mattress, and though ho is a big man, and his weight was supplemented by that of three other boys who. happened to ho in .the baths, the mattress absolutely refused to submerge. Mr. Joseph Calnan, the custodian of tho To Aro baths, wont as far as to dress fully in. old clothes, arid heavy boots, but with one of Binnie's pillow-life-belts, ho found it not only the acme of buoyancy, but, export under-water swimmer that he is, ho could not swim down to the bottom. To test him, Colonel Collins threw half-a-crown- into a spot where tho water was only about sevon feet in depth, but try as he would Mr. Calnan could not got down to it in tho belt —a font that; without the belt, would have been child's play to him, As those tests were perfectly satisfactory, Colonel Collins asked that tho mattress bo allowed to remain weighted in tho water for a period of twentyfour hours, in order to ascertain what soakage, if any, took place. Soma thirty bricks wore placed on tho mattress, and so weighted it was allowed ' to remain floating until about noon tho next day, when Colonel Collins, accompanied by General It. S. F. Henderson, Director of Medical Services, and Captain Sloane, attended to note the result of the time test. Tho mattress was found to be floating as buoyantly as when first put into the water, though the weight had been actually increased 'through the bricks it was carrying having absorbed some of tho spray that had occasionally dashed over tho mattress. In tho presenco of the official party, Mr. David M'Crao—the maker of the pillows and mattress—weighed one of tho bricks, and it was found to ■ turn the scale at Sijlb., which meant ■ that the mattress was then carrying ■ a weight of about 2621b., which had ' not affected its buoyancy ono iota. The ; life-saving pillow, which was also afloat for twenty-four 'hours, was also submerged again and again,'but came up repeatedly. The officers expressed their . fullest satisfaction to tho patentee (Mr. A. Binnie, of New Plymouth). Mr. David M'Crae, of 25 : '27 I wish Street, :'s now .mri.niifa.rtisir.ig these ! patent pillows and mattresses, and has ( already orders for '200 in hs.ud