9. But what seems to bid fairest for establishing a line of communication with the shore, is a late contrivance invented by Mr. Bell, of the Royal Artillery, which, on reading the account, I am glad to find, coincides with my own proposal, respecting the transmission of a cord with a bullet by gun-shot. Concerning the result of the Experiment, the Society of Arts have published the following favourable report:
“To ascertain the merit of Mr. Bell’s invention, his Grace the Duke of Richmond having given directions, proper trials were accordingly made, by throwing a loaded shell[[12]] on shore from a small mortar fixed in a boat, moored in the river Thames, above two hundred yards from the shore. To the shell was attached a rope, one end of which remained on board the boat. The shell, falling about a hundred yards within land, buried itself full eighteen inches in the gravel; when Mr. Bell and another person, on a raft floated by casks properly ballasted, hauled themselves on shore in a few minutes, by means of the rope above mentioned.
[12]. By which is meant a shell filled with lead, to which, a staple or ring being fixed, the rope is to be made fast. The shell thus loaded weighed about seventy pounds, being eight inches in diameter.
“These trials, having been repeated three times successively with the desired success, and it appearing that the method, proposed by Mr. Bell, of throwing a line on shore from a ship in distress, either stranded, or in danger of being so, promises to be of very important advantage to the maritime world; as by means thereof such vessel may obtain relief, any person, when landed, being enabled to secure ropes from the ship; or additional hands may thereby be conveyed from the shore to assist those on board. In cases of imminent danger, moreover, where all hopes of saving the vessel may be lost, Mr. Bell’s method offers the most probable means of saving the crew.
“The Society therefore voted to Mr. Bell a bounty of fifty guineas, on his leaving with the Society a complete model of his contrivance; which model is reserved in their Repository, for the inspection and use of the Public[[13]].”
[13]. Transactions of the Society of Arts, &c. Vol. X. p. 203. See also Raccolta di salvar, l’equipaggio d’un Bastimento, &c. by Count Berchtold, with an elegant engraving, descriptive of the entire apparatus.
That this, or other similar inventions may prove useful in time of need, the apparatus must be provided beforehand; and ought to constitute a part of the ship’s equipment previous to the voyage.
New Plan for the Prevention of a Ship’s sinking.
A Philosophical Correspondent has favoured me with the following communication, which displays much ingenuity, and seems worthy of further inquiry.
“As you wish, my dear Sir, for further intelligence, respecting the means I should propose for preventing ships from sinking, I will endeavour to give you some idea of the power of the apparatus. Its constituent parts are these: