Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

1st Session.

No. 403.

CAPTAIN DOUGLASS OTTINGER.

[To accompany Bill H. R. No. 576.]

MAY 14, 1858.

Mr. E. B. WASHBURNE, from the Committee on Commerce, made the

following

REPORT.

The memorialist, Capt. Douglass Ottinger, of the United States revenue service, represents that he is the sole and original inventor of the machine known as life or surf car, and that it was the first invention whereby persons could be safely conveyed through heavy breaking waves from stranded vessels to the shore. He submits that he has voluntarily placed his invention at the life-saving stations of the United States, subject to the free use of the government, unrestricted by patent rights. He asks some remunerative compensation for the labor and expense which the inventions have cost him, and also something, in addition, to enable him to test practically, at sea, its adaptation to rescue passengers and crews during violent gales.

The committee are satisfied that Capt. Ottinger is the original inventor of the life or surf car, and that he has devoted the same to the use of the United States, and that the government is now using them at fifty-two different stations on the coast. The evidence before the committee is conclusive as to the great value of the invention of Capt. Ottinger as a means of saving life. The present Secretary of the Treasury, the Hon. Howell Cobb, in answer to a letter from the committee, says "it has proved of incalculable value in the saving of human life;" and he mentions the case of the wreck of the ship Ayrshire," on the Jersey coast, (when it was impossible for any boat to reach her in consequence of the heavy surf rolling in upon the beach,) where, by means of this invention, every one on board was saved-men, women and children, and even infants in their mothers"

[ocr errors]

arms.

As Capt. Ottinger, with a laudable public spirit, has for many years. devoted his valuable invention to the use of the United States, and has received no compensation therefor, your committee deem his claim for some remuneration not unreasonale. They are prepared, therefore, to recommend the passage of a bill granting him an amount not only as a remuneration for the use of his invention, but to enable him to make some further experiments to test its practicability in rescuing passengers and crews during violent gales at sea.

A.

GENTLEMEN: In submitting to you a claim for remunerative compensation as the inventor of the "life or surf car," and other parts of an apparatus in use at fifty-two life-saving stations established by acts of Congress, I take the liberty to transmit the accompanying documents, numbered from 1 to 17, which I hope will show to your satisfaction that I am the inventor of the surf-car and spiral wire, for overcoming the vis inertia, and fastening the line to the shot, as well as to give evidence of its capability to rescue passengers and crews from vessels wrecked near the shore.

I now design to extend the effectiveness of the apparatus to the shipwrecked on the open sea, in such and similar cases as steamers "San Francisco" and "Central America," and trust that the circumstance of having already been instrumental in producing a reliable means of overcoming the dangers of the heaviest breaking waves, will obtain for me your favorable consideration to my proposition for saving life on the ocean.

I ask for such compensation as you may deem just and proper to remunerate me for the past, present and prospective use of my invention by the United States at such stations on shore as the proper authority may determine will be likely to benefit the cause of humanity, as well as for the unlimited use of the same in the naval service, transport and other vessels of the army, revenue service, coast survey and lighthouse vessels, and such of the merchant marine as may be temporarily in government employ. I append the following instances where compensation has been given to inventors by Congress:

To the inventor of chloroform, $100,000; to experiments on Morse's telegraph, $48,000; to experiments of Doctor Page, in the application of electricity as a motor, $24,000; to the heirs of Fulton,

As it is yet to be established that my apparatus can be successful in storms on the ocean, I rely on the intelligence of your committee to appreciate the fact that it has actually been successful on the strand, and, therefore, beg you will sanction, in addition to any compensation, an appropriation of $5,000 to enable me to test practically, at sea, its adaptation to rescuing passengers and crews during violent gales. I am, very respectfully,

DOUGLASS OTTINGER, Captain United States Revenue Cutter Service.

Hon. JOHN COCHRANE,

And members of Committee of Commerce,

House of Representatives.

B.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
April 27, 1858.

SIR: I acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 10th instant, enclosing, by direction of the Committee of Commerce, the petition of Captain Douglass Ottinger, and requesting to be informed if any of

the "surf-cars" claimed by him to be his invention are in use by the government, and if so, how many, and whether or not his apparatus be deemed a valuable one, &c., &c., and, in reply, have the honor to say, that, in obedience to authority vested in this department by certain acts of Congress, there have been established, and are now in operation, fifty-four life-saving stations on the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island-twenty-eight on the former, and twenty-six on the latter coast-which have been provided with the necessary appurtenances for the saving of human life from shipwreck, including both a life-boat and life-car, at each station.

The duty of locating the first eight stations between Sandy Hook and Egg Harbor was assigned to Captain Ottinger of the revenue cutter service, who caused the houses to be constructed and the requisite apparatus to be provided therefor, as will be seen on reference to the report of that officer to this department, under date of 21st May, 1849, a copy of which accompanies this communication. The six succeeding stations, established between Little Egg Harbor and Cape May, was entrusted to 1st Lieutenant John McGowan, of the same service, who acted as the agent of the department in procuring the required apparatus for the same, a copy of whose report, under date of November 4, 1849, is herewith transmitted. The remaining fourteen stations on the coast of New Jersey, and the twenty-six on the coast of Long Island, have been established at different times, under the superintendence of Messrs. Edward Watts, Samuel C. Dunham, and J. N. Schellinger, and the necessary apparatus provided therefor.

In answer to that part of your letter as to the valuableness of the apparatus, I have to say, that in many instances, where it has been brought into service, it has proved of incalculable value in the saving of human life. In one instance alone, in a terrific snow-storm on the coast of New Jersey, in January, 1850, the life-car at one of the government stations on that coast succeeded in saving from the wreck of the ship "Ayrshire," (when it was impossible for any boat to reach her, in consequence of the heavy surf rolling in upon the beach,) every one on board, two hundred in number, consisting of men, women, and children, even infants in their mothers' arms-a description of which, will be found in the work on life-boats and lifecars, published by Francis' Metallic Life-boat Company, of New York. The life-boat has proved equally successful in many instances, not deemed necessary here to enumerate.

The department, in bearing testimony to the great value of the apparatus for saving of human life from shipwreck, in use at the government life-saving stations on the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island, takes the occasion to say, that it proposes no means of information, beyond what is furnished by the two accompanying reports, as to who is the inventor of the "life-car" in use at the government stations referred to. Those cars which were furnished the stations first established by Captain Ottinger, in 1849, were provided by that officer, under the general instructions of the department to procure the best means of saving life and property from shipwreck. In like manner, Lieutenant McGowan procured those which were furnished the stations established under his superintendence. Those provided the

government stations subsequently established were procured by the department, direct, of Mr. Joseph Francis, of New York, who, it was understood, was the constructor of those cars in use at the stations previously established by Captain Ottinger and Lieutenant McGowan. The petition of Captain Ottinger is herewith returned.

I am, very respectfully,

Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE,

Of the Committee on Commerce,

HOWELL COBB, Secretary of the Treasury.

House of Representatives.

C.

PHILADELPHIA, November 4, 1849.

SIR: I have the honor to report that the duty assigned me, of carrying into effect the act of Congress for the preservation of life and property from shipwreck between Little Egg Harbor and Cape May, coast of New Jersey, is completed, and I respectfully beg leave to offer the following report:

In obedience to the orders of the committee of the Board of Underwriters of Philadelphia, I proceeded to the coast, and selected six points (all of them on islands, except Cape May,) as the most suitable for stationing the apparatus, all of which places were approved by the committee. At each station there is constructed a frame boathouse, 29 by 16 feet, sufficiently large to contain the surf-boat, life-car, wagon, and all the apparatus, besides plenty of room for crews of wrecked vessels. The houses were built by Messrs. N. & S. Middleton, of this city, and are of the best material. They are located as near the beach as the safety of the building would admit, and are perfectly secure from any storms that may occur. They are erected upon locust and cedar piles, six feet long, and buried five feet in the ground, and securely trenailed to the piles with locust trenails 14 in. diameter. They are well painted with two good coats of white lead, and the roofs well covered with red ochre and tar. The ropes were made (by Messrs. George J. Weaver & Co., of this city,) according to the recommendation of Captain Ottinger-that is, spun in very fine yarn, like whale line or bolt rope. The yarns coated with a light coat of tallow, and laid slack, thereby making it float light and very pliable in cold weather, and not apt to kink. The boats and life-cars were built by Mr. Francis, of New York, and are the same as those built for, and recommended by, Captain Ottinger, with an important improvement of covering the whole inside bottom with galvanized irou and securing it to the wooden bottom, thereby making the boat perfectly secure and not liable to leak, should the wood become rent or cracked from hard usage. To show the capability of the boats, I will mention that I landed in one of them, on Cape May, while blowing a double reef breeze, with considerable surf on the beach, and had in the

boat all the life-saving apparatus for the Cape May station, weighing fuli two thousand pounds, and five men, and landed the whole in safety.

At each of the stations I have placed everything in proper order in the boat-houses, and left with the persons having charge a card of printed directions how to use the apparatus; and in order to give them confidence in the use of it at each place, I fired off a rocket and shot out of the mortar with the lines attached, and was very successful in carrying the lines to the point designated. Those persons who witnessed the experiment feel satisfied that they can now throw a line to a stranded vessel (if not over three hundred yards from the beach) when it is impossible for a boat to venture off.

As the persons who have charge of the apparatus receive no compensation for taking care of it I am fearful some of them will neglect keeping it in proper order. I would respectfully recommend that the commander of the Forward be instructed to visit some of the accessible stations occasionally, to see that everything is in good condition. I am much indebted to H. C. Holmes, esq., collector of the Great Egg Harbor district, for assisting me in selecting the locations, procuring the deeds from the owners of the land, and rendering me much valuable assistance, being perfectly acquainted with the coast, and having the confidence of the board of underwriters. I have given him the keys of two of the houses nearest his dwelling, and have requested him to assume the general superintendence of the whole line, (except Cape May,) until further orders from the government.

I herewith transmit the deeds for the land, receipts for the articles furnished each station, and a printed list of all the articles; also a deed and receipt left by Captain Ottinger. The names of the stations are as follows:

Brigantine Beach, about midway.

Absecum Beach, opposite Ryan Adams,

Peck's Beach, east end.

Ludlum's Beach, west end.

Five-mile Beach, east end.

Cape May Beach, light-house.

There has been expended, as per bills in the hands of the board of underwriters, the sum of $8,364 67, which has provided everything that was supposed useful or necessary.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN N. TONER,

First Lieutenant U. S. Revenue Marine.

Hon. W. M. MEREDITH,

Secretary of the Treasury, Washington.

D.

NEW YORK, May 21, 1849.

SIR: I have the honor to state that the duty assigned to me, by order from the department of October 18, 1848, for carrying into effect the

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »