1851 Great Exhibition: Official Catalogue: Class VIII.: J. N. Holbrook
9. HOLBROOK, J. N., 4 Remmington Street, City Road. Inventor.
Polar life-preserver.
Wood raft, to be carried on board ships.
Tubular raft for same purpose.
Large round floater, to be thrown out to drowning persons.
Captain's life-preserver.
Gentleman's fishing-stand, for the middle of rivers.
Ladies' bathing machine, by which they may with safety go far out, in fine weather, and obtain the full benefit of the sea, and be brought to shore by a line attached.
Small bottomless life-boat.
The same made of copper, to be placed on the sea shore.
Model of an iron bottomless life-boat, 26 feet long. It is suitable for the roughest sea and actual service, in case of fire or shipwreck. The boat is made entirely of wrought and sheet iron, lined and covered with strong netting. Its dimensions arc 26 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, with iron gunnel 21 inches high; the rod and bar iron is about 800 feet, with 6 floaters made of 105 pieces of sheet iron, filled with 300 feet of tubing formed into 150 air and waterproof barrels, with 15 tanks, holding 222 gallons for fresh water; provisions, warm clothing, compass, alarm apparatus, fuel, fireworks, rockets, with 1,000 feet of line attached. The whole is firmly secured together with about 400 screws and bolts, and riveted with 10,000 rivets. There is in the figurehead a simply constructed kettle, by the same inventor, that will boil in 10 minutes, 8 quarts of coffee. The rudder can be shipped or unshipped in a few seconds, and oars and sail applied if required; the total weight is 20 cwt.
The boat having no bottom renders it almost impossible to capsize, and should its six floaters become punctured, full of holes, and all filled with water, the numerous barrels inside will be amply sufficient to prevent it sinking—such is the buoyancy, that it will carry nearly 150 persons and food for many days.
White glass ginger-beer bottle, and green glass soda-water bottle, in the use of which no cork, string, or wire is required; they are also suitable for ale, porter, wine, etc. The stopper will not give the liquor any unpleasant smell or taste.
Model of a life and body preserver.