Jmes R. Raymond And The Raymond Releashing Device

THE late Captain James R. Raymond, after ears of a seafaring life in which he served :n and later commanded vessels in many seas. Became greatly interested in the problem of re saving at sea. Cases of wreck, fire, explosion or foundering or the relief of other vessels in distress often call for the lowering of boats in a hurry, and many a boat has been swamped or capsized with consequent loss of life because a early or too tardy release of a boat from the lowering apparatus.

Captain Raymond, after years of pondering, evolved an automatic device which held the boat firmly to the davits and kept it safely attached while it is being loaded and lowered but wither anybody to operate r or even touch it, re- eases the boat at the first moment it finds itself waterborne. The first device was known as the Standard Automatic Reusing Hook and was widely adopted by ship owners and masters in all parts of the world, but :erects in this were found which interfered with its refract working under certain unusual conditions and these were all via ted by improvements embodied in the

Raymond Releasing Service which is reliably au-tomatic. The hooks are immediately detached as the boat is waterborne, but will not detach e by design, until it is. It has also been improved by making it possible through lanyards drove in the bills of the hooks, to hook on to the kolas in the darkest night or roughest sea with- _r injury to the fingers; and other improved features make the workings of the device prompt and accurate under all circumstances.

It is used by all the principal ocean and lake lines .and by ships and steamships sailing in all the seas. It has saved many boats and numberless lives by its efficiency as an aid to rapid and safe launching.

Captain James Richardson Raymond was born in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., September 5, 1845, ^e son of James Talmage Raymond, a native of New York, and of Rebecca (Eagleston) Raymond, born in Ireland of English parents.

Captain Raymond was educated in the Washington schools and George-town College, served in the Union Army in the last years of the Civil War, then went to sea, working up until he received a master's certificate and commands vessels. After many years of seafaring he started in business to market his device and secured for it wide adoption, with many endorsements from its users. He died at his home in West Nutley, N.J., May 20, 1917, and by his will provided for the continuance of the business for his family's benefit. His wife, Mrs. Anna M. Raymond, incorporated the business as the Raymond Releasing Device, Inc. She has three sons, James R., 2nd, John Chadwick and Frederick Randolph Raymond.

Captain Raymond was a member of the Maritime League Section of the United States, Shipmasters' Club of New York, Lafayette Lodge No. 19 F. & A. M., Washington, D.C., Neptune Association of the Masters and Mates of Ocean and Coastwise Steam Vessels, and was an associate member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.