Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-08 00:00:00

A SUBMARINE BOAT

An American invention has just been brought to this
country; vith a view to its being disposed of either to this
or-any other European Government, and 4hich, if it does
one half-of what the patentee guarantees can be done with
it,-will make such a change in the mode ofsiarrying on a
naval war as will put steamers out of the question, and
render of no avail the tremendous forts s9f Cronstadt: or
Cherbourg. It is nothing less than a submarine boat made
only for working under water, in form muchzesembling the
shape of a porpoise, but capable of being made large enough
to contain 8, 10, or even 15 men, if necessary, with
a proportionate quantity of explosives. In a kind
of specification which has now been laid before this
and the Freneh Governmen=t, the patentee says he has in-
vented and constructed a submarine boat, weighing about
eight: tons, in which he has, with others, sunk in Lake
Michigan, and remained tinder water for four hours,
without any air tubes or other communication leading
from his boat above the surface of the water, and
propelled the beat in and near the bottom Of ;the lake for
several miles at the rate of about three miles an hour.
Hellas, while:in his boat end under water, by means
of -machinery -.working through its side, sawed off
timbers 14 inches square. Ile can sink his iboat from
the surface almoat instantly, either to a few inches
or feet from the ,surface of the water, or to 100 or more
feet, -,and again. rise quickly or very slowly to or near
the surface ; go forward, badk, or sideways, or come
up bows first or otterwise, as may be required. He can
attach -powder torpedoes to the outside of his boat on its
deck or.sides, and proceed underwater out to sea, in any
weather, to-an enemy's ship in eight, fix or anchor the
torpedoes under the ship's bottom, set in motion clock-
work to fire the torpedoes, simultaneously or at intervals,
and retire, still under water, out of danger from the
explosion, and out of reach of an ;enemy's guns. He
can also econvey powder torpedoes inside his boat of
100 lb. (or more) weight, and when under an enemy's
ship, pass -them out of the side of his boat through
his patent 'hatch, and fasten them to a ship's -bottom
and fire item as ;above-named. He can enter
an enemy's 'harbour under water and make surveys, only
showing above the surface a sight tube, no more than one
half inch in diameter, and retire still under water, and
proceed outside to sea and make his report to the com-
mander of a fleet or ship. He can go out to sea, meet a'
hostile fleet, go under their bottoms, fix torpedoes to go
off by clockwork, or bore holes in their bottoms, and
eome away unseen. With a large boat he can carry a
12 or a 24 pound (or even larger) gun in the forward
.end of his boat near the 'top, so rigged that he can load
:in 100 feet depth of water, rise near to the surface, sight
the horizon for an enemy's ship, and if one is in sight
,take the course for her and proceed towards her,
oven within a stone's throw, wise quickly, so near the
surface as only to show the Muzzle of the gun through
•the ,outside porthole valve, aim at the ship near
her -water line, fire, then instantly sink to reload,
and-rise at another point to fire again and repeat. If re-
quired, -with a large boat, he can remain under water with
several•men with him, and can do service at sea off or in
harbours for several days, without lauding or showing; one
inch of 'his boat above water. If thelwat is required for
pearl fishing he can work all day on a pearl bed, raking
up and taking in pearls and suffering 11(4 inconvenience
from impure air, and as the boat is provided with light
for deep water work, he can move about on the bottom
like a fish and see pearls where a diver would not. If
the boat is required to visit wrecks and remove
I treasures or goods, it is so constructed that he can

saw, bore, or make fast chains or ropes, to any
point of a wreck, and if required, one or more persons
can, while under water, go out of the boat through
the side hatches, enter a wreck or do other service, and
return inside of boat again without inconvenience.
Curiously
.enough, the gentleman who has come over here
with this invention, and who, though not the inventor, is
part proprietor of the patent, was instructed not to offer
it to the British Government until it had first been offered
to the EMperor of the French. The reasons for making
such A distinction arises from the notion which our
Transatlantic cousins entertain of the red tape system of
the English Government, and their slowness to adopt
any sudden or great improvements. That this idea
is hardly
.well founded, is shown from the fact that
when the invention was first brought under the notice
of the Secretary of the United States' Navy, he
merely wrote to the inventor to say, by way of
badinage, that the American ships were required in the
water and never wanted to go under them. The proffer
to the Emperor of the French received even less at-
tention, as no answer was returned to the letter at all.
Contrary to American expectation, when the invention
was brought a few days since under the notice of the
English Board of Admiralty ft received full and prompt
attention, and Sir Baldwin Walker has already bad
interviews with the "-gentleman to whose care the dis-
posal of the pitent is intrusted. Nothing definite has
yet resulted from these audiences, though, as the cost of
building the submarine boat is very small, we believe
that one will eventually be constructed irk this country,
and if it only fulfils half what the patentee expects of it
the invention Will be purchased by the British Govern-
ment.