The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-07 00:00:00

A SUBMARINE BOAT.

An American invention has just been broifght to
this country, with a view to its being disposed of
either to this or any other European Government,
and which, if it does one-half of what the patentee
guarantees can be done with it will make such a
change in the mode of carrying on a naval war as
will put steamers out of the question, and render of
no avail the tremendous forts of Cronstadt or Cher-
bourg. It is nothing less than a submarine boat
made only for working under water, in form much
resembling the shape of a porpoise, 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 French Govern-
ment the patentee says he has invented and con-
structed a s übmarine boat, weighing about eight
tons, in which he has, with others, sunk in Lake
Michigan, and remained under water for four hours
without any air tubes or other communication lead-
ing from his boat above the surface of the water,
and propelled the boat in and near the bottom of
the lake for several miles, at the rate of about three
miles an hour. He has,while in his boat, and under
water, by means of machinery working through its
side, sawed off timbers 14 inches square. He can
sink his boat from the surface almost 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, back, or sideways, or come up bows first
or otherwise, as may be required. He can attach
powder torpedoes to the outside of his boat on its
deck or sides, and proceed under water out to sea,
in any weather, to an enemy's ship in sight, fix or
anchor the torpedoes under the ship's bottom, set
in motion clock-work to fire, the torpedoes, simulta-
neously 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 convey powder
torpedoes inside his boat of 1001 b. (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 them as
above-named. He can enter an enemy's harbour
under water andmake 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 re-
port to the commander 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
come away unseen. With a large boat he can carry
a 12 or 24 pound (or euen larger) gun in the for-
ward 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 pro-
ceed towards her even within a stone's throw,. rise
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, arid rise at- another point
to fire again and repeat. If required, with a large
boat, he can remain under water with several men
with him, and do service at sea off or in harbours
for several days, without landing or showing one
inch of his boat above water. If the boat is required
for pearl fishing he can work all day on a pearl bed
raking up and taking in pearls and suffering no in-
convenience from impure air, and as the boat is pro-
vided with light for deep water work, he can move
about on the bottomlike a fish and see pearls where
a diver would not. If the boat is required to visit
wrecks and remove treasures or goods, it is so con-
structed 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