New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-08-27
r He TRIBU NE.

Colr's SUBMARINE BArrERY.-Th;s terrible
o,y;ne of destruction seems to US one of the mos,
,,,rked and important inventions of the presen,
a.v-and destined to do much towards the pre-
,en,on of the horrible casIniles of war, for just
IN proportion as national conflicts become more
surely sanguinary and exterminating viii they be-
come Of rare occurrence. By the agency Of cleo
taciy, it will be remembered, Mr.. Colt is able
from, any distance to explode his instrument under
, vessel and thus send the largest ship careerng
through the upper element, certainly not after the
most approved style of seamarshp. How he
proposes to deposit the battery under the vessel,
with the requisite security and secrecy is the
explained marvel: find in communication
70 the Journal of Commerce the following sug-
gestion of two ways in which it mag be done:
The first is similar to that employed BY Fulton
fofhis submarine Torpedo. One or more of these
batteries are to be sunk at the Narrows, or any
o,ber narrow channel threug n which n vessel must
pass in entering the harbor; if the channel be suf
;cienty narrow, one battery will suffice; but if
vd,r, the number must lie increased to the yum
her times the width of tue channe! exceeds that
oithe vessel The wires from them, properly num-
beed or placed, communicate with the shore,
where watch Is to be stationed ready to make
the counexion necessary for the explosion the i'm
an, the vessel has placed herself in the situation
torecciye it.
The other method that we shall mention, is
more certain in its operation,-is susceptible of u
wider applications and has the additional recon-
dation of being more novel in its nnture properly
attended to, it cannot fail Of complete and tn
rnpliant success 1t is as follows: A boat is to
be constructed upon the principle of the diving
bell or otherwise. with the machinery for its pro-
pilson beneath the surface OF the water in any
direction. Til very lately, the want Of air fit for
respiration, would have eGectaallv prevented the
use of such u boa.,-the great degree of secrecy
necessary ia all its evoutions forbidding the en-
pnynieat of the usual appacatus connected with
dvi,l- bells for the supply of fresh air from above
but thanks 70 the discoveries in science that al
most daily permit us to class among thugs easily
performed, those That were once thought impossi-
liz, the difficulty snow snrruouncd by the follow
ipg simple means, tor the discovery Of which, the
wlrl, of science is indebted to Col. Paycrne, Of
London. Two chemical substances are taken
down into tho boat.--thc one, to absorb the car
ionic aci2 gas as fns, as generated by the lungs
the other, to give out Oxygen gas to supply the
place of that consumed. The first Of those is found
impure potassa, which readily absorbs half own
weight of carbonic acid gas,-the other is the
sulphat, of potassa which, when heated, gives
oct very large proportion ot, pare oxygen. With
these two simple bodies, Col Puyernc lately de-
scended in diving bell to the bed of the Thames,
where he remained for the long and hitherto unat-
sned period of segen hours, cut of from all
communication with the upper air, without ex-
periencing any of the unpleasant effects usually
attendant upon such experiments, to the great
surprise Of a number of distinguished men of sci
ence, who witnessed his performance without the
knowledge of his novel application of couple Of
we'll known facts in Chemistry. A boat could
thus be constructed for submarine navigation,-to
remai,l under water for any desirable time within
the limits of tweniy-four hours,-to carry the bat.
teries to their several points of destination
TO sink them or attach them le the vessels keel,
as the case may be.