The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-02-19
Foreign Summary.

lpiUDlS OSAONNAO A@A VI SN OhAtSOA GGblSSs IOIHJnor |
with several Members and Senators in Congress. and
officers Of the army and navy, started in a steamboat
from this city to witness experiments with the vessel
called the Nautilus, designed and constructed for
submarine explorations. This machine was brought |
to the notice of the public some two years ago. by
Major Sears, the inventor, but was not perfected un-
til recently. The invited guests found the vessel sta
toned near Glen Cove, Long Island Sound. about 20
miles from this city. From the notes of a reporter
present We extract the following account of the expe-
riments -
"In mid stream off Glen Cove, we found a large
schooner lying at anchor, with steam engine on deck,
and on mooring near her we learnt this apparatus
was used for forcing compressed air into the receiver
which supplies the Nautilus. At q few yards from
the schooner we observed floating, like a huge por-
poise in the water, the Nautilus. The Nautilus in
external form is almost round, or, as a U. S. Senator
present APPLY termed it, ga water baloon.'' It is
about ten feet in diameter, by seven feet deep, and
weighs ten tons. A popularity, as compared with
the old fashioned diving-bell, is that it enters from
the top q species of iron trap door screws down
when all are in, and when the machine is at the bot
tom, another and large door opens in the base, so as
to proceed with the works required. Condensed air
IS produced on board a vessel or on land, and is COM
municated to the Nautilus by an immensely power
fIl hose formed of thick india rubber, strong enough
to withstand a pressure of 200 pounds to the square
inch this is affixed to the top of the machine, and
communicated by valves inside to the working and
water chambers. After entering and closing the top
of the machine, water valves are opened, which cause
the Nautilus to sink air is taken into the working
chamber until its density is equal to that of the water
without the door or the bottom is then raised IN or
der to move upon the ground. The operators step
upon the bottom and carry the machine with them,
or in current way cables passing from windlasses in
side, effect the desired movement. To lift stone, a
hook placed on the bottom is affixed to the stone,
condensed air is then thrown into the water cham
bers, and the water is expelled until the weight of the
stone is overcome. 1t is then moved in any direction,
and, by the re-admission of water, is again deposited.
In one of the experiments we saw performed, q stone
weighing five tons was lifted, moved horizontally be-
tween twenty and thirty feet, and then deposited.
The time occupied in going under water, bringing
the stone to the surface (22 teet,) then moving, going
down and depositing, returning again to the surface,
was only nine and a half minutes. The Nautilus will
lay $500 cubic feet of stone per diem, at Il cost Of
S35, being less, according to the opinion of engineers,
than the cost of the same work on terra frma. The
average cost of submarine constructions, is ICY cents
the cubic foot, whilst with the Nautilus, as demon
strated on Thursday, it IS but one cent. All other
works are in like proportion the blasting Of rocks
may be done by it as cheeply as in a quarry. Its
adaptability to the examination of ships bottoms, to
determine the necessity of docking, according to the
opinion of Captain Comstock, of the Baltic, will effect
the saving of hundreds of thousands of dollars annu-
ally. Its utility in pearl, coral and sponge fishing was
remarkably demonstrated. A gentleman largely en-
rared in pearl operations in the Pacific observed that
there was no limit to its value for that purpose.
Pearl shells may be gathered by it at the rate of from
two to three tons per day to each machine this has
been proved by actual experiment in Panama and
California Shells according to prices current, are
worth from 1856 to 5000 a ton. With regard to
lifting submerged vessels, the capacity of the pump
demonstrates that the largest class of ships may be
raised within three hours after attachment is made.
esIn order to test the feeling in the Nautilus, $50
persons went down in her on Thursday, of whom
forty were ladies. We entered the trap set for us
with feelings of m~isgiving, and soon found ourselves
one eftwelye ndiEiduals-two being ladies. The iron
door was screwed down, and Immediately on descend
ING q noise like the near letting off of steam dinned
our ears, but this very unpleasant sensation was re-
lieved by going through the operation of swallowing
We got down before we knew it, and the engineer
lifted the door of the bottom and disclosed to us about
six inches of muddy water. When we had gratnied
our curiosity during some five minutes, and obtained
q number of shells as relics, the door was replaced
and we shot up to the surface, the observation being
made by one of the ladies that she could stay down
all day. Everybody was more than satisfied, though
few understood the philosophy of the invention or the
peculiarities Of it's construction as compared with the
diving bell.
CATER this exhibition of the powers and uses O
the Nautilus, Major Sears, the inventor, made a shor
speech to the invited guests in explanation of some o
it's new features. He said The Nautilus is no
made or got up for a stock company to speculate on
but for practical purposes. 1t is made to travel OF
the bottom of the waters, to gather pearls, to collec
gold from the beds of rivers, to gather the UNTOLD
wealth of old ocean. The inventors had expended
much time and large sums of money in bringing thi
machine to its present perfection. Immense anC
unknown difficulties were met with at every step
The first apparatus that we constructed could move
up and down in the water, but that was all we coulC
not get it to lift weights for as soon as we got an
heavy body to the surface, down it went from us
These difficulties were also attended with danger, tn
.AQUtIIUS nGNlug D6en Suu up IL Ol IHc WdlGIs IL
the outset, four feet from the surface, and all though
that those inside the machine were done for, excep
the inventor, who knew they were safe, if they onl,
had the proper amount of compressed air with them
The properties of air and water were not in the slight
est degree understood when we set out we had
therefore, everything to learn-to construct q science
in fact. We had to rid ourselves of the various diff
culties incidental to the condensation of air, and NOR
than this, the intense heat of the air. Our pump
could not stand the pressure we put upon them, 70
iron melted and leather burnt up. We sent t
Europe to obtain pumps which would compress air t
the extent of A pounds to the square inch, but tn
philosophical men of that continent sent us for answe
that our request was an impossibility. But we hav
a pump now-you saw it working to day-which, IN
stead of A pounds, congresses air 200 pounds to tn
square inch, and that pump is also our invention
Water and air are the principles of the Nautilus
Water causes the machine to descend, whilst it rise
under the force of compressed air. The applicabilit,
of the machine is most shown at the bottom of rivers
In California, South America, and other auriferou
regions, it will move from side of the gold streams
baling up the dust at every step. Condensed air vii
move every object to the surface, no matter no,
weighty. We know, at this present time, the precis
locality. within a mile or two, of valuable shipwreck
ed vessels, whose united value will foot up to one hun
dred million dollars. The Nautilus can cruise abou
the spot until it comes to the ship, and then rasin
the treasure is but a question of time. A great fea