Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-07-03
To RUN UNDER WATER.
A Little Boat with Fins, and Bearing
Torpedoes Fore and AIT.
New York Sun.

A Little Boat with Fins, and Bearing
Torpedoes Fore and AIT.
New York Sun.
In the boiler room of the Delemater
iron-works, at the foot of West Thir-
tenth street, dozen men are build
ing an iron steamboat of peculiar de
sign, and have about all the pilates
riveted in place. 1t is 80 feet long
over all, u broad, and deep. The
model is very sharp where the water
is divided, while the run aft will give
solid water to the wheel II looks
much like a substantial steam launch
except the side frames are carried up
and arched over the top to form the
rounded deck, which wholly covers
the hold except at a round hatch in
the center. At this hatch a well is to
be constructed, with door in one SIDE
leading into the hold. On each side
of the keel enough lead will be placed
to load the vessel to the waters edge
after all the machinery, stores, etc,
are on board There are number of
small compartments which can be
filed with water and emptied at the
pleasure of the crew, and by this
means the vessel can be sunk TO any
depth below the surface. Over the
water-ballast compartments. on each
side and beneath the floor, are a mum
Der Of siX-inch iron tubes which will
be filed with compressed air, to be
liberated as the air grows foul within
the boat.
The motive power is electricity.
| furnished b. storage batteries which
will turn the propeller by a common
| dynamo. Incandescent electric lamps
will furnish light. The boat is steered
to port or starboard by = common rud-
\ der, while horizontal rudder or fin
on each side of the stern post will
elevate or depress the stern, and thus
shove the vessel further from or nearer
to the surface, independent of the &C
ton of the water ballast pump. The
! inventor, Mr.. j. II. l.. Tuck, SAYS
/ that she will attain a speed Of eight
! knots an hour, and can travel a hun
bred miles with her ordinary storage
/ batteries A hand crank is also fitted
/ for turning the propeller shaft. by
which a slow speed could be obtained
! The well hole in the center of the
| boat is fitted with an alright hatch,
which can be removed from within.
Any one of the crew wishing to 90
on deck when the boat is below the
surface has only to dress in an ordin-
airy divers suit, with air tubes con
Meeting with the interior of the boat,
enter the we'll close the door, gradu-
ally fill the well with water, and
then remove the hatch. In the well
are suitable devices for directing the
man at the wheel .as those in charge
of the apparatus for elevating, lower
! ing, and propelling the boat. When
! leaving the well the hatch is closed,
! the water runs into the water ballast
compartments, and then the man
opens the door and removes his
armor
In warfare a large torpedo can be
attached to each end of the boat, with
/ q strong insulated wire connecting the
/ two together and with an electric
| battery in the boat. To apply the
| torpedoes to the bottom Of a ship the
boat has only u run beneath it.
When directly athwarthships, under
her keel, the pilot ia the well-hole can
loosen the torpedoes and allow them
to rise under the bilges of the ship.
Then he can run his boat ahead
safe distance and explode the torpe
does. If desirable a small cupola,
with glass windows, and an electric
! lamp, can replace the we'll, and the
boat can be operated from within.
The boat is designed to remain I'M
] ] 10,
the crew for forty-eight hours, but a
rubber-tube device will be attached by
means of which air can be drawn
from the surface of the water under
ordinary circumstances. a small
mercury indicator viii show the boats
distance below the surface.
The power of the storage batteries
to propel a yacht mas been amply de
/ monstrated in number of expert
ments. the latest of which was on
May u. On that day Messrs. Farron
& Co, of Poplar, England, ran
/ forty-foot launch at high speed for
six consecutive hours by means Of
Sieman's dynamos and Fruer-Sellon-
Volckmar batteries. AS long ago as
1901, Fulton, the steamboat inventor,
constructed a submarine boat, with
which he remained under water over
four hours. In view of these facts.
Mr.. Tuck asserts that the building OF
a successful submarine boat involves
only matters of detail, and these, he
believes, he thoroughly understands.
A trial trip will be taken in about SIX
weeks.