The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-05-29
A JOURNEY UNDER WATER.
A PERILous ADVENT URE IN A SUB
MARINE BOAT.
Running at Full Speed into n Mud
Hank and sticking There - Re-
leased by the Torpedo Gun.

n
Hank and sticking There -Ro-
leased by the Torpedo Gun.
Frank Currier told a New York san
reporter the following story of a wonder
full adventure: "My home is at Salters-
vile, N. j., and / have been knocking
about the water ever since l was a child.
When the so-called Fenian submarine
boat was built, l became much interested
in her and visited her frequently. In so
doing / formed the acquaintanceship of
her engineer and Dr. Rowland, who was
said to own her. One Sunday morning,
while she lay at Pamrapo, was on Pat
McGehan's dock talking to the engineer,
when DR.. Rowland came from the boat.
How would you like to take a sailP
said he. In the iron potp l asked.
Yes he replied. Now, had been on
nettles for weeks to get this chance, so l
didn't weaken a bit when he added.
But unless you are willing to go to the
bottom, don't come. They say that if
she ever strikes a mud bank she will stick
in it. l don't believe it, but Pm going
to try l didn't believe it, either, and
soon we were on board the nondescript.
OF all the queer craft l ever saw she
was the queerest. Not above thirty feet
long, she looked like piece of gigan-
tic cigar pointed at both ends and fitted
with screw propeller, at one of them.
She was about eight feet beam, and when
in proper trim for surface navigation,
about twenty inches of her turtle back
was above water. Amidships she had a
sort of cap, about five feet long, and half
as wide, and the front and sides of this
cap were six plate glass windows, and its
top was round trap or manhole, the
only means of entering the boat. This
manhoe had cover which could be
fastened on water tight. Directly be-
meath was sheet iron chair, on which
the navigator sat while governing the
movements eff the vessel, his eyes being
then on line with the middle of the
windows.
"We received many warnings as we
embarked, but both had faith in the
vessel, and neither of us knew much
about the sticking qualities of the mud
in the bottom of the bay, so we paid lit
tie heed to them. AS soon as got down
in the hold 1 took stock of my sur
roundings. In front of the chair was a
space about five feet long and three wide.
On the starboard side was the engine, a
strange looking machine, something in
appearance like the pump Of good
sized steamer There was no coal nor
steam used. In starting DR.. Holland
took piece of cotton waste, saturated
it with oil, put it in a chamber, set fire
to it, and in ten minutes the engine was
ready for use. On the port side were
three air tanks, two filled with air for
breathing; and the third for the charges
of the pneumatic guns, which was ar
ranged so that its muzzle was on line
with the cutwater. There was air enough
in the other tanks to last three men
for fortyeight hours. Several gauges
told how much air had been used and
also the pressure in the boat. l forgot
to tell you that on both quarters were
two horizontal iron wings or fanges,
which were operated from the inside.
which when placed at an angle would
elevate her stern. and thus send her
down in the water, or the reverse. When
all was in readiness the manhole top was
screwed down tight and we started for
Robbins Reef light, distant about three
miles. We made it in about twenty
minutes and shortly thereafter we were
in the middle of the ship channel. We
had two lights in our cabin, and, after a
glance at them to see that they were all
right, the doctor said
"'Now we will go down.
"At that he moved a part of the ma
chinery. Then 1 heard a rush of water
into a compartment, and she settled so
much by the head that I had to take
hold of cleat to brace myself. Then
the tlanges on the quarters were turned
80 that she would be sent down at an
angle of about thirty degrees. Now
brace yourself well" said the doctor,
for am going to throw her wide open. ,
I obeyed as best as | could and the next
moment he started the engine at full
speed
1t made terrible noise, and for the
first time began to realize the perilous
nature of my position. 1t didn't take
long to reach the bottom, and we struck
it with such force that, though the doc
tor and had braced ourselves as firmly
as possible, and were holding on to the
cleats besides, we were hurled from our
places and brought up against the breech
of the gun.
"'Wcll, here we are said I. What
nextp
"'What nextp replied the doctor.
why, to get free, if possible. We are
stuck in mud bank, and now I'll try
and back her out
"The shock of the collision had put
out one of our lights, and the other was
burning so dimly that it hardly seemed
to make the darkness vAible. l wished
myself ashore with all my heart, and
thought what fool was to venture on
such trip. The doctor set the engine
at work pumping out the compartment
forward, and in little while the gauge
showed that it was dry. Then he re-
versed the propeller, but it couldn't
bulge her. For ten minutes the thump-
ing of my heart was as loud to me as the
'clang, clang' of the eugine. Still we
were fast. The doctor stopped the en-
CINE and tried to find some hope in the
expression of his face, but it looked like
a demons in the faint CLEAN of the light.
Then full sense of my danger flashed on
me. There l was in an iron pot at the