Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-05-23
SUBMARINE NAVIGATION.


Al the Boats Hitherto Constructed Have
Proven Too Cumbersoms for Use.
At the famous siege IF Syracuse (212
3. O. trained divers were employed ON
work under water, but their work was
unsatisfactory, since they could stay
under water but @ few moments at a
time. From that time until about two
hundred years ago there was little or no
progress made in submarine work, but
within the last two centuries efforts
have been in progress for employing
submarine boats; for the most part, how
ever, these efforts have been failures,
very few even as much as partially sue
ceeding.
To do full service, the submarine boat
must be constructed so as to give fresh
air t520 cubic inches per minute for each
man, so az to furnish the means for
freeing the air from poisonous impuri-
/ ties arising from exhaling carbonic acid
gas; also the means of giving and gov
erning motion in the submarine boat,
and room for the workmen while under
water.
( One Of the first boats constructed was
by an Englishman named Day, in 17T4.
4 The boat was failure, however, and
Day lost his life during an experimental
descent in Plymouth Sound, in vessel
of about fifty tons burden. He intended
to make it rise after submersion of
considerable duration, but failed
The next year one Bushnell, of Con-
necticut, contriyed "a submarine boat to
be used in warfare. 1t was of some-
what globular shape, and was propelled
by kind of Archimedean screw. This
boat was, in measure, a success, but it
was never put to any practical use, and
soon dropped out Of notice. Robert Full
ton, while in Paris, In 1896, invented a
box which, when filled with combusti-
bles, might be propelled under water,
and made to explode beneath the bottom
of ship SO as to blow it up, but the att
tempt was an entire failure. Some
, years afterward, however, he really
, managed to blow Up an old ships hull
in this country. He also constructed a
submarine boat for the purpose of blow
j. ing Up ships, capable of containing sew.
eral persons, but when tried on several
of the French rivers, it was only par
tial success, and very unsatisfactory.
Some Of the suggestions about subma-
, rine ships or boats are to the effect that
boat ought to carry store-vesse,s con-
tanning oxygen to replenish the air, the
carbonic acid being Absorb bed either by
cream Of lime or strong solution OF
ammonia. In 1859 much attention was
attracted to boat designed in Chicago.
According to the patent, the vessel was
egg-shaped in transverse section, and
diminished nearly to a point at each
end. The rudder was at the end of q
hollow shaft, which also contained the
axis of the screw propeller. The boat
was completely closed in on all sides,
except for certain ipe-openings. There
were two iron tanks in the interior; one
had air forced into it by an air pump;
the second contained water, and was
furnished with a pipe and stop-cock
communicating with the first The en-
| gineer of the boat, by pumping water
into or out of the second, through the
, action of the air in the first, could raise
i or lower the boat as he willed. The
boat was furnished with steam-engins
! to provide propelling power. The EN-
: barrassments to its use, however, wer'
t too many and difficult to establish it
! permanent success.
n Some years after a boat, called the In
). telligent Whale, was exhibited a
Brooklyn, y. Y. 1t was of an extended
S egg-shape and provided with many orig
inal and needful contrivances. 1t wa
s thought when the boat was first exhib
e tied, that the problem Of submarine
t navigation was solved, but after few
trials it was found to be too cumber
some for convenient use-N. Y. Ledg