The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-05-28
SUBMARINE NAVIGATION.
First Attempts at It-D~y and Bushneirs
boats.

FIRST Attempts ut it-DAy and bushneiFs
Boats.
At the famous siege of Syracuse (2l2
B. c. trained divers were employed on
work under water but their work was
unsatisfactory, since they could stay under
~ater but few moments at a time. From
tina. s-.-e 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 prog
ress for employing submarine boats.
For the most part, however, these efforts
have been failures, very few even as much
90 partially succeeding.
To do full service, the submarine boat
must be constructed SO as TO give fresh
air $500 cubic inches per minute for each
man, SO as to furnish the means for free
ing the air from poisonous impurities
arising from exhaling carbonic acid gas;
also, the means of gi, ing and governing
motion in the submarine boat and room
for the workmen VIII lie under water.
One of the first boats constructed was
by an Englishman named Day, in IVA
The boat Was a failure, however, and Day
lost his life during an experimental de-
scent in Plymouth Sound In essel of
about fifty tons burden. He intended to
make it rise after n submersion of con-
siderable duration, but failed.
The next year one Bushnell, of Con-
necticut, contrived a submarine boat TO
be used in warfare. 1t was OF somewhat
globular shape, aud was propelled by a
kind of Archimedean screw. This boat
was in a measure a success, but it was
never put TO any practical use. Robert
Fulton, while in Paris in 1896, invented
q box which, when filled with combus-
tibles, might be pro- elled under water,
and made to explode beneath the bottom
OF a ship, so as to blow it up but the at
tempt was an entire failure. Some years
afterwsrd, however. he really managed TO
blow up an Old ships hull in this coun-
try. He also constructed submarine
boat for the purpose of blowing up ships.
capable of conta ming several persons,
but when tried on several of the French
rivers 1t was only partial success. and
very unsatisfactory.
Some Of the suggestions about SUBJ
marine ships or boats are to the effect
that a boat ought TO carry store. vessels
containing oxygen to repleuish the air.
the carbonic acid being absorbed either
by cream of lime or strong solution OF
ammonia Ia 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 point at each end.
The rudder was at the end of hollow
shaft, which also contained the axis of
the screw propeller. The boat was COM
pletely closed in on all sides, except for
certain pipe openings. there were two
iron tanks ia the interior; one had air
forced into it by an air pump; the second
contained water, and was furnished with
pipe and stop cock communicating with
the first. The engineer of the boat, by
pumping water into or out of the second,
through the action of the air in the first,
could raise or lower the boat as he willed.
The boat was furnished with steam
engine to provide propelling power. The
embarrassments to its use, however. were
too many and difficult 10 establish its
permanent success.
Some years after a boat called the In
telligent Whale was exhibited at Brook
Ign, y. Y. 1t was of an extended egg
shape, and provided with many original
and needful contrivances. 1t was thought
when The boat was first exhibited that
the problem of submarine navigation was
solved, but after few trials il was found
60 be too cumbersome for convenient use.
--NeU York Ledger.