Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-10-11

Trip.
A special from Cleveland, Ohio, says:
| The Raddatz submarine boat is now
undergoing regular tests, and the claims
| of the inventors are generally allowed
| to be just by those who have seen the
| craft in operation; still, the claim made
| some time ago that the boat had reached,
| and had been successfully operated at
depth of about thirty feet. the deepest
water in this vicinity, seems to have
been doubted. 10 put this doubt ut
rest, the inventor gave another exhibi-
ton Monday.
The boat was propelled out to O spot
where depth of thirty feet had been
found to exist by sounding with tape
line, and at 4.35 o'clock the craft dis-i
| appeared beneath the waves. The bot
tom was reached in one minute, the
machinery controlling the descent hay
ing force of 100 pounds in excess Of /,
the natural buoyancy of the ship, which
is about 1000 at all times. The tenn
perature of the air inside the ship was
" degrees, and remained constant at
this within one-half degree during the,
entire experiment, which lasted about
half an hour.
The air in the ship was all that could
be desired, and was delivered in pure;
condition and in proper quantities for
respiration, there being none of the
close, oppressive feelings usually expe-
rienced by occupants of a small and
confined air space, their entire absence;
being due to peculiar process of cleo
trification to which the air is subjected
after being chemically purified, pro-
ross which is ORIGINAL n nd xvhiah
first applied to the air in this ship, and
which has proved entirely safe and sat-
isfactory throughout the numerous tests
and experiments made this summer.
The interior of the ship is lighted by
means of Edison low potential incan-
descent lamps of small size, giving lit
tie heat ana consuming no air while
burning, Electricity for operating the
lamps, as well as most of the other cleo
trical appliances on board. is furnished
by primary and storage batteries, which
are placed in u separate room forward
OF the coming tower, and directly I'M
der this latter are placed the various
| gauges, valves, levers, indicators, ETC.,
to control not only the electric current,
but also the action of machines in diff
ferent parts of the ship. In this conn
ing tower are placed the eight windows
commanding every point of the COM
pass, and enabling the captain of the
ship, who is stationed here, to readily
see where he is going both on or beneath
the surface.
AT the depth of thirty feet, at which
the ship now rested, little could be seen
without the aid of artificial light, as the
light of the sun illuminated the bottom
imperfectly, the water of the river being
in an unusually non-transparent condi-
ton at this season of the year. In the
dome is also placed a powerful search
light, which, in reasonably clear water
lights up the path of the ship some hum
dreds of feet ahead. The ship was
finally raised to within twenty feet of
the surface and then held suspended
motionless in the water for quarter of
an hour, during which time it did not
vary its depth as much as an inch.
Observations are made through the
pilot house windows, and showed the
water more transparent than at the bot
tom or at the surface; and, although tho
shadowy outlines of some fish were
seen further away, none was seen near
the boat as it again slowly assembled UNI
til within fifteen feet of the surface,
where the gray tinge of daylight pre-
vailing i'll the depths began gradually
increasing in intensity until, at depth
of five feet, there was sufficient light to
read, and within two feet of the surface
the water was lighted up by the suns
rays until it resembled a solid mass of
bright, transparent gold, from which
the ship broke at 5O7 o'clock, having
been submerged thirty-two minutes.
During that time all the machines
seemed to operate in satisfactory man
ner, and, whether at a depth of ten or
thirty feet, the inmates of the ship ex-
perienced no discomfort. We're it not
for the manometers, which plainly indi-
Gated the depth of the ship beneath the
surface, and the almost entire absence
of light i'll the water, it would be hard
TO believe that one was far below the
waves, with boats darting around on
the surface above, and far beyond the
reach OF the strongest storms that have
ever swept these waters.
The ship was put together in this city
last summer, and successfully tested to
Withstand the pressure due to depth of
500 feet. 1t carries on board a tested
machine powerful enough to bring it
from a depth Of 610 feet, were the shell
of the ship strong enough to stand the
| pressure at the depth. Some of the n.y.
draulic gauges were furnished by q
New York firm, but most of the appa-
ratus was made to order by the piece
and set together in this city, some Of the
parts coming from France.
One of the small electric motors was
made for the ship by the Auburn Manu-
| featuring Company, while the others
were cast in Milwaukee and Chicago
and wound i'll this city. The ship has
been under water for three and one
half hours at stretch, and the air ma
chimes have been worked twenty-four
hours without cessation, and there is
little doubt that the ship could remain
that length of time under water were it
necessary.