The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-05-17
WILL TRAVEL ON WHEELS
The Great Deep Will Yield Up Its
differing Treasures
All the Wealth Of the Ocean to BE oatnefeo
In and Wrecks Can Now DC
Explored


the Rothschilds the late Jay Gould ana
Hetty Green pale into nothing in com
parison. No statiStician mas ever peen
bold enough to compute the Weaith
which the ocean has engulfed me uic-
tionary does not possess any word mag
nificent enough to express this wealth.
1t is needless to say. If this boat makes
a painstaking search of the bottom OF
the ocean its owners will in short time
be rich enogh to purchase generous
slice of the earth
Lake, who in earlier life was fisherman
on the south Jersey shore. From 1n-
fancy he has been familiar with the
ways of the turbulent ocean, ana, more
over, Is a mechanical genius. In early
life he exhausted the wonders of the sur
face Of the ocean and soon acquired a
thirst for knowledge of what went on
underneath.
Mr. Lake is not yet 81 years old, but
for seventeen years he has been trying
to build a submarine boat. He was not
content to limit his ambition to the
building of a boat which would dart be-
meath the waves and slam a. torpedo into
the hull of war ship. Although this
latter kind of craft has puzzled the
brains of naval architects for genera
tions 1t was too easy for the south Jer-
seyman to bother with. He wanted
boat that would go directly to the bot
tom of the ocean and travel on wheels
along the ground there, up hill and
down dale.
Such a boat is now being built in the
ship yard of a wealthy Baltimore con-
Germ, one of the owners of which has
tken an active interest in the under
ocean boat and Is treasurer of the Lake
Submarine company. Briefly described
the curious craft now building Will be
ar-shaped and of steel 1t will be pro-
PEELED by steam on the surface and by
electricity from storage batteries under
the surface. According to the plans, it
will be possible to work at depth of $50
feet which will allow it in some places
to go 100 miles from the coast The ocean
bed slips downward at about the rate
of six feet to the mile.
The trial vessel to be built at the
Master ship yards will be about forty
feet long and ten or fifteen feet in diam
eter. 1t is to be made small in order to
be transferred easily to Europe on a
steamer after a trial in the port of Bal
timore
It viii carry a crew of six men and
VIII be capable Of staying on the bottem
forty hours without renewing the air
The openings whore the divers will go
out to work will be on the bottom. and
the water will be kept outof the apart
ment by which they will leave the boat
by Air pressure. Powerful electric lights
VIII Illuminate the ocean bed for 300 feet
around the vessel. There will be a pro-
l" nc !edr When me boat strikes
bottom IT VIII run on three wheels. two
or which VIII be provided with claws. 50
they may be used as additional propeI1
ers. The operator will stay In the front
oenind the electric lights. The relative
aIr ana water pressure will be shown by
gauges A derrick fastened on the front
end will be used In lifting the wrecJ,ore
tr'Ie more than year ago Mr. Lake
startled the people of Sandy Hook NV
appearing on the Jersey shore with
something that looked like a CONN on
wheels. This was his first submarine
noat. and the boat now building is an
elaboration OF the ideas combined in
this strange craft "
me trial boat Is 16 feet long, with
foot beam at the widest part and an
average depth Of feet. Tt is mounted
: on Two wheels feet in diameter with
smaller guide wheel at the bow. The
boat is flat-bottomed Its upper decI,
IS almost flush with the water. Roth
stem and stern are cut off abr,IntIy
Entrance Is gained 70 the interior of the
boat by means of a hatchway in the CEN
ter. Every part OF the craft In supposed
70 ne water and air-tight. Its Frame
work Is composed of IL inch Georgia
pine. Over this is placed a tar paper
covering. Dead-eyes are placed in tha
bow and stern. The boat is raised ~.
sunk by means Of compressed air and
weights. TO the keel is attached -
ne released in case Of accident. Al the
DOW and stern are two other weights
or 900 pounds each, which can be raised
or lowered by means of pulley.
Lake divided the interior of the boat
into three compartments with valve
doors. The forward compartment is
the work room. and contains air and
water pumps and the cranks for endless
chains attached to sprocket wheels on
the axle by which the boat is moved
along the bottom Of the ocean.
Adjoining this apartment is the cham
Der through which entrance is gained
to the diving bell In the stern of the boat
Lake rugged up rowlockS for sWeens IN
the deck on the model to move his boat
from point to point on the surface of the
water, When he reaches the spot where
he intends to go to the bottom tba
weights at the stern and stem are low
cred to the bed Of the ocean. and his
assistants then enter the main com
partment and close the door above
them
Fresh air Is pumped in and water is
forced into compartments located in the
hold. The boat sinks a certain distance
Compressed air is then forced into the
main compartments. When the boat
has sunk to point where it's buoyancy
and that of the water is equal the bow
and stern weights are raised by means
of pulleys. The added weight sinks the
by means of the endless chain and
sprocket wheels and the tiller, the boat
can be moved along the bottom.
Lake built his model to resist pres
sure OF 100 pounds to the square inch,
ana Knows he can with safety sink the
model In twenty-five feet of water. He
expects to be able to stay for two days
al the bottom of the sea- without coming
20 the surface for supplies. Anchorage
is made by means of huge rubber disks.
Which can be held against the side of
TocK or a sunken wreck until the air be-
tween the disk and the object is ex-
nausted Then the pressure of the water
holds it in place
Inc boat has worked satisfactorily. He
ana companion went down in It in
twenty-five feet OF water in the lower
END OF New York bay in the spring of
3D. ana the two men moved with ease
from one compartment to the other No
ulIncuity was experienced in descending
or ascending. The fact that Lake con-
Edentiy risks his life I'm his invention
is perhaps. the reason of his having
no trouble to get capital interested in
his schemes. -
While the new boat may work Salts
factorily in twenty five or even fiftv feet
or water IT is question whether II can
ne utilized in the ocean. where the depth
IS sometimes three, four and five miles.
The pressure of so much water would.
It IL believed. burst into flinders the