The San Francisco call., 1896-08-16
The Submarine Naval Boat.


The New York people who are interested
in the submarine boat being built for the
navy In Baltimore are concerned whether
the Navy Department will authorize the
construction of another craft of like type.
This, from present indications, does not
seem probable, although the matter de-
pends entirely on the results obtained by
the boat now under way.
Most naval officers have little faith in
this type of war craft. Perhaps this comes
from their lack of precise knowledge of
such boats, and it may spring also from
the natural distrust of boat the chief
functions of which must be carried on
under the water. The builders must, under
their contract, demonstrate to the Gov
eminent the reliability of the new boat;
they must operate it in all the numerous
ways called for under the specifications,
and If they are able to do all that is re-
quired of them, and ever come to the sur
face again, there will probably be estab-
lished a confidence in the boat which does
not at present exist,
The foreign submarine boats operate
without much accident, and there is no
reason, theoretically, why the American
N1d1tt d0AllblCOly SupcltOI DOdb VI IT'S
type, should not be a success. Whether
it will have the tactical value claimed for
it by the inventor remains to be seen. 1t
is reasonable, however, to suppose that
boat navigating under the water, out of
sight of an enemy, would be capable of
doing more damage than a much more
powerful boat, the movements of which
were known to an alert antagonist.
The latest naval appropriation act al
lows the Secretary of the Navy to have
built two more submarine boats if the
Baltimore craft proves satisfactory, 1t is
yet too early to determine the practicable
ity of the first beat of this type, but this
does not prevent naval officers from as
suming the disadvantages of the boat.
They admit the possibility of its value,
and they appreciate the varied offices
which the inventor believes may be per-
formed by his mechanism. They have,
notwithstanding. feeling that the boat
will not be duplicated. II it shall succeed
in meeting all the requirements, which
are numerous and severe, the navy viii
have a valuable craft and the battle feet
an important aly.-New York Times.
According to the Ceylon Observer a
very interesting experiment on the cuIti-
vation of Para rubber is being made on
one of the estates in that country. About
year ago some $4,000 plants were pur-
chased and planted on the estate, and the
trees are now said to show a surprising
growth, as do also those on the Govern
ments experimental plantation in the
same district. As is well known, the de-
mand for good rubber is now in excess of
the supply. During the years 1S94-95 the
value of the rubber exported from Para
was upward of 100000 milreis, being
rather more than double the value of the
exported rubber for the year 1s90-91.
1t appears from the report of the foreign
trade of China for the year 1895, recently
issued by the China Imperial Maritime
Customs, that in connection with the silk
industry of China the steps initiated by
the Inspector-General to imp plant in China
the Pasteur system of detecting and erad-
icating disease in silkworms have sue
ceeded in the Kwangtung province.
The Caspian Sea is $50 feet below the