The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-12-12
FIGHT BATTLES UNDER WATER,
S~tnnchcst of War Vessels May Be Sunk
by the Holland Boat.

~Stnnchcst of War Vessels May Be Sunk
by the Holland Boat.
Think of a fierce naval battle going
on fifty feet below the surface, while
up above the waters dash and sparkle
in the sunlight and the sails of peaceful
merchant ships and the wings of sea-
gulls skim the ave- 1t is more won.
derful than Tennyson's vision of 1.-THE
nations airy navies graphing in the
central blue" yet people now alive may
see it. a submarine boa for the Unit
ed States navy is almost ready for
launching at Baltimore, and if it is a
success, as all the naval experts believe
it will be, other boats Of a like charac-
ter will be built. Other nations will fol-
low suit and then in cas- of war sub
marine battle between submarine boats
darling and circling around and over
and under each other like fighting sea
monsters becomes a thing as much a
matter of course as the fighting of two,
hostile fleets on the surface of the
waves when they approach each other.
Primarily, of course, the submarine
boat is to be used to fire torpedoes
against the bottoms of hostile men Of
war, and not to meet vessels of it's own
kind.
Naval officers are confronted by a
new and untried part Of their profess
sion, which they must learn. In the
Holland submarine boat the problem
OF building a BOAT which will dive be-
low the water, fire a torpedo at a ships
bottom and rise safely to the surface,
again seems to have been solved. Mr..
Holland has made more than fifty sub
nersions' in the course Of his expert
ments and is confident that his boat
will navigate under water all right ana
come to the surface again when re-
quired.
The trouble with submarine boats
heretofore has been that while they
went down all right they refused to
come up again. There are three ways
in which the boat may be made to go
below the surface Of the water. One
is by opening certain tanks SO that they
will fill with water the boat settles
down; another is by means Of down
haul' screws operated by electricity at
the bow and stern, and the third is by
the action of two driving rudders at the
stern. These rudders are used in the
same way as a duck uses her feet when.
she throws them out behind her and
dives. When the boat is going along
on the surface or partially submerged
steam will be used for her propulsion,
but when she is submerged electricity
from storage batteries will be the mo-
tive power. The coming up process is
a reversal Of the going down in the ap-
plication Of the boats appliances. 1t
is asserted by Mr.. Holland, and believ-
ed by the Government experts who
have examined the new boat. that 1t
can go at least forty miles under water
at a speed Of eight knots an hour with.
u coming to the surface.
Remaining stationary, the boat is sup
posed to be able to stay under water
for several days. At such times a float
with a hose attached so that the end
will be above the waves will be sent
to the surface and fresh air obtained
to be stored in tanks under pressure
and let out as needed.
Provided everything works as is ex-
pected there is still a serious problem
to face-the navigation of the boat I'M
der water. 1t has been found imprac-