The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-21

U6duQ WOulu LEVEL huoN "hou hou "
fallen them, whether their own boilers
or their own magazine had blown up,
unless the submarine yacht rose to the
surface and fshed them out of the
water and the wild chaos of tossing
wreckage which in few moments would
be all that would be left of their ship. If
the vessel attacked were of a fleet
her fate would be as much a mystery
to those on board her sister ships as to
her own crew. There would be a dull,
smothered explosion, a lifting of the
huge mass of metal heavily upward,
then a staggering, headlong lunge into
the depths of the sea and the tossing
arms of those not dragged underneath
by the suction as the ponderous mass
sunk out of sight.
On board the submarine yacht the
spectacle would be even more thrilling
than from the decks of vessels on the
surface of the water. After hurting
it's torpedo low down against the ex.
posed flank of the enemy there would
be o reversal and swift whirling Of the
twin screws until the vicious little
craft had darted back to a safe dis
lance from the conclusion and the
wreck the deadly explosive had wrought.
Then she could creep quietly back, and
her officers and crew, with their elec'
trio search-lights turned ION the scene
and the steel panels slid back from be-
fore her broad plate-glass window,
could watch at their leisure every de-
tail of the death agonies of a sinking
ship and drowning men.
But aside from all mere anticipatory
speculations as to what it may accom-
plish in actual warfare, Mr.. Dantz'
becher's submarine yacht is fast as
Stunning the proportions of a practical
business investment. Its details have
all been carefully worked out and the
plans drawn. The boat will be loo
feet long over all and twelve feet in
diameter at the midship section.
1t is acigar-shaped cylinder in form,
for the reason that the cylinder will
best resist the pressure of the water,
which at a depth of ninety feeti is thirty.
nine pounds to the square inch. Wheu
submerged there will be a displace-
ment of 1863 tons. The plating in the
middle fifty feet of length is half inch
of mild steel, with thickness of three
Fights of an inch at the ends.
"The diving apparatus of the boat
said Mr.. Dantzbecher in a recent in.
terview, sis radically different from
anything yet constructed, and is cop.
led from the fish. There is a shaft ex.
tending athwartships and going two
feet beyond the hull, to which are at
tached the diving planes, which are
horizontal rudders, placed one on each
side and two feet wide by ten feet long,
located about twenty feet from the
bow. There is also a duplicate set OF
these planes about the same distance
from the stern, and 30 designed that
they may be worked Independently OF
together. A fish balances in the
water, and rises, falls or maintains his
level by the use of the two fins placed
just back Of his gills. This is a fact
of which any one may convince himself
by watching goldfish in al aquarium.
"These diving planes, placed fore
and aft, will in the anne way control
the depth of the hull in the water, o
set of levers in connection with cylin.
ders either elevating or depressing
them for rising or falling i'll the water,
and so arranged that the pressure Of
water outside of the hull makes it au-
tomato in operation and keeps the
boat on an even keel at all times at any
desired depth.
There will always be maintained a
reserve buoyancy of from 700 to 1000
pounds, so that should the machinery
in any way become disarranged the
hull will at once cometo the surface.
"The boats air tanks will be con-
structed for a pressure of 1000 pounds,
and ventilation is provided for by
blowers and pumps, which exhaust the
impure air to one compartment, where
it is pumped overheard, and the prop
erly regulated supply from the TANK
will keep the air pure.
"The boat will be driven by two gas
engines of eighty horsepower each,
direct connection, each engine having
two cylinders. This gas-power engine
is used because it keeps all fire from
the hold, the gas in the engines being
made from gasoline and exploded by
electric spark from the storage battery
plant. The engines will exhaust,
when on the surface, to the open air,
but when running submerged will ex'
haust into q condenser, and the gases
of exhaust will then be discharged
cupboard by the vacuum pump. They
will also be made to disconnect from
the driving shaft, and n will be
utilized to run the dynamo and the
other to- furnish power for the air com
p~ressor."
A Philadelphia of great wealth il
furnishing the money to build this re
markable craft. The interest he takes
in it is solely for its possibilities IL
tho NOV of advancing scientific knOWl