The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-05-21
A SUBMARINE CRAFT
Holland Torpedo Boat Launched
at Elizabethport, N. j.
MYSTERY is CONNECTED WITH HER.
Her Builders Have Carefully Guarded Her
Construction and Kept Secret For
Whom She Was Built-Makss
Good Showing,

Elizabethport. N. j.. May 1s.-The
Holland submarine torpedo boat has
been successfully launched at the Lew
Is Nixon Crescent shipyards.
Mrs. Lewis Nixon broke gayly dec
grated bottle of wine on the nose shaped
bow of the craft and exclaimed, Il
christen thee the Holland"
As the cigar shaped stern struck and
buried itself in the waters of Staten Is
land sound a cheer arose from the
spectators. which quickly changed to
exclamations of anxiety as the odd look
ing craft continued to disappear under
the water, until it looked as though
the Holland was bound for the bottom
of the sound.
The next instant anxiety gave way to
loud shouts and whistling of steamers
as the turret and about feet by Is
of the deck of the torpedo boat APP
peared on the surface of the water.
The Holland was towed to the dock,
where she will be completed before any
submarine experiments are made. Mr..
Holland was greatly pleased over the
successful launching.
The launching was made as secret as
possible, lest everything should not
work right No one was admitted to
the yard other than the employees and
several friends of Mr.. Holland and half
dozen newspaper men. There was no
representative from the United States
or any other government.
The original intention to have one of
Mr. Hollands assistants launched in
the boat was abandoned. and no one
was aboard when the Holland left the
ways. The only decoration was a small
American flag on a temporary flagstaff
attached to the small turret of the Hol-
land.
Mr.. Holland and Mr.. Nixon refuse to
state for whom or for what purpose the
torpedo boat Holland is destined.
The craft about which there has
been so much speculation and mys-
terry, is the invention of John p. HoI-
land. Mr.. Holland has been wrestling
with the submarine boat problem for
ten years or more. The vessel is the
fourth he has made. The first, launch
ed in 1877, was a small affair and not
an unqualified succTes Then Mr.. Hol-
land put in five years more on a second
attempt that never even came to a
launching. Two years later a third,
that promised everything desired, was
smashed in the launching. Besides
the present boat a similar one is now
building in Baltimore.
Dimensions of the Craft.
The Holland is so feet inches long,
with foot screw protecting extern
sion. Its diameter is 10 feet inches
amidships and the nodded diameter 10
feet inches. 1t can travel under wa
ter eight knots an hour for eight hours
and ten knots on the surface.
The power comes from a gasoline en-
gine and a dynamo, the latter to be
used when submerged and the former
when the boat is sailing along on the
surface.
1t will take barely one minute to sub
merge the boat and not much longer
to raise 1t to the surface of the water.
The armament consists of three tor
pedo tubes, one at the upper bow of
the boat being an aerial torpedo throw
er, with a range of one mile. Six pro-
jectiles, weighing 1S0 pounds each, with
charges of 100 pounds of explosives, are
to be stored for this gun.
Almost directly beneath the torpedo
thrower is an expulsion tube for White
head torpedos. Only three of these tor
pedos will be carried, as each one
weighs $50 pounds. At the stern of the
boat is submarine gun which, with
100 pound charge of explosive, oan hurl
400 pound projectile 100 yards or more
through the water. Five of these pro-
jectiles will be carried.
The craft will be manipulated by
crew of six men.
Workmen will get the craft in shape
at once, and she will have her trial trip
down the bay as soon as possible.
Three foreign powers are said to have
made overtures to secure the craft in
case it proves a success, but it is likely
that the United States government will
get 1t in case it comes up to expeota-
tions The government has already ofi-
cially indorsed the patents pertaining
to the boat, and the navy department
has had an official at the shipyard sub
mitting reports constantly on the work
of construction