The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-02
SUBMARINE TORPEDO BOAT,
description Of the Wonder Being
Ba|as Built by Mr.. Holland.


heee Vested. We shall have a pretty fair
ases As ~ whether submarine warfare is
y 4reasM or y reality. AS the boat lies
ssoaSSSlse of - pier at the Crescent shin.
yards, at Els1abethport, now, she looks
like q dtsreputable old fish come to the
top OF the water to, breathe. On either
side 81 her snub-nosed head ara two open.
tngs. which look exactly like gills, and
she has "blowholer in the top OF her
head, like whale, from which she will
spout torpedoes Instead of water. In
short, she is Every like q. "saw Ell. off,
whale. All visitors to the yard go to look
at the strange boat the first thing and
say: We'll. I'll be derned.n The work
men, though they may pass her fifty times
n day, turn every time'to look at her, and
the strange craft is the ceuter of ali in,
terest in the yard. A big sign is hung at
her gangplank, saying mo one admitted
on this boat except those actually work.
ing on her." and the rule is enforced.
In answering a letter on the subject OF
the boat to the Philadelphia Times that
paper says:
In order to make q clear reply to that
question it will be necessary to describe
briefly the design of the boat as whole.
Primarily it is an artificial fish end is
modelled i'll longitudinal section, very
much like whale about fifty feet long.
The interior is entirely taken up with the
operating mecharism no room whatever
being provided for living quarters. 1t
might also be described as very large
locomotive or automobile torpedo, differ
ing from the ordinary torpedo in accord
ing room for human direction instead of
being launched and left to take care of
itself While simply moving about from
place to place, its deck and the small con-
ing tower in which the commander
stands are above water; perhaps foot of
the deck, which is turtle back, and
about thirty inches in height of. the
coming tower above that. When acting
in this capacity it is propelled by
n naphtha or gasoline engine, oper-
ating an ordinary Small screw propel.
Ter. When it is desired to sink the
boat for submarine operations, water i.
let into trimming or ballast tanks in the
bottom in n suflicinent amount to reduce
it's flotation or buoyancy to few hundred
pounds. That is to say, when. Submerged
its weight, If weighed in the water, would
be within about five hundred pounds of
it's actual weight .on land. 1t can be
manoeuvred up to one thousand pounds
flotutiGn, but not much above that The
direction of the boat in motion latterly is
affected by vertical rudders in the same
manner as any other craft. Its diving and
rising and the regulation of it's depth
from time to time Is effected by two hor.
izontal rudders pivoted one on each side
of the centre line abreast of the propeller.
When the after edges of these rudders are
depressed below the horizontal plane of
the boat the stern is thrown upward and
the bow downward, causing..the vessel to
dive. When the horizontal rudders are
moved in the contrary direction, the stern
is thrown down and the bow up, causing
the boat to come to the surface.
When under winter the gasoline engine
is not operated, or, If operated, only for
very short space of time; because al
though the exhaust of the engine is out
board, still the consumption of air neces
snry to the combustion of the gasoline
would speedily use up the limited atmos-
pheric resoui ces of the interior. The gas
oline engine being shut off under water,
for the reason just stated, the pc Her re-
quired for submerged opeation is pro-
vided by system of electric storage bat
teries operating u motor attached to the
propeller shaft The depth of suhmerg-
ence at any moment is determined by a
guage, which registers inside the exact
pressure of water outside. The pressure
OF water upon submerged body being
almost exactly half Il pound to the foot
of submergence, it follows that guage
" hiNh Oi phC MOulu Register lne
external pressure in pounds and ounces
would show exactly the depth of the sub.
merGence. Thus the operator having be
lore him the pressure Ruage noting ex-
actly his distance below the surface of the
water, and the apparatus for determining
the course OF the boat irrespective OF the
standard pass-whch is subject to
considerable deviation when under water
and is not altogether reiiable--and also
having speed indicator before him by
which he is enabled to determine the
exact distance of run per minute, can
for brief periods of time and through
short distances, navigate almost as intel
lIgently and keep almost as exact course
under water rs above. When it is desired
TO come to the surface quickly, the water
which has been taken into the ballast
tanks for :he purpose of reducing the
flotation can he elected by blast of COM
pressed air from tanks in which it is
stored ut pressure of about one thou
sand pounds to the square inch These
compressed air tanks can also be drawn
upon, from time to time, to freshen the
atmosphere in the interior of the boat
when subm erged.
The armament of the vessel consists of
one torpedo tube in the line of the longi
tudinal axis of the boat forward. frcm
which the ordinary Whitehead torLe,lo is
elected by blast of compressed air or by
small charge of gunpowder. 1t also
has two submarine projectile tubes or
guns carrying II projectile in the form of
a thin shell chargeable with about eighty
pounds of gun cotton. or course the
warlikc utility Of such wea pom is as yet
theoretical or mathematical, no opportu-
nifty having occurred for it's actual use in
warfare. In the experimental sense the
French have developed the submarine tor
pedo boat more than any other marine