The record-union., 1897-06-06
TO RUN UNDER WATER.
John P. Hollands Submarine Torpedo
Boat.
How 1t is Propelled and Navigated-
The Most Perfect Specimen of
Her Type.

AhS IAOSS &AA~~~ oPS~hiiSh Va
Her Type.
| The launch of a submarine torpedo
| boat at Elizabeth, n. j., last week can
| hardly be said to mark a new era in
| naval warfare; but the Saucy little
craft itself is probably the most per-
! feet specimen Of her type ever yet de-
signed. A full century before Jules
Verne wrote Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea" a boat was
built by David Bushnell, a Connecticut
Yankee, which could be navigated I'M
der water Robert Fulton also con-
structed such a vessel and tried to sell
| it to the first Napoleon, away back in
| 1902. During the late Civil War in this
country the Confederates destroyed one
of the Union ships by means of a sub
marine boat, which towed a torpedo up
against the object of attack. AT the
present time the navies Of France,
| Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Turkey
and Greece have one or more boats de-
| signed to carry and discharge torpe-
does, but differing from the ordinary
! torpedo boat in being able to travel I'M
| der water part of the time. For one
reason or another several OF these yes
sells have proved unsatisfactory and
none have yet been so tested as to dem
onstrate their practical efficiency
Uncle Sam was led seriously TO con-
| slider the notion of having a submarine
boat fully ten years ago. Various in
ventors submitted plans to the Navy
Department, and finally, about two
| years ago, a contract was given to a
Baltimore ship-building concern for a
vessel to be constructed in accordance
with John p. Hollands designs. Mr..
Holland, then a resident of Newark N.
j., but now living in this city, had
been studying the subject ever since
1877, and had made boats which would
travel under water. Such slow pro-
| greSs has been made with this Govern
ment enterprise, however, that he final
| ~ decided to go ahead on his own ac-
count. A private contract was made
with Lewis Nixon for the building of a
| different boat at Eliza bethport. Work
was begun on it last December, and
within five months it has become pos
| sible to float her. What disposition
will be made of this new product of
marine architecture and engineering
eventually it is impossible at present to
say. She is, however, distinct i'm
provement upon Uncle Sans boat in
several respects; and in certain others
| both of them are superior to all for
| eign craft of the same class.
MODELLED ON THE SWEET POTATO
In general form the latest Holland
boat resembles a magnified and SYM
metrical sweet potato. In slenderness
the Baltimore boat is, perhaps. com
| parable to a cigar: but this is not true
of the Elizabethport specimen. AS
mas already been announced in the
| Tribune" the vessel Just launched is
% feet inches long, 10 feet 3 inches
in diameter at the middle. and has a
displacement of about seventy-five
tons; whereas the one under construc-
ton for the Government is 50 feet long
1l12 feet through at the middle, and
viii displace 16S tons of water. Mr.
Holland believes that the smaller boat
can be more easily Unanswered than the
larger; she can operate, submerged, in
only twelve feet of water. whereas the
other one requires sixteen or eighteen:
her cost will be about 100000. as
against S1o0,000; she can be worked
with five or six men, instead of reuuir-
ing a crew of ten, besides possessing
other eXcellences to which reference
viii be made presently. Hence. as Mr.
Holland puts it. She concentrates
greater power in, less space, and pre-
sentS smaller target to the enemy'
Except when considerations of safe
ty or strategy require that this boat
snail be completely submerged. if is
intended that she shall float with about
one-elghth or one-quarter of her hull
above the surface. Under the circum-
stances she would look something like
diminutive "whaleback." The only
projection from her upper surface-it
could hardly be called a decks
small coming tower" or pilot-house
having an inside diameter of twenty
inches and surmounted by a hinged
cover. Through this opening alone is
admission obtained to the inerior OF the
hull. The tower is telescope. and its
night may be varied from eight to thir-
ty inches. Peepholes in the tower give
the pilot, who is also the commander
wide range of vision. The Baltimore
boat, which is to be propelled by steam
and generates her power by burning
petroleum or other fuel, has a smoke
stack coming up just aft of the con-
ming tower. This can be lowered and
the opening left in the hull can be
closed when it is desirable to sink be-
low the surface. The Elzabethport
boat, however, viii use a gasoline en-
CINE and requires no smokestack. This
will simplify matters and tighten the
craft. There are small well-guarded
headlights in the upper surface Of the
hull, too, which admit daylight when
the boat is floating.
THE METHOD OF PROPULSION.
Propulsion is effected with a screw.
protection for which and for the rud-
ders is afforded by a broad, nearly cir
cular guard aStern. AT present the
new boat has a horsepower en-
CINE, but this will be replaced in time
with 300 horse power engine. Mr..
Holland believes that she can carry
enough gasoline for cruise Of at least
two thousand miles. and sometimes he
permits himself to think that she might
possibly cover even five thousand miles
without putting into port for fresh sup
plies of gasoline. The Baltimore boat
is provided with three triple-expansion
engines, whose combined horse power
is 1850, but she will probably never
be able to steam more than one thou
sand with one full stock of fuel
The unique feature of this class of
vessels, the ability to navigate when
fully submerged, makes it necessary to
equip them with some appliances not
required on other torpedo boats. When
the craft is about to dive the engine
(whether driven by steam or gas) is
shut down and all nraninus Ca. 4l.1.