Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-06-08

series of trials in the waters near New
York. This boat is the sixth one invent.s
ed and built by John P. Holland, of New
York. since 1877. The first of these
vessels was only IA feet long; the sec.
ond, built in 1879, was 81 feet long
aud 6 feet in diameter; the third was O.
working model, 16t feet long by 30
inchesin diameter; the fourth was the
zalinski boat, built at Fort Lafayette.
and 40 feet long by eight feet in di-3
ameter; the fifth is now under con-
struction for the Government at Ball
timore, Nd, and is IS feet long by.
III feet in diameter, and has 1853 tons
displacement; and the sixth is the one
here illustrated. This last boat is 53'
feet long, 10 feet inches in diameter.
and has q displacement of Is tous.
The hull. rs will be seen from. the.
illustration, is cigar-shaped and issI
made of .-inch to s-inch steel plates
riveted to steel frames. The top is:
fiat, with two matches and central
telescopic coming tower feet in di.s
ameter and three feet high. Steering.
is done by two sets of rudders, one.
vertical for steering on the surface and
the other horizontal for regulating,
the depth of submersion. There are
three sources of power for propellihg
the boat above and below the water.
expelling water, discharging torpedoes
and dynamite guns, and lighting the
ship internally and externally, name
ly: compressed air, gasoline and elec.,
tricity. The most important agent is.
compressed air, without which it would
be impossible to operate the boat un-
der the sea.
The most important use Of the COM
pressed air is for the respiration of
the crew. The boat is quickly SUBJ
merged by admitting sea water to
series of steel tanks connected with
the compressed air system. To bring
the boat to the surface air is forced
into the water tanks under high pres
sure, and rs the water is expelled the
boat rises swiftly to the surface. The
air tanks have been tested to stand o
pressure of 5000 pounds per square
inch, and are calculated to hold ont
for submergence lasting ten hours,
but if the supply should fail after nine
or ten hours, the tanks can be
replenished by means of tube pro-
iected to the surface as suction pipe.
The armament Of the boat consists
first of an aerial torpedo ejector, at
the bow, capable of throwing to
distance of one mile, projectile
weighing $50 pounds and carrying 100
pounds of high explosive. Immedia-
tely under this is an expulsive tube.
for a Whitehead torpedo, with the
usual charge of 200 pounds of gun
cotton; and pointing to the rear is
dynamite gun capable of throwing 100
pounds of a high explosive 100 yards
or more through the water. When
equipped for service the "Holland"
would carry three Whitehead tor
pedoes, six shots for the forward gun
and five for the after gun.
The most important test the boat
has undergone was when she made
four dives of mile each, went through
q series of surface evolutions, tried
her aerial dynamite gun and expelled
q dummy torpedo from her submarine
tube in Raritan Bay.
The experiments were conducted for
the benefit of the board appointed by
the Secretary of the Navy to witness
the Hollands trials and report upon
her efficiency. Lieutenant Commander
C. S. Sperry, Chief of the Bureau OF
Equipment; Lieutenant Commander
Swift, Chief of the Bureau of Ordi-
nance, and Lieutenant Rock, Naval
Constructor, who comprise that board,
witnessed them from tug provided
by the Holland Company. Elihu B.
Frost, Treasurer of the Holland Com
pany; ex-Assistant Secretary of the
Navy McAdoo; General Murtwaygo,