The sun., 1898-05-29
FIRST SUBMARINE Terror
Brought Up The Delaware River
by Daring Nayigators.
LOCATED At MARCUS HOOK
The Boat Was Cigar Shaped and Was
Sold to a Trenton MaD---Daug hter
OfOne Of Men Now Living
at Chester.

la the spring of 1860 there came +
this country from Paris, France, 81,
Germans and one Frenchman.
They were all experienced seamel
and had invented submarine boat; il
this they made their journey across thu
Atlantic in safety, They came up thu
Delaware river and stopped at Marcus
Hook. The citizens of that town wert
surprised to see the odd looking boat
lying near the shore; they thought thai
Jules Verne's widest dreams had beer
realized at last.
The boat was about fifty feet long ant
was painted a dark red color. There
was man-hole in the top, and the mer
could get in by this means. The ma
chinery was then started, and the boat
would slowly sink into the depths of the
ocean.
The boat was composed of iron sheets
riveted together the same as boiler
the rivet heads were visible on the out
side. ....
The boat was cigar shaped and had
paddles on either side and on the end
The men claimed they could take theil
boat to the place where sunken vesse
was and recover a greater part OF the
cargo, or if they wanted could attach a
torpedo to their boat and blow up the
largest vessels that came up the river.
Their boat remained at Marcus Hook
for some time and was afterward sold to
some one who made good use of it as a
diving apparatus.
The machinery inside the boat was
never seen by any OF the citizens, as the
men did not wish any one TO enter their
boat, as they did not have patent right
or it.
Old seamen who reside at that place
often talk of the boat when any one
speaks of submarine boats, and they
say that it was without doubt the first
one brought into this country.
1t may be that Jules Verne took his
ideas from this boat when he wrote the
book entitled Twenty Thousand
Leagues Under the Sea-" Two OF the
Germans named Henry and Peter
Lautenslager, and French Frank as the
Erenchman was called remained atMarcus
Hook while the rest of the men returned
home-
The Germans who had won the sobri-
quet OF Dutch Hen and Dutch Pete, re.
lnained at Marcus Hook for while and
finding that cavier was in great demand
in Germany at that time they resolved to
catch some sturgeon and manufacture it.
They built little cabin and made a
boat and sturgeon seine and began to
fish.
rhe net was made of stout twine, and
jhe meshes were considerably larger than
hose in a tennis net.
The net was then hung in the lines,
one of which had leads and the ether
,orks or floats. These floats are made
he shape OF an Indian club.
The cavier was made by squeezing the
'oe OF the sturgeon through a sieve, it
vas then sated and packed in barrels
md shipped to Germany and different
oarts of the United States.
The largest sturgeon are from s to 10
Get long and weigh from 800 to 500
pounds. They damage the shad fisher
mems nets so badly that it Sometimes
axes two or three days to repair them.
When the sturgeon are young they are
Known as mamooses; they range from ]
DOT to 3.
The meat OF the sturgeon is in great
lemand in New York and other large
ities. The skin and heads are boiled
md made into sort of harness oil. The
wo Germans made several good hauls
which netted them a large profit for
heir labor
One day two young men, named John
'arto and Benjamin Heacock, both of
'larcus Hook, went to the Germans and
sked if they could take the boat and
et and try their LUCK at fishing. The
iermans consented and the boys started |
ut, and in about two hours had the
oat loaded and several Of the sturgeon
led to a rope at the stern of the boat.
he Germans stood on the dock watch
ng the boys as they came in with their
rophies. Suddenly Pete saw the stur-
con at the stern of the boat and eX-
laimed, "Mein Gott, look at dot fish;
ie gets goot price for heem." Just
hen the rope by which the fish were
led, parted, and the fish disappeared
eneath the water. "Dunder and Bit
en- exclaimed Dutch Hen, "all is
Dst."
The boys burst into peals of laughter
t the looks of despair on the Germans
ices. Pete came near falling overheard
G was SO excited. They stood and gazed
t the spot where the fish had dis
ppeared as if thev thought their eyes
ad deceived them.
Then they came to the conclusion that
was real after ALL They Immediately
urst into angry imprecations against
le boys for putting such thin rope on
le sturgeon. The boys finally got them
acified by telling them they would 60
ut again and get some more.
The men after while resolved to move
lrther up the river on what is now
hester Island, but which was then
llled Aunt Deb's Island, named for an
d woman of that name who had once
we'd there. Here they built pen for
le sturgeon and as soon as the sturgeon
ere caught they were thrown into this
IN and could be used whenever they s
w fit After they had been on this
land about year, Hen took the boat {
I'd started for Chester, heavy sale was
owing, but he made Chester in safety.
On his way back the wind which was ,
owing stronger than ever, struck the t
de Of the boat and overturned her; he
as thrown into the water, and being a I
'od swimmer struggled for some time ,
reach shore, but the sea was SO heavy t
at it was impossible for him to mike i
~ headway and he was drowned in
yht of land 6