Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-12
A SUBMARINE BOAT.
INVENTOR OF THE MUCH-TALKrp.
OF CRAFT MAKES A STATEMENT
HIS BOAT A COMPLETE SUCCESS
With No Other Fuel Than Keroseue
the Craft Has Reached Low Denths
ana Travelled Under Water at
Great Speed.
CWrItten for the Dlsnatoh.

IL
From time to time the newspaper-reac
ing public has been RECALLED with brie
but highly-seasoned stories regarding
mysterious submarine boat that has sud
denly appeared on the shores OF LAX
Winnebago, in Wisconsin. How it go
there' how it was built, in what wa
it managed to dive beneath the waters
whether IT walked, or ran, or swan o
turned somersaults when it got dow
among the mermaids in the cool grottoe
at the bottom OF Lake Winnebago. anx
ious readers were left to imagine fol
| themselves, the reports being confined I,
beautifully vague statements in which tn,
new boat was always said TO be much
more wonderful than Jules Verne's
imaginary Nautilus. In order TO give tc
our readers the real story of the nyste.
rious boat, we present here signed
statement. written especially for this
paper by the inventor Of the submarine
boat, and illustrated from photographs
supplied by him.
OSHKOSH. WIS, January 1.-The sub
marine boat Is winner, and the time has
come when, In justice TO myself l feel
l should respond to your invitation 10
make public the result of my experiments.
l have put the boat through series Of
the most trying tests. and she has come
through them all with flying colors. il
such an expression can be used In con-
nection with Il boat that travels beneath
the waves, where colors can't very well
De flown. To show how exhaustive have
been my experiments, l would state that
the craft has remained submerged for
eight and half out of ten hours with
from three To four passengers on board.
and has remained under water with three
passengers on board for over three hours
at stretch without any connection with
the surface whatever. This was done
several days in succession. She has been
maintained upon an absolutely level keel
for more than three hours at a time, OBJ
seryations as TO maintenance Of this con-
dition being made by a passenger upon
an ordinary spirit level, the air-hubble Of
which did not during this time vary a
hair's-breadth from the level mark.
During the time l have been secretly car
rying on these tests in Lake Winnebago
over three hundred descents and voyages
have been made by the submarine boat
Between sixty and seventy passengers
have been carried at different times. A
depth Of thirty-two- feet, the deepest
water in that vicinity, has been navi- !
gated.
A constant depth, with variation OF
less than one foot from given mark. /
has been maintained for several hours at
a stretch, both while the craft was sus- /
pended motionless in the water and at
rest while under Roadway.
AS regards the motive power. the craft
,an be operated in any part of the world.
N any waters where ordinary kerosene
oil can be purchased. the extent of the I
rip being limited only by the supply of
oil that can be carried in the storage
anks.
All operations of charging, storing. or
'ther expenditure OF power necessary for
he operation OF the boat, or the work
ng of any machine connected with it.
depends primarily upon the supply of oil
arrted. With an increase of the po1srtt
expended, any reasonable speed canA1
either above or below wa Ter.
The air supply. which is obtained frdfo<'
eservoirs. has been quite a success The
apacity of the present air machinery is
efficient to maintain the atmosphere of
he boat in a respIrable condition for
wenty hours with two men in the boat
t the option OF the officer In charge OF
ne motive power. the boat can be held
, certain determined depth indefinitely
nd maintained by automatic mechanism
pom level keel for any length of time [
nat she may remain submerged The
epth 10 which this craft can safely de- !
,end is estimated at 800 feet. AS this
merely a question OF the strength OF :
lie shell. Of course any reasonable or y
ssirable depth can be attained by build
q shells strong enough 10 withstand the r
III 49,
pom the size OF the boat depends its :
'wer, speed. length of submergence. and
her qualifications. These can be in n
eased to any extent suitable for the u
Irpose 10 which II is to be put o
This submarine boat Is 6 feet long 4 .
ct In diameter. and l-2 feet high at y
e highest point. II Is built Of a-l6 ar =
Or steel upon a steel frame work. The .
rward end OF the boat Is armed with 2
steel spur of intense penetrating ca a
city. The maximum speed attained at c,
e surface was fourteen miles an hour, u
tn an expenditure approximating forty .,
e-horse power. Its speed when sub -
,rged varies from one to ten miles per IN
ur. depending principally upon the e
arness Of the water and the limits OF HI
ion. II
he boat ~ not intended solely for "a
cling wa? on the ieviathans OF the deep. ~
hough with its steel nose il can sink Ell
Y battleship afioat with ease. hope ri
see IL put TO useful and peaceabla work tp
locating wrecks. carrying on coast and u
'detio survey; pearl. coral. and sponge az
Ing survey for individual enter ~ -,
ses. cable-laying and repairing, rem ha
ing aid to wrecking associations corpo- no
ions, and divers. and for general sci th
Ific exploration in deep water. he
RICHARD RADDATZ. ar ar
Ir. RaddatZ says nothing regarding the ~