The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-19

Will submarine boats of the Holland
type revolutioaize naval warfare? Arc the
billions of dollars invested in battleshils
by the great nations of the world a useless
expenditure? Such are the questions which
arc puzziing naval experts. John T. Hol-
land, the inventor of the submarine craft
which bears his name, built a boat years
ago which ran with success under the wa
tiers of New York harbor. Thu first boat
was named the Fenian, and Rr. Holland
demonstrated tho fact that he could go
anywhere with it.
cot Castle Point, in Hobaken, says
he, eve were within three feet of the rocky
bottom and AZ feet below tho surface.
Yet at that depth the engine worked per
fectly, giving US a speed of nine miles an
hour. With our present boat I expect to
go 16 knots an hour before I finish with
her. The difference between a boat of
this type and an ordinary torpedo boat,
which sails on the surface, is beyond
words to express. In rough weather life
on a surface sailing torpedo boat is herTi-
BILE. After a rough trip the crew have to
be sent to a hospital for treatment. In a
great gale such a boat could MOTIVE. But
with our type of boat we are Indifferent to
storms. We can accompany a fleet OF the
biggest warships in the widest sea.
"Besides the quarters for the crew we
have a cabin Is by 10 feet for the accom-
modatien of experts or visitors who may
accompany rs. Tke temperature in the Ell
CINE rooms of rams and torpedo boats is
almost ~insuppoFtable. We shall be perfect
ly cool, having the temperature of tho sea
surrounding the boat. While ships are
covered with ice we, deep in the sea, will
be as comfortable as when by our iresides
at homo. The beat will not be in danger
of sinking, as she Is always sunk. She
cannot leak, because her double bottom is
always filled with water for ballast. II
/ had a contract to attack Havana, / would
skim the bottom of Havana bay, rise to
the surface and with the camera obscura
see on a sheet Of paper before me a picture
of the harbor with its shipping. I would
ram holes in the ordinary warships and
blow up the armored vessels. If / did not
wish to sink them, I would use the aerial
torpedo guns and cave in the decks, then
practice on tho forts at my leisure. The
power Of these weapons is enormous. The
muzsIe energy Of the submarine gun is 100
foot tons, enough to force projectiles
through any obstruction. In using the tor
pedo thrower the recoil from the gun
pushes the boat back into the water out OF
sight, SO that she cannot be located by the
enemy. Tho 81 tons Of electrical storage
batteries in the bottom Of the boa always
keep her right side up, the center of grav-
ity being always under the center OF buoy
ancy. In our SO foot boat we shall carry
enough gasoline fuel In tanks, surrounded
by sea water, to make a 2, 00D mile voyage.
The telescope turret can be projected three
feet above water in from one to two Sec
onds. The pilot inside can thus obtain a
view of his surroundings. When that is I'M
possible, the camera obscura thrust above
the water will throw a picture OF the har-
Dor or sea for miles around-throw It
down q tube on to q sheet Of white paper,
giving a Photographic view Of all hal 10
going on above the sea-
When the Holland boat is ! working or
der, ready for submarine or surface war
fare, the ene1ay's battleship will be blown
up as if anchored over an exploding mine.
Il will be far more terrible during an en-
gagement for a IA, GOO ton warship to be
blown to fragments in deep water, perhaps
In rough, stormy weather, than was the
Maine disaster in a tranquil harbor. The
Holland boat is simply q floating torpedo
several floating torpedocs as to that
matter-propelled in any direction the
pilot may wish. with q frequent map OF
thecnemy's ships and their position reveal
ed on d sheet OF white paper in the little
cabin between the dynamite guns. In acs
tion tho boat is a monster OF intelligence,
terror and death. e can ram heles through