The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1899-11-11
LATE HOLLAND TORPEDO BOAT
1T rs A GREAT DESTROYER.
New Terror of the Seas-SteaIing
Along Under the Water, Never
Leaving "A RippIe-Can Not Follow

New York, Nov. THE submarine
torpedo boat Holland has been success
fully tested in Peconic bay, l.. L.
AT the close of the test the members
of the board of inspection shook hands
with John p. Holland, the inventor, and
congratulated him on his success.
He had waited % years for victory.
Tears streamed down mis- cheeks when the
naval officers greeted him.
The members of the board went into the
Holland as she lay at the dock and min
utely examined the mechanism and work
ings.
The requirements for the tests as laid
down by the board were:
"(a) Have three torpedoes in place.
"(b) Have all arrangements made for
discharging torpedoes without delay.
"(c) Be prepared to fire torpedoes at
full speed when submerged as well as
when at full speed ON the surface.
"(d) Have crew exercised by actual
practice so as to be able to make required
submerged runs and steer a straight
course.
"In order to make trial submerged
run of two miles it is recommended that
two marking buoys be placed a mile apart
and that boat to serve as torpedo tar
get be anchored at one of these buoys,
so that the Holland, after running a mile
under water, can come up to surface for
observation, discharge her torpedo and
then diving again, can return to the first
buoy.
"This would complete her two miles I'M
der water run.
"a measure of her efficiency will be
shown by the number of times it is neces-
sary for her to come to the surface for OBJ
servations."
The owner of the Holland complied
with these specifications and suggested
more elaborate tests, but the suggestions
for additional trials were not accepted by
the board.
When all was ready the Holland sank
to the depth of 10 feet, while going at
full speed, which was attained almost i'm
mediately. This left the tips of the flag
poles on her deck exposed. But for these
it would have been impossible to have
traced the boat, as while submerged she
made no disturbance upon the surface.
She travelled at the rate of eight knots
an hour, making the distance from start
to turning point in nine and one-half
minutes.
Arriving at the end of the mile, she
shot to the surface, her turret coming
into view. Ten seconds later she had
again disappeared Within the 10 sec
onds she corrected her course, having de-
waited only 20 feet from the true course
and fired a regulation Whitehead torpedo,
weighing "a pounds, which went spinning
off toward the target 800 yards away.
Meanwhile as the deadly missile whirled
through on its course the Holland swung
about and started back. She turned in a
radius of rs feet or about one and one-half
times her own length. She was flying
back to the starting point before the mis-
sile had run its course. The return trip
was made in about the same time as the
outward run and was equally as success.
full
The range and course is taken by the
steersman as the boat sinks. While sub.
merged he cannot see anything and has tc
calculate, as he flies along, just how fan
the boat travels each second, so as tC
know when to rise at the end of the giver
distance. While doing this he must steer
the compass course taken at the moment
of diving
The Holland then ran quarter of 6
mile on the surface as a speed test. Thu
rate attained was eight knots but it wal
claimed she would have passed this speed
had the whole mile been run. The OBJ
ject of the short test, however, was tC
see how quickly she got under way.
/ The Holland then headed for the New
Suffolk, where she was tied up. She viii
remain at that place until next week
when she will be taken to Washington
She will probably travel by the inside
route, although Captain Lowe has sough
Mr.. Hollands permission to 60 by the out
side course, and the crew is willing t.
take her that way.
The trials were had today with fai
sea running, though this, of course, die
not affect the Holland while under water