Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-08-04
NEW SUBMARINE BOAT.
Mi. Raddatz Is Building a Larger
Diving Vessel.
AIMS TO WORK ON WRECKS.

Naval Officers Expect to Be Present
When Tests Are Made Next June or
July-To Travel Five Miles an Hour
Under Wnter-Can Stay Down For
ty-efght Hours.
The Raddatz submarine boat is to be
repeated on a larger scale and practical
working basis. The drawings for the
new boat have been prepared, contracts
will be let soon and work will be pushed
SO that the new boat will be ready for
a test the latter part Of next June or
early in July. The original boat was
built entirely on experimental lines and
to demonstrate the feasibility of the in
ventor's theories. That these were
shown to be correct no one who wit
messed the remarkable performance of
the boat in Milwaukee bay last summer
doubts. But that boat was entirely too
small for practical use, being only four
feet in diameter and the machinery
and appointments being in many ways
crude.
The new boat will be 95 feet long
and have a diameter of 7 feet, giving
an interior space four times that Of the
experimental boat. It will be built of
IA inch boiler plate and braced 10 as to
stand the pressure of $50 feet below
the surface The power will be fur
nished by a petroleum engine for sur
face work and below the surface will be
operated by electricity from storage bat
teries.
The contract will call for a speed of
five miles an hour below the surface
and ten miles an hour when running
awash, though it is believed that the
last speed will be exceeded. Among en-
gineers and those who have thoroughly
investigated the Raddatz boat and its
performances under the hands Of the
inventor there is no doubt that Mr..
Richard Raddatz has in his boat the
highest exponent of the submarine type
that has been brought out thus far.
This opinion is shared by others who
have been told Of the actual tests made
of the power Of this little wonder.
Naval officers who were told in Wash
ington of the performances of the boat
by gentlemen who were spectators of
the tests made in the bay last summer
said that If one-half told them was true
the boat is far in advance of any 9TH
ers which have been built and expressed
the belief that if the new boat should
repeat these performances the govern
ment will undoubtedly try to get hold
of it for war purposes. So interested
did the naval men become in the boat
that they exacted a promise that they
should be notified when the new boat
is ready for experimental test, so that
they could be present at the time, in
addition to giving assurances that the
government would be represented at the
trials.
Mr.. Raddatz and those interested
with him in the building of the new
boat are going ahead, however, with
out taking into consideration the ques-
ton Of what the government may OF
uldJ uOU uO LII Ouo uldUUCl. AuC UOut
which they will build will be primarily
for commercial purposes and used in
working on wrecks. In view Of this the
divers chamber in the first boat will be
enlarged SO as to make it fit for practi-
cal use. This chamber, which will be
fitted in the forward part of the boat,
will be 7 feet high, 7 feet long and 4
feet broad.
Once in this chamber and the air lock
closed behind, air pressure will be
turned on SO as to equalize the pressure
of the water at whatever depth the
boat may be. When this is done, a door
in the bottom of the chamber will be
opened and the diver will have before
him the bottom of the lake or sea and
can begin work on whatever is beneath
the place covered by the open doorway.
One of the advantages claimed by MI.
Raddatz is that the diver will have to
wear nothing in the shape Of armor or
weights, and can therefore work just
as we'll as he could on the surface. The
air will be supplied to the chamber
automatically, and by the secret process
which is one of the features of the
boat sufficient air can be supplied to
keep two divers and three others Of the
crew Of the boat below the surface 30
hours.
This supply, Mr.. Raddatz says, can
be increased at one days notice to a
supply of 48 hours. With the chamber
open, the boat could, if necessary, travel
30 miles in ten hours, while no diver
in armor would think of attempting
one-tenth Of that trip. The boat will
carry petroleum fuel on board to run
$50 miles at the rate Of ten miles an
hour on the surface, while storage bat.
teries with sufficient capacity for any
length Of stay necessary below the sur
face will be provided.
The place where the new boat is te
be constructed will be kept a secret fol
the reason that otherwise Mr.. Raddatz
fears he would be overrun by curiosity
seekers, to the delay Of the work. The
shell is to be made extraordinarily
heavy, so as to Withstand the great
pressure at the depth at which the in.
ventol desires to work, depths which
have never been attempted before. The
new boat will be launched ready fol
work, and little trimming will be neces-
sary after it is once in the water. One
of the first things that will be attempt.
ed after the boat has been thoroughly
tested will be to endeavor to locate some
Of the sunken wrecks in and about Mil.
waukee bay, when the capabilities Of
the boat will be shown. After that the
boat will be used for wrecking jobs gen
orally. Special Chicago Times-H Herald.
A Golden Gate Amalgamation.