Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-07
SUBMARINE BOAT
Has Proven the Greatest Of
Successes.
A TRIAL TEST WAS MADE
By the Navy Department Officials and
Everything Worked to Perfection
Sank or Rose at the Will of the
Inventor, Caltain Holland.

New York, Nov. THE submarine tor
pedo boat Holland was successfully
tested in Peconic bay, l.. l., yesterday.
At the close of the test the members of
the board of inspection, Rear Admiral
Rodgers, Commanders William Fl.
Emory and Charles H. Rolicker and
Naval Constructor Washington Capps
shook hands with Captain Holland, the
inventor, n congratulated him on his
success. He had waited % years for
victory and tears streamed down his
checks when the naval officers greeted
him.
The lighthouse tender Cactus, with the
members, left Greenpoint, L. L., and ran
to suffolk, where the Holland has been
since June. The members of the board
then went into the Holland as she lay
at the dock and minutely examined the
mechanism and workings. AT 2 o'clock
Rear Admiral Rodgers and his fellow
members boarded the steam yacht Jo-
sephlne. There ware also on board sew
eral representatives and guests of the
Holland company. The Josephine then
left for the measured and staked course
in Peconic bay.
The requirements for the tests as laid
down by the board were: (a) Have three
~torpedoes in place; (b) have all arrange
melts made for d~ischarging torpedoes
without delay; tc) be repaired to fire
tolpedoes at full speed when submerged
as we'll as when at full speed on SUR
face; td) have crew exercised by actual
practice, so as to be able to make re-
quired submerged runs and steer a
straight course. In order to make a
tlial submerged run of two miles, it is
recommended that two marking buoys be
placed a mile mart and that a h1l- to
serve as a torpedo target be anchored
near one of these buoys. so that the
Holland. after running a mile under
water, car come w to the surface for OBJ
s~sfVatlon, discharge her torpedo. ard
then, diving again, can return to the first
buoy. This would complete her two
miles underwater run. A measure of
her efficiency will be shown by the num-
Der of times it is necessary for her to
to the surface for observations.
The owners of the Holland complied
viii these specifications and suggested
more ella tests, but the sug-
for additional trials were not
accepted by the board. The Holland ran
out to the course and then Captain Lowe
and Commander Emory descended into
the light round turret on the top of the
The "a was closed and the
Holland prepared to make the first trip
along the measured mile. The beginning
Of the course was marked by two red
and white poles set 300 feet apart. The
termination of the mile was marked in
the same manner. Beyond the terminal
ton pole was set a pole to be used as a
target. Between the two ends of the
mile were poles SO that the board could
note the adherence to the purse or any
deviation from it. The course was by
compass, due north and south. the start
ing point being the south end.
When all was ready the Holland sank
to the depth of 10 feet, while going at full
speed, which was attained almost imme-
diataly. 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 knot
an hour. making the distance to the
turning point IN nine and a half minutes.
Rising at the end of the mile, her hull
coming into view. Five seconds later she
had again disappeared. Within 10 sec
onds she corrected her course, having
devtated only 20 feet frcm the tue
course, and fired a regulation Whitehead
torpedo, Weighing $40 pounds. which went
spinning off toward the target 500 yards
away. Meanwhile, as the deadly missile
whirled through on its course, the Hol-
land swung about and started back. She
turned in a radius of Is feet. or about
ole and a half times her wv length.
She was flying back to the starting point
before the missile had run its course. The
return trip was made III about the same
time as the outward run and was equally
successful.
Commander Emory and Captain Lowe
then left the Holland and Commander
capps and Lieutenant Henderson entered
the boat and another trip was under
taken. The results We're the same, ex-
cept that instead of rising to the surface
10 discharge the missile, the Holland
fired while submerged. Almost before
the torpedo reached the surface the Hol-
land had turned partially about and by
the time the missile was we'll on it's jour
ney the Holland was on its way back.
The missile was we'll thrown and came
SO near the boat used that il was evident
that no vessel could have ESCAPED in the
path Of the torpedo. The Holland shot
to the surface between the starting
flags.
At no time was there an error of more
than a few feet in calculation as 10 the
distance Travelled. The range and course
is taken by the steersEan as the boat
sinks. While submerged he canno see
anything ard has to calculate, as he flies
along, just how far the boat travels each
second, SO as to know when to li>e 1T
the n of the given distance. While
doing this he must steer the nnpass
course taken at the moment of diving.
The Holland then ran a uuartsr nf a
mule on the surface as a speed test. The
rate attained was eight knots, but il vas
claimed she wOuld have passed this
speed had the whole mile been run. The
object of The short test, however, WAS to
see how quickly she got under way.
The Holland then headed for New