The Saint Paul globe., 1900-01-29

Will Not Commit Itself to Any
Type of Submarine Fighting Craft
Boats of Several Kinds Tested
by the French Admiralty with
but Indifferent Results.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 2S.-lSpe-
cial)-An expert on naval affairs has
furnished for publication very interest
Ing article regarding new implements of
warfare to be constructed by this gov
ernment to protect ou1 interests on the
high seas. He states that: The decision
of the naval board of bureau chiefs in op-
posing the purchase of the submarine
boat Holland and in recommending that
no craft Of this class be built until the
Plunger mas been tested, will do noubt
be regarded as a severe blow to the de-
velcpment of this type of boat here,
where more attention has been given,
perhaps. to the system than by either
Great Britain or any foreign. power but
France
The submarine boat first received the
attention of naval officials ten years ago,
but since a contract was awarded for
the building of a type boat at Baltimore
there seems to have been. no further in
terest manifested by the experts in the
subject, and, meanwhile, France has
gone ahead rapidly in the experimental
work with much success.
The latest reports from that country
show that the fotilla of these boats will
re doubt present as great variety of types
as the battleships, and recent tests with
the Gustave Zede have proved the prac-
ticability of the submarine boat, and
in the hope of still further improving
on her the naval authorities are now CIV
ing attention to the somewhat despised
Goubet boat.
This vessel has shown a tendency In
late tests to dive to the bottom and
remain there, and the authorities are
now beginning to predict that still an
other type, known as the Morse boat, is
a superior type of craft. Recent trials
with her showed that as regards range
of action, she had scarcely any ad-
vantage over the Zede, and 1t had to be
admitted by the trial board that she
could not be used for any other purpose
than harbor defense. After all these eX-
perlments. however, It did not seem much
headWay had been made, but the French
navy department, with praiseworthy op-
timism, conveyed It's favors to the Mar
val, simply, it IS claimed because moth
ing Is known of her type, and plenty of
scope was consequently allowed for the
exercise of vivid imagination.
This vessel is constructed of steel and
has q Splacernent of $50 tons. The mo-
tive power is supplied by an oil engine,
which not only drives the propeller when
the boat is e her navigating at the sur
face or with only her lookout and her
chimney exposed, but also operates dy-
namo for charging batteries and accu-
mulato1s, these being used to prolel the
boat when she is entirely submerged
and the chimney unshipped.
Sailing on the surface at twelve knots,
the NarVal promises a range of action
Of 252 miles, and at eight knots the range
Is G25 miles. While submerged the ac-
cumulators are expected to propel the
boat twenty-five miles at eight knots,
and seventy miles at five knots. She Is
equipped with four torpedo tubes ana
carries two officers and nine men. This
boat is believed to be the best type yet.
developed in France
BUT ONE TYPE.
There may be said TO be but one dis
tinct type of the submarine boat in this
at Washington, and the Plunger, building
for the navy at Baltimore. While the
Holland seems to have fully proven her
capacity to fulfill all the requirements Oh
submarine navigation for naval purposes,
the Plunger is said to possess, or will
have when finished, still further improve
ments that will render her most capa-
BILE craft.
1t does not follow because the ex-
merits have opposed the building Of fur
ther submarine boats at present that this
type of craft will not be in all probabil-
ity adopted by the naval service. The
bureau chiefs are by no means unfavor-
able to the boat, but simply believe the
Plunger' should be tried before the gov
ernment enters upon the purchase OF
other vessels of her class.
The Plunger represents the result OF an
inquiry into the subject covering the last
ten wears, during which time the problem
has advanced from the theoretical to the
practical stage. There were many things
to be thought of in connection with the
submarine boat, the most important of
which was the maintenance of life and
management of the craft beneath the
surface of the sea. While intended Tor
offnsiye purposes solely, its protection Is
an interesting feature of the structure.
This is afforded by the body of water
surrounding the boat, which is supposed
to dive below the surface to depth OF
twenty feet in twenty seconds after the
order is given to disappear, the boat at
that time floating light and running full
speed ahead.
During the period of complete sub
mergency, with three feet of water over
the turrets, the pilot who guides the
craft obtains a view Of the surroundings
by means of a camera lucida in tube
which projects above the surface, and
which can be hauled in at a moments
notice.
The pilot is located in an armored tur-
ret which rises four feet above the hull,
and is eight inches in thickness. The
rpper surface of the hull, covering the
part emerged while running on the sur
face of the water, will be of steel plate
one inch thick The arrangements for
lighting and ventilating the interior are
ingenious and complete When the boat
Is on the surface of the water two large
companionways, the blower and the air
shaft provide abundant ventilation.
When submerged, air is constantly al
lowed to escape from the air reservoirs
slightly above atmospheric pressure.
Vitiated air from near the bottom is
forced outward by small pump driven
by an electric motor. Lighting on the
surface is provided through the compan-
ionways and by eight four-inch dead
lights. If not deeply submerged, and In
clear water, light will still be admit
ted through the eight dead lights, and
wherever. required, incandescent lights,
supplied by the storage batteries, can be
employed.
The method of operating the vessel is
also interesting. When the vessel is on
the surface of the water, with the smoke
stack and the airshaft erected, and run
ming ahead full speed and it is desired
to dive, the valves placed on the bot
tom ia the water are opened and the air