Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-13
new SUBMARINE BOAT.

interesting event in ocean travel since
the first steamship ere ssed the Atlantic.
A submarine boat is to be sent from
America to Europe under her own
power She Is the invention of John
p. Holland, whose submarine torpedo
boat Holland is now the property of the
United States government His new |
boat Is now fitting out ut Nixon's ship |
yard, in Elizabethport, N. j., for the |
trans tlantic journey. Submarine Loats
have never ventured far from the coast.
Mr.. Holland intends to 60 to Ber-
muda, thence to the Fayal Islands,
then to Lisbon, In Portugal, This is q
trip Of \, 496 miles. just when the trip
mined upon, but it will probably be
some time in February. The boat will
wait for propitious weather.
To speak Of waiting for propitious
weather in February sounds like an
absurdity; and in the case OF ordinary
craftit would be, but what Mr.. Hol.
lands diver 10 looking for is stol m,
high wind aud heavy sea, for this
| journey ID to test once for all the
capacity Of the submarine to care for
herself on long trip under the most
unfavoraEle conditions.
The voyage to Lisbon Is to take 16
| days. The boats speed will be approx
mately 91a knots fDr the entire voyage.
Most OF the way she will go on the
surface, Occasionally she will go
under, and remain for 30 OF 40 miles,
alta depthSvaryingafrom 30 to 60 feet.
Her inventor claims for her that she
can safely go 400 feet beneath the sur
face and maintain herself there, resist
ing successfully the terrific pressure Of
the water. No such depths will be at
tempted on this trip, however. At 30
secure against discovery aud can pass
safely beneath the keel Of the greatest
of ocean liners
The trip is taken for two fold EUR
pose 1t liz to demonstrate, in the first
place. the iallacy Of the opinion still
entertained in naval quarters that sub
marine boats are useless as offensive
weapons against country on the other
side Of the sea, and that their mission,
IL they have any at all, is for coast de-
fence merely. The secoud object ct the
trip Is to present the boat in foreign
barbors to foreign governments.
Including the inventor there will be
eight men aboard the little craft.
Whenever the possibility has been dis
cussed Of navigating submarine for a
long distance it has always been as
sertsd that 1t would be impossible for
crew to stand the confinement. As
the projected trip Is first experiment,
an extra crew will be carried in a
tender that Is to escort the boat to
guarantee the men against actual hard
ship. This tender will be small tramp
ship. She will keep. her little consort
constantly in sight, il possible, SO long
| ne ba lat nc ON hn ourfa
But, as the stormiest period OF the
year Is to be selected for the journey,
1t Is more than possible that the two
vessels will part company long before
the end OF tho game. 1t is pretty
: difficult thing 10 keep in sight such a
small speek as the. submarine will
, present when the sea IL high.
But whether the cousorts lose each
. other or not one thing has beer
definitely determined. This is that thu
5 submarine will travel the entire die
tauoe under her own power, that sht
will carry all her own fuel for the trip
Q and that she must subsist on her owl
8 provisions. Comparatively little sub
! marine travelling will be done in mid
& ocean should the weather be pleasant
During storms, however, the boat vii
Q remain much Of the time beneath tn,
8 waves, only her turret showing.
o "The fellows on the other ship viii
7 wish they were with US when it come
o to blow Mr.. Holland said, in de
o scribins his storm tactics. 'Whil
r they are being knocked about by tn
Q waves we will calmly sink to where j
" is still and placid. A boat built ON tn
l. lines Of our submarine rides muc
more easily than surface boats. Tn
y water rolls over and over off of her, i'm
u parting little or no notion"
20 The vessel will be driven by case
% line engine OF the pattern which Coun
81 Zeppelin uses in His navigation of tn
u air. Five tons of gasoline carried in
tank will be all the fuel required I
take her across at 91a-Knot speed an
leaves safe margin. While she
y travelling on the surface she will ger
~ crate power for an electric engine this
VI drives her below the water. When Oh
" dives the gasoline engine is cut o
~ y entirely. Tho power will be accum,
y. lated in storage batteries that weig
~ 10. 600 pounds. The stored power wi
"a carry her under the surface for so mill
~ at an S-knot speed; then she mu
99r come up to recharge.
q. The cooking will be done by electric
- ity. The ventilation will be perfe
u, whether the boat is running on the su
IN face with her hatch open or und
III IN water with everything buttoned dow
~ tight.
o. The dimensions and form of the ne
. 20 boat are considerably greater than tho
~ of her predecessor. The Holland is
~ feet 4 inches long. with diameter
VI 10 feet inches. Her displacement ,
81 the surface is 60 tons, submerged
tons. Her engine has only As hors
power, as against l60 horse power
N, the new boat. The length OF the ne
,r' boat Is 63 feet inches; diameter
NJ feet 8 inches, and her interior arrang
,st ments are such that there is abo
n twice as much room for her crew
~. there is for the men in tho Hollan
" Her displacement when on the surfa
II is l03 tons and submerged 100 tons. s
r. represents the extreme type in si2
according to MI. Holland. A larg
vessel, he declares, will never be prac
cable.
;tv A unique arrangement has been
tbe troduced IN the new beat for handli
I'M. the water ballast, a particularly il
M portant element in submarines. Neal
Nh. a ton OF water can be elected from t
iii. ballast tanks In three seconds as she
,nn rising, thus allowing her tuiret to r
rod ieot above the water for the purpose
observing the enemy. Almost at I
same instant the tank is again fill
from the outside, so that che poIs
..os aud then down again with incredil
Law rapidity, giving her captain in the t
- ~. ret lust time enough to get a full vi