The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-14
THE SUBMARINE VESSEL
Inventors Have Struggled With the
Idea for Centuries.
William Bourne's Experiments In
the sixteenth Century - Treated
NJ nm Agent of the Evil One.
GcorSe WashinGton's views OF
the Diving Boat-Enorts of others.

Since ii has been made a part Of the
programme Of the Navy Department to es-
| tablish 4 regular submarine boat servise.
i: may be OF interest to know the early
attempts at the construction OF diving
! boats" and their evolution to the service
able submarine craft OF today.
The first attempt at submarine navigation
of which there appears to be an authenu-
Gated record was that of William Bourne.
toward the end OF the sixteenth century
Half a century later. In 1924. Cornelius
Van Drebbei. a Hollander. was successful
in such a project. He made some curious
experiments under the waters Of the
Thames at London. His diving boat, which
was propelled BY twelve pairs Of oars. car
ried a dozen persons. among whom was
King James the First. The merit OF the
invention consisted chiefly In a liquid.
which enjoyed the property OF purifying
the air vitlated by respiration, and which
bore the pretentious but significant title
OF "Quintessence OF Air" The inventor.
unhnppily. did not haze time to perfect his
apparatus. Treated as n medman as an
agent of the devil he died. and with him
persisted his secret.
About the middle OF the seventeenth GEN.
fury. Fourier and Mersenne clearly ex-
pounded the theory of submarine naviga-
ton. In 1853. Frenchman applied the theo-
~ so announced. and launched at Rotter-
dam vessel similar to that OF Van Dreb-
bel. but more easily controlled. notwith-
standing its seventy-two feet OF length
Later on a marine engineer named Day
constructed diving boat. but on his sec
ond trial trip below the surface he remained
there and was never heard of afterward
In HI Ezra Bushnell projected his SUBJ
marine boat. which Barns said. was an
entirely original conception" General
Washington. In letter to Jefferson dated
September %. 1885, sscribed the failure OF
Bushnelrs plan to the fact that lit was
no easy matter to get a person hardy
enough to encounter the variety of dangers
to which he would be exposed-hr E. from
novelty: secondly from the difficulty of
conducting the machine and governing it
under water on account OF the current;
and. thirdly. from the consequent uneer-
tainty Of hitting the object devoted to de-
struction without rising frequently above
water for fresh observations, which, when
near the vessel would expose the advent
urer to discovery and to almost certain
DEATH
TO these caUses." General Washington
writes. Il always ascribed the failure of
his plan. as he wanted nothing that I
could furnish to ensure the success Of it
The aforementioned vessel was not COM
pleted until the year It's.
Finally Fulton appeared. ard borrowing
the ideas Of Bushnell. made a great stride
In the science of submarine navigation.
He went to Paris. in 1891. to solicit the
support OF the Directory. but the minister
of war deemed his plans impracticablc.
The American engineer was not diseour-
aged. He made a mahogany model Of his
proposed beat, and presented it anew to the
Directory. which then appointed a COM
mission to examine it. The commission re-
ported foyarably but the minister Of ma
rine positively refused to recommend its
adoption. After three years Of vain So
licitaton. Fulton found the opportunity OF
Offering his services to Napoleon, who en-
teriained them. and commissioned Eolney.
Monge. and Laplace to make thorough
test of the submarine boat. and the sum
OF 0.000 francs was ordered paid to Fulton
to defray the expenses Of the experiments.
On the strength OF that encouragement
Fulton. in fS001S01. built a diving boat.
But Napoleon grew tired OF waiting for
the accomplishment Of certain improve
ments which were judged necessary. and
finally declared the invention impractical
BILE. Eight years later, Napoleon bad the
Coessin Brothers built small diving boat
which bore the name OF Nautile, and which
was tried at Havre.
report OF a committee of the Institute
OF April IL. 1910. declared that there is
no longer any doubt that submarine navi-
cation may be established very eNpedi-
tiously and at little cost An English
man named johnson formed a project for
releasing Napoleon from St. Helena by
means OF a specially constructed diving
boat. which was coufiscated by the En-
glish authorities. however.
Another Englishman. named Shuldam,
experimental at Portsmouth. about 1924,
with boat in which he could easily de-
scend to a depth OF thirty feet
In 1925. Monsieur de Montgery distln-
guished officer of the French navy. gave
publicity to his plan of construction of his
vessel the Invisible" In 1850. a French
man named Alexander made experiments
with a submarine boat in New York har-
Dor.
During the Schleswig- Holstein war. a
submarine boat was constructed at klel
for the purpose of blowing up the Danish
warshps anchored in the Lunderwtt.
This boat was built by Bavarian artil-
lery sergeant named Bauer. In 1856 the
subject of submarine navigation was re-
vived by the boat OF James Nasmyth.
In 1859 a Russian mechanic built div
ing boat which was under perfect control
and with which he could remain under
water for eight hours.