The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-09-17
THE SUBMARINEBOAT
Its Recent Developments and Sta
tus in Various Navies.
Many Types of Diving War Vessels
Have Deem Invented and But
Few Have Proven 10 De
Practicable.

The feat of the French submarine
boat Gustave Zede in attaching dunn
my torpedo under water to the hull
OF the turret ship Jaureguiberry is of
interest in itself, but important chief
ly as showing the extent to which
mans contro. of 1.-THE waters under the
earth" has reached, says the New York
Sun.
Although attempts 10 produce sub
marine vessels have been made for
centuries past, it is only within the
last four or five years that one of them
has attained measure of success
That attempt vas made by Mr.. John
p. Holland, of this city, who, safter
30 years of trial and failure, at
last produced the vessel named for
him, the Holland. Mr.. Hollands
first submarine vessel was built dur
ing the COS; his first successful vessel
was launched in 1897, tested contin-
uously by the government for many
months, and finally bought for the
navy.
The success of this vessel attracted
attention from foreign navies, and the
French at once began again energetic
ally experiments in submarine naviga-
ton which had languished some years.
On our part we began vessel, named
the Plunger, larger boat than the
Holland, and intended to be an inn
provement over the first. Many changes
in the equipment were made, but the
result has not been successful, and
radical changes must be made, bring
ing her back nearly to the form of
the Holland, before she can attain any
success.
Meantime, six other submarine
boats of the real Holland type were
ordered by the navy department;
four of these, the Adder, Moccasin,
Porpoise and Shark, are building at
Elizabethport. and two, the Grampus
and Pike, at San Francisco. These are
all of 12O tons displacement; they
will be 63 1-3 feet long, liz feet
beam, and will have gas engine de-
veloping 100 horse power for pro-
pulsion on the surface, and an cleo
trio motor operated by storage bat
teries and developing 10 horse power
will carry five Whitehead torpedoes,
which can be discharged when the
vessel is submerged or on the surface.
at rest or at full speed
The French navy has not used the
Holland system, but has developed
one of its own apparently with great
success. The Gymnote, launched in
1888, was not wholly successful, but
the Gustave Zede, built in 1893, has
within a few months been brought to
a high state of perfection. The Morse
and the Narval nave also been proved
valuable and besides the ten other
submarines now afoat or building,
the French government has just or
dered the construction of 20 more,
ten to be built at Toulon, on the Med
iterranean, six ct Rochefort. and four
at Cherbourg. on the Atlantic coast.
Great Britain affected at first to
disregard the submarine boat expert
ments of our own and the French
navies, but within a few months the
news leaked out that the admiralty
had ordered five vessels of the Hol-
land type, which are now under con-
struction by the Vickers-Maxim cora
pdny. 1neSe vessels are uu fsiiCdtSS "
those building for this country. Italy
and Norway are experimenting with
submarines, also, the former country
having in hand the Delfino of 1o51funs
displacement, while the Noy'wegiaz
navy proposes to build six Hblland YES
sells. Sweden, too, has taken up ths
subject. but is inclined to approve {
system devised by Swedish engineer
named Enroth, rather than to follow
the Holland type. The Enroth boat is
of 146 tons displacement when sub
merged, and uses steam and con
densed air for submarine propulsion
She will carry four Whitehead torpe
does.
Almost every navy has carried sub
marine vessels of some sort on its is
for years; Turkey has had two sue
vessels since 1856. and as seen above
the successful Gustave Zede wa:
launched in 1898. But it is owing t.
the success of the Holland that th'
study of submarine warfare has re
ceived such an impetus.