New-York tribune., 1901-08-27
inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEI

Try TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
,rasb,neton. Aug. 26-The recent startling re-
.or+s as 10 the performances of submarine boats
- the French maneuvres have increased the
aoi,ation al home and abroad of the question of
- ,,,i,itv Of these vessels for naval purposes,
D. Admiral Melville who has made special
..a, Of The usefulness and efficiency Of the sub
..or5na tvpe. to-day gave to The Tribune a re-
lew Of the progress and the small practical sue
,sss that have been so far secured.
his In France that enthusiasm and public in
,s,est most abound. By reason Of the great de-
ra of the French Admiralty TO put their naval
ssr,ice on an equality with that of Great
Ertain, and possibly by reason of their financial
inability 10 construct as many armored cruisers
md hart les hips as England the French are hop
,,q that they can develop the submarine in ad-
r@rce of other nations. In Admiral Melville's
onnion they have yet made no substantial
n,opress. At the recent man9uvres of the
Frsnch navy an effort was made by the Ad-
r,raty to approximate as 10 the value of sub
marine boats for naval purposes The official
ano-ts have not yet been made public. One
r.is,ic story however that would fittingly
orn,sh one of Jules Nerne's romances, and
ubich was cabled TO this country some time
ogo rs to the unqualified success of the expert
nsnt has been proved 10 be more sensational
than real
ROMANCE AND REALITY.
This particular tale would tend TO make one
believe that the Gustaye Zede submarine
bost went from Todlon TO Ajaccio by her own
means entered the port unseen, torpedoed
bsttleship and remained invisible until she
rose 10 the surface at her moorings- The true
story is that French squadron entered Ajaccio
for coal and water. The port had been declared
.qnyiolate" owing to the projected military
works not being completed, and therefore no at
tack could take place in that harbor. AS the
commander of the Zede. however. was extremely
desirous of doing some work on his own ac-
count he attempted TO torpedo the battleship
Charles Martel feat which could have been
executed as successfully by any steam launch
in the harbor Since the port was ''inviolate,
no more preparations had been made for re-
sisting a submarine attack than TO resist an
aerial one from Santos-D -Dumont's airship. And
this is the military performance which lew
misinformed enthusiasts have distorted into
feat which shows the superiority" of subma-
rine boats over battleships.
II is now learned that instead of steaminS
alone from Toulon to Ajaccio, the GustaVe
Zede was accompanied Uy a steamer which
was there TO tow the submarine. Very little
stock in the success of that evolution is taken
the whole design of the boat has been con-
demned by the French Admiralty, and 1t has
even been officially announced that no more
boats of her character will be built There is
nothing in the evolution TO impress one with
the fact that anything unusual had been done.
To say that this feat will do anything TO con-
vince sceptics that the submarine boat has been
developed to a point beyond the experimental
stage would require a vivid imagination. Con-
siderable credit is due TO the commander Of
the Zede, for recent experience in France with
submarines shows that the crew OF the boat
suffer greatly in every dive OF any duration
About two years ago the French advocates OF
submarine boats cOntended that the Narval
answered all the requirements that could pos
sbly be demanded Of this type Of craft When
the Minister Of Marine subjected this boat TO
official test, it required twenty minutes TO
submerge her. In that period the craft could
be destroyed by any vessel having a machine
gun, and therefore success was looked for else
where She could even be down by a tor
pedo boat destroyer or any rapidly moving
boat
The Morse was then accepted as the proper
type for the French service to adopt. Official
tests and experiments showed that she possessed
little more merit than the Narval. and that radi-
cal improvements would have 10 be made in her
before an efficient submarine boat could be Sc
cured that would meet even part Of the require
ments demanded by the Admiralty.
The Farfadet is the very latest design the
French have produced, and although the Ad-
mlralty have been experimenting for months with
her, there is no evidence that this craft is any
more efficient than her predecessor.
STILL IN EXPERIMENTAL STAGE.
The French Admiralty. therefore, has we'll de-
fined policy in its attempt to secure a submarine
boat The design is still regarded as being in
sn experimental stage. The officials not
welded TO the belief that any inventor has yet
secured an efficient lighting machine Il is rec
ognized that ultimate success can J be Sc
cured by progression We can safely follow such
a wise and sensible course. The field should be
kept open to every designer and inventor who
has given thought 70 the question, ana VINO Is
feacy TO put his study TO practical use by build
ing craft and subjecting il 10 government
tests.
The securing Of an efficient submarine boat
therefore, seems somewhat remote. If Edison s
storage battery proves the success its inventor
hopes il VIII be, then progressive advancement
car DE expected. As the range or action is very
small with the present type Of electric motor
and storage batteries the usefulness Of the craft
Is naturally limited. Great attention is now
being paid 10 the development Of the storage
battery, and any success in that direction will
materially assist matters.
fortunately for this country, our naval and
military experts are more interested in finding
submarine boat that can be useful in mining
ana countermining harbors. In work Of this
SndIdcler lhe Lake submarine boat mas Deen a
commercial success, and experts believe that it
is equally adaptable for naval and military
purposes.
The Indifference OF Russia, Germany and
1reat Britain and the failure OF France TO Sc
cure practical success with the cruising sub
marine boat conclusively prove that this type
oi craft is still in the experimental stage. The
american policy OF first developing the sub
marine boat for mining and countermining pur-
poses is in the line of utility, conservatism and
sound military principles.
"
A REMONSTRANCE FROM JAPAN.
PROTEST AGAINST TREASURY HEALTH OFFICERS