The Washington times., 1902-05-21
FRIENDS OF THE HOLLAND
SUBMARINE BOAT HEARD
Continued from Second Page.)

anything. for 1t will strike quick and hard.
You must buy your guns before you can
shoot them.
II would buy as many boats as neces-
sary, and 1 warn the committee that il
We let go of the Holland boats now 1t is
only a question of time when we will be
compelled to take them up again and pay
for all the experiments made by other
nations"
He told the committee that delay on
their part might lose to this country the
submarine boat. as had ,abeen lost the
Hotchkiss Maxim guns. I'D
Representative Foss brought out from
the witness statement that naval officers
were so interested in the development of
submarine warfare that it has never been
necessary for the Secretary Of the Navy
to assign any Of them to submarine boats.
as there were always a large number of
applications. II
Captain Wainwright treated the recent
accident to the Fulton as of no conse-
quence, saying that machinery often went
wrong, and there was no more danger
from escaping gasolene than there was
from escaping steam. ne
Lieutenant Caldwell. who has command
ed the Holland for the last two years.
stated that during such period she had
made 400 dives. all OF which were success
full. He considered the Holland boat az
almost perfect, inasmuch as 1t could dis
charge torpedo with more accuracy. and
with better chance of getting away from
the enemy than any boat he knew OF.
Accuracy of Sinking Machinery.
He also commented on her excellent
steering and maneuvering ability. saying
she could be sunk 20 within a few inches
Of a required depth. He testified that the
only breakdown she had suffered had oc-
CURED as the result of defective arma-
ture. and that she had experienced no ac-
cident of any kind in the past fifteen
months. In speaking Of the Spanish tor
pedo boats at Santiago. he said, grimly:
Il think Captain Wainwright is more
competent to speak on that subject than
myself as he attended to their business
all right" This remark caused a laugh
of satisfaction in the room
Continuing. the young officer remarked,
in estimating the value of submarine
boats:
IF had been with the Spanish fleet
at Manila Bay in charge Of a submarine
boat like the Holland. can safely guar
antee that I would have sunk an AmerI-
can ship every night
Il am awfully glad you wasn't" broke
in Representative Loudenslager with a
smile.
Lieutenant Caldwell asserted that the
value of submarine boat was In deliv-
ering torpedOes with greater accuracy
than the boats of the surface type; that
submarine boats can fire a torpedo with
ten times greater accuracy than the
others; and in delivering a torpedo. YES
- h. Ill
for about ten seconds. too short n time
for the enemy to effectively train their
guns on the coming tower. He said con-
sidsrfng our large coast line that all OF
the large harbors should be protected by
four or five submarine boats.
In answer to question from General
Meyer he said of course he would prefer
that more battleships be built than sub
marine boats. but nevertheless he con-
sidered the latter an indispensable ad-
junct 10 the American Navy.
The Fulton Explosion.
Lieut.. Arthur Macarthur. now COM
manding the torpedo boat Winslow, and
who had charge of the Holland boat Full
ton at the time Of the explosion on board
in the Delaware breakwater, said that
nobody on board suffered serious injury.
The witness said the accident possessed
certain value because 1t demonstrated
how similar occurrences could be avoided
In the future. and that was casualty
which had happened a number of times
to electric automobiles. The witness dis
puted the assertions made regarding the
Lake boat and strongly advocated the
Holland boat.
Naval Constructor Spear was asked by |
Dayton If he had read |
the testimony of Lieutenant Commander
Edwards which declared that at the end |
Of year the Lake boat would be vastly |
superior to those built by the Holland |
Company. The witness said:
81 don't wish to reflect on the opinion
Of Lieutenant Commander Edwards. but
he only speaks as an engineer. | am talk
ing from the standpoint Of a naval archi-
tect.'' N
Mr.. Dayton put himself in the light
Of friend to inventors when he said
that action should be delayed in order
10 give every inventor of submarine boats
A chance without being prejudiccd against
any.
The hearing then adjourned until to-
lay at 10 O'Clock in order TO hear further
evidence from naval officers.