Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-06-04

Maine Captains Remarkable Insen-
tfon and How IL Worked.
lFred G. Ml1lsen in L-risssn yaarasI.l

machine aud the Holland submarine
boat ali you want TO, gents. bat LET me
tell yoa OF the queer craft that old Cap
tain silss Mckenzie gos up good many
years ago down QUO way said an old salt
smong tae group that had drawn up their
chairs near tine fire In village grocery
store.
| Capt. sy, we used to call him. had
queer notions Ia hts head for a man Of
mis- years, but he had followed the sea for
nigh on to forty years and knew ss much
about the workings Of ship as any other
| down easter In them days. How Capt.
sy come to get started on invsns.ng .
craft that would drop under water ID
more than ! can tell you, but he gave up
the sec and settled down with his family
on email island in PsssAmsqaoddy bay
where there was plenty Of salt wsser right
at bis door to play In.
HE was . queer fellow anyway, and
many Of tbs islanders tbought that be
was . little wrong in his head, while
Others looked upon old 81 ~ sensible
enoogh bat odd indeed.
"weli, Capt. 50 bad plenty Of time on
bis hands and IL was kind Of natural like
| that be should devote most Of n 70 any
thing that wss connected with salt water
and bostss and how be experimsnted
with bis strangs-iookipg models was .
caution, I can tell you Even some OF his
| peighhors did look upon him 70 being
crazy.
besides owning . row boat, Sy had
two cories which be had used at different
times for fishing In the bay, and be got
the notion into bis head that rowing the
affair was too slow to suit him and be-
sides 1t Was too tiresome at times. so he
made up bis mind to do away with the
oars and get up some kind of propeliing
arrangement so that be could get about
the bay easier, and this led later to the
| invention Of the submarine dofy which /
viii tell you about later.
/ He fitted up two paddle wheels OF
| light wood strips Tor the starbozrd and
| port sides and had them hung across the
dory by q shaft passing through the
middle part of the craft. That part OF ths
shaft that was inside the dory was made
with two crooks. something on the model
of hand auger, shd with the arrangement
in position Sy could seat himself in the
middle of the dory and make the paddle
Wheels rovoIse quite rapidly. 50 that he
got over the water IS fast a. he formerly
did with the use Of the cars, but IL was
tiresome at times.
.He got the propeiling gear ait set up,
fitted on q rudder to the stern of his craft
and then concluded that II one dory was
good in the water two were better, so he
kept to work on bis invention.
at was then be conceived the idea OF
using the other dory he had on the beach,
aud he started In to make his famed sub
marine dory that nearly cost him his life
| when he tried IL.
''Sy took the dory and turned ii bot
tom up on the one he had fitted with the
paddle wheels and fastened them to-
gethsr along the sides so that they were
water tight. A trap door, fastened tightly
on the inside, was made In both OF the
cory bottoms and valve arranged In
each so that a supply of air could get in
from the top Only.
"w hen the craft rested in the water the
other valve would be closed so that be
I
Another rudder was added 10 the top
dory and glass Windows were put in AT
the front and rear so that the occupant
could look out and see = here be vas at,
and as Sy was somewh of siesrpenter he
! worked away on his strengthening craft
sii winter before he got it ready for the
trial trip, then he said nothing about Ii
to any OF the islanders but pashsd her eff
into the bay near his home
ait was certainly an odd-looking affair
aud the old sailor concluded to get on
board and try a spin along the cove, so be
opened the trap door and climbed in, then
shut snd fastened ii inside to Keep out
the water. Those who saw So get Into
the odd looking craft said that he was
starting cat in his coffin, bat the veteran
seaman didn't mind the remarks and
xas soon under way. We'll, boys, she went
along ali right when be started up the
paddles and she made fair time Tor some
distance out into the bay, then Sy turned
her around and headed her for TIE shore
as nice as ycu please, then he stepped out
and said she worked like top.
IAN would have been well If Sy bad let
be doriss alone as they were and be had
a combination thst was good for the
heavy waves that were numerous in inst
vicinity, bat he was not satisfied and
wanted to try a dip into the water on the
submarine principle, as be stated. aud
nothing would do him but he must make
the boat over slightly.
"Well. try he did, gents, and be fitted
up four water tight compartments In the
dories, two in the top and two In the
lower ones, and had valves arranged &C
that he could fi0od them when inside,
and the extra weight Of the water would
sink the craft so that she would be barely
above the surface of the water To get
the water ogt of these four compartments
when flooded, puzzled Sy for a time, bat
be finally bit on plan by putting in q
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