Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-18

Little Known of Them.
The secret of the submarines quick
| plunging quality is. of course. their sole
motive power of electricity. Their proto-
| type the Gymnote, in steel. constructed as
| early as 1885. wher the present accumuia-
| tors were undreamed Of is fifty-six feet
| long. None of the new ones OF this type
| like the Farfadet. the Gnome the korri-
| game and the Lutin, constructed with TIE
| greatest secrecy at Rochefort in 1909 and
| 1901-are longer, and most of them are
| smaller. Few definite details are known of
them. The French public has been given
! no news of the twenty-three submarines
appearing in part under their own name
| and in part as torpedo boats In the bull
| get of 1901, nor of the fourteen others of
| 1902, whose dimensions, and SO forth were
| notably left to the discretion of the con-
| structorS." They are not expensive con-
| structions. now that their type is settled
| and on account of their small size their
! secret is easily kept. For all the public
| knows they may be already completed.
Only one more indication respecting them
comes to me from my informant. Ii is that
| In presence of these small submarines the
| larger ones. like the Gustave Zede (bronze.
| 1GO feeO, the Morse (bronze, 40 feet), the
| Francois (steel 40 feeD and the Algerien
! (the same), although more than justified
| by their trials, are scarcely considered
| nowadays in exclusive naval circles
What the Zede Could Do.
| What the Gustave Zede did in 1901 and
| 1902 must therefore be taken as only a
partial indication of what the French eX-
| pect from pure standardization much, per-
| haps, in some respects and too little in
| others. During the maneuvers of 1900 the
Mediterranean squadron left Toulon. 1t
| swept at large toward the Isle of HyereS,
! where 1T took fighting position. Its evo-
| lutions were followed by a whae-like boat,
| 100 feet in length, moved by electricity,
that navigated the surface, dived and bob
| bed up serenely. while circling round
among the warships like playful dolphin.
When visible only metallic cupola,
| dome, was seen, pierced by bulls -eye win
| dows of heavy glass The men -ofwar di
rected mock artillery fire against it in vain.
1t always dived, to reappear in attack on
some other vessel. 1t was the Gustave
Zede
Now and again the Gustave Zede would
rise and take a peep. Having determined
its position it would instantly sink. A few
minutes later a torpedo would be launched
at the doomed man-of-war.
Good! said the ministers to the naval
experts. But can it follow the enemy
distance in rough water? Can it fight in
unknown waterS?"
Prepare to follow the squadron sig
nailed the admiral; and the men-of-war
steered for Marseilles. The little dispatch
beats, the cruisers. the heavy cuirassiers,
the saucy torpedo boats and the destroy
ers-all the troupe-moved swiftly. But
behind them, beside them sported the
"Gustave Zede."
On reaching Marseilles the minister and
the invited admirals inquired what re-
sources remained to the whale after these
maneuvers The reply was stupefying, The
accumulators still contained enough cleo
| tricity to permit the "Gustave Iede" to re-
turn back to Toulon! That is to say. in
1900 already it carried sufficient motive
power to take it eighty miles in full war
evolutions Then M. Lockroy. the minister
remarked for publication: THE problem
is solved. If we possessed enough of
these defenses we should need fear no
maritime power on earth!'
Later Improvements.
Yet the 'Gustave Zede'' was already an
old boat, originally known as the Isl
rene" and her internal arrangements had
been tinkered at time and again. The at
tempt to give her a surface speed of ii
knots by means of powerful engines driven
by electric accumulators working up to
100 horsepower succeeded only at the end
of long series of mishaps chiefly due
to original faults Of construction. There
fore the "Gustave Zede's' exploits of the
year following speak volumes for the new
er submarines, great and small alike; be-
cause the main features are the same
bronze or steel hull, cigar-shaped; electric
engines driven by accumulators; waterfall
last tanks for sinking and pumps to ex-
pei the water ballast, and store of COM
pressed air in steel cylinders to enable
the crew 10 breathe WneD submerged. Inc
great secret is said to lie, however, in the
accumulators, the electric engines and the
machinery of the chamber of maneuvers."
In any case, the "Gustave Zede left the
harbor of Toulon again on July 3, 1901,
and three days later, without being per-
ceived, it arrived In the harbor of Ajaccio,
where it succeeded in torpedoing the
Charles Martel," frst-class battle ship, at
the moment when this latter was making
for sea.
Then, on July 8. this same large SUBJ
marine returned to Marseilles by means
of its own motive power entering the port
unperceved though diligently watched for
by destroyers.
OF course. it is not pretended that the
"Gustave Zede" either made the lbs miles
from Toulon to Ajaccio entirely under
water or spent the three days in doing it.
Her commander simply started out to do
damage during maneuvers; and the point
is that he was able to do it unperceived
some 125 miles from his base. What must,
therefore, be the qualities of the sub
mergibles to justify them in supplanting
the new and improved "Gustave Zedes?'
The Two Types.
They have done this thing and the first
naval war in which France shall engage
will doubtless show only:
~ Submarines; all small, less than Sc
feet in length. and how much less no.
body knows. And
co Submergibles, all large. from 112 to
900 feet long and semi agoing
The uses of the two types are differ
ent their descriptions The little sub
marines with only electric motive power,
can never operate far long from their
base whether it be privateer harbor
SIDE On the other hand, they drive swift
ly. move rapidly under water and are
handled with precision.
The great submergibles have both steam
and electric engines. Their normal plane
Of travel being the surface of the water
like any other vessel, their primary motive
power is steam. Thus actioned they can
navigate in two positions: (a) on the sur
face, when they can scarcely be told from
torpedo boats; and CD with only their dome
and chimney extending above the surface
Note, also. that while the surface these
steam engines can be used to run the dyna-
mos and renew the motive force of the cleo
trio engines. Then when it is desired to
navigate completely beneath the surface
the engine fires are put out and the electric
engines started.
Undoubtedly it was objected to the