The sun., 1904-11-20
OUR SUBMARINES IN THE WAR
Two or THEM HAVE BEEN DE-
LIJERED IN RUSSIAN WATERS.
Five Holland Boats on the Way to Japan
and Five Lake Boats Under Con.
struction Here for Russia-How the
Fulton Was Got Across the Atlantic.

struction Here for Russia-How the
Fulton Was Got Across the Atlantic.
FuzApHTH, n. j., Nov. l9.-The Lake
submarine torpedo boat Protector, which
left this country June 10 last, after being
secretly hosted aboard the Norwegian
steamer Fortuna at night in the Lower
Bay, and was taken to Europe, has been
placed in commission by the Russian Gov
eminent The Protector was not sold
directly to the Russians. She was disposed
Of to n French concern and then trans
ferred to the Cars navy. 1t will be re-
called that when Simon Lake. president
Of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, re-
Gently returned home from Europe he
said he had been in Paris. The Protector
was shipped across the Atlantic to be pur
chased by the Russians on their approval.
Her name has been changed.
Bv those who have been in touch with
the situation, so far IA the dickering OF
the Russian and Japanese Governments
with shipbuilding firms in this country
is concerned, the exact whereabouts OF
the Protector is not known at the pres
ent time but it is not bad guess that she
will turn up with the Baltic fleet before
that so,Iadron arrives in Japanese waters.
Six more boats Of the Protector type are
now under way in this country for the
Russian Government.
The torpedo boat Fulton, built at the
Crescent shipyards, which mysteriously
disappeared from American waters and
which is the product OF the Holland Sub
marine Torpedo Boat Company is now in
the Gulf Of Finland, near Cronstadt. Up
to few weeks ago the Fulton was in dry
dock at Cronstadt. but late advices from
st. Petersburg say that she has been ac-
cepted by the Russian Government. When
the Holland goes out ready for battle she
will be in charge of an American engineer.
Early last summer both the Fulton and
the Protector were of Newport, where it
was expected that competitive trials be-
tween these boats would take place. An
appropriation Of $3.50, 900 had been set aside
by Congress to be expended on the type Of
torpedo boat that should be found the
better after a fair competition. For weeks
the submarines were apparently jockeying
for a start, but they never got down OF
business. Then the Protector disappeared.
1t was not long before the Fulton was sold
to the Russians, also, and the two boats
again met in the Gulf of Finland. Nego-
tiations for test a second time fell through.
The Protector went it alone, proved salts
factory and was accepted. The Holland
boat was put through her stunts more
recently and has met with approval from
the Russians.
There Is controversy between the
Holland and the Lake companies, which
extends to the men in their employ. The
Lake people contend that the Holland COM
pany did not want to allow their Fulton
10 compete with the Protector. The Hol-
land company say the same thing about tn 9
Lake firm.
Neither company had any difficulty in
getting contracts from the belligerent
nations. The Holland company got the
Japanese orders and the Lake company the
fat OF the Russian trade. The Japs were
anxious to experiment with the Lake boats,
and made a proposition to buy single
submarine.
But they did not catch us so easy as that,
said one Of the Lake men. THE willy Jap
would have taken our boat and copied it,
and probably improved on 1t in two or
three years They had no patent law in
Japan till two or three years ago, and the
Lake company has no patents in that coun-
try now That is the reason We would not
eel one boat only to Japan"
The Russian Government has not a sub
marine boat in commission in Oriental
waters. The Japanese will have five there
ready to he fitted up in short time, these
five having been shipped from the Fore
River Engine Company, Quincy, Mass,
a month ago. American shipbuilders be-
lieve there has been a sharp contest on the
part OF each nation to get submarines TO
the scene of action first The shipbuildng
firms here think that while both the Jap
anese and the Russians are getting torpedo
boats in this country neither one will at
tempt TO make any trouble about the mat
ter and the firms are prof ting as mu uch
as possible by the war
The sum total Of the work that has been
done In this country for the belligerents,
i: is declared amounts to this: Five Hol-
land submarines built at Quincy for japan,
now enroute; small fi eet Of torpedo boats
under way at Perth Amboy, where Nixon's
ward IL crammed with them, for Russia
the Lake boat Protector, sold to Russia;
the Holland boat Fulton, sold to Russia;
five Lake boats under way in this country
for Russia.
The Holland boat Fulton left this country
secretly on June "a last. She was towed
out of New Suffolk, where the Holland
plant lie by tug and placed aboard trans
port, formerly the property Of the United
States Government, in Sag Harbor. On
board the transport were Peter V. Refill
Of Elizabeth N. j., chief engineer for the
Holland company, and Charles Berg, a
trusted employee Of the company, Rehill
conducted all the trials Of Holland boats
here and was considered by the Holland
people their best man. The Merritt
Chapman company hoisted the Fulton
aboard at night. The crew Of the Holland
boat went TO Russia by a steamship. Re-
hill is now in charge OF the work for the
Holland company in Cronstadt and will
remain there for an indefinite period. His
wife and family, who reside in Elizabeth
\. j., will sail next month to join him
John Wilson. who was foreman OF the
Holland plant at New Suffolk, is also in
Cronstadt in the interests OF the Holland
company.
Several other practical American ship
builders have gone 10 Russia and Japan
Arthur l.. Busch, who was general super
intendent for Lewis Nixon when the yards