Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-02-02
Simon Lake X Submerged to
Depth of 50 Feet and Rose
Again in Half Minute
FINAL TEST MADE YESTERDAY
Foreign Naval Officers Delighted With
Little Vessels Performance.-Lakc
Company Gets Contracts Amounting
to Three Million Dollars and In.
ventor Lake Goes to Europe

After breaking the worlds records
with his submarine Simon Lake Y
during a test in James river ycsicr-
day. Inventor Simon lake left last
night for Bridgeport Conn. Today he
VIII attend a stockholders meeting Of
the Lake Torpedo Boa, Company and
on next Tuesday he will sail on a North
German Lloyd liner for Hamburg
Cablcgrams have just boon received adj
vsin. the company shat it has been
given contracts amounting 10 ahDll,
S%.nn"oG0 BY certain foreign govern,
ments.
Just how long Mi Lake will remain
abroad cannot be said He stated re
Gently that he would not return 10 this
country until the navy department Of
the United States decided to give him
1air play. He leaves Constructor f.
". Baker here to represent his inter
csts and supcrintcnd the construction
OF the cruiser submarine the contract
Tor which was signed yesterday. The
ShlpNard was virtually given the con.
tract for this vessel scl oral weeks
ago anal a great deal Of the material to
be used in its construction is already
on hand, but the signatures were not,
attached to the document until YES.
tcruay.
Tie inventor AMI all Of the Lake
representatives hero were in jubilant
spirits yesterday. The marvellous per
fGrmanccs Of the Simon Lake X, tn !.
Big contracts from foreign navies ana
assurances from Washington that a
thorough investigation is to he made
into the affairs Of tho macy dcpartmen
IN Cl,l n, a,.j,,n
broad smiles upon the faces Of every
body interested III the Lake type OF
submarine
The company will not at this time
dcvulSe the names of the govern
mChrs with which it is dealing and just
where the boats for which contracts
nave Just been secured will be built is
nor known. 1t is certain. however.
that the local plant will not build any
more submarines for some time after
The cruiser is completed
MT Lake himself does not know
lust what his plans tor the future will
be. He cannot tell where lie will
locate or where the new boats Will be
b'lllt until he reaches Europe and dis.
cnsses the subject with the powers
with whom he is contracting. The new
contracts will occupy his attention for
several years and he hopes to have the
united States calling upon him for
boats before that time has passed
ne lima cruising test OF the Simon
Lake \ was held yesterday morning.
mere VIII be another test at the dock
1h's morning and then the boat will
so out or commission III the near
future she will bc ismantlcd and
shipped abroad 70 the country to which
she has been sold
inventor Lake conducted the final
test with eighteen persons aboard, his
guests including Captain DcChair. of
=" BRUSH navy: Commander Land. of
the Argentine Republic navy: Mr..
R"al", OF Washington. connected with
ne war department. and a foreign
naval officer. whose name could NOT BE
learned
The little vessel cr,,iscl ont 10 dccn
water am there went through pcrform
anccS which were revelations TO the
naval officers aboard and surprises
even 10 the inventor and his associates.
Running smoothly along in cruising
trim. he supcrStruc,,rc of the boat
was filled AMI She was brought to
wartime trim in nine and nne-ha If
minutes, The worlds record for this
'cat fifteen minutes. has been held
ny IN" French type Of submarine From
wartime trim. with decks awash
INC boat submerged TO a depth III
thlr'T7clGht feet ani rose to the sur
lace again III thirty seconds The
trcnch record Of ono minute is the
short ST time This has ever been DC.
complisied in before.
The result oi the lest means much
to the supporters Of III" "suimcrsib)c
80 l,G. 7,