Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-15
Designer and Captain Of The uc.
tOpus Use 0xs|re Powder In
Novel Safety Jacket.
METHOD WAS EXHIBITED N TANK
Manoeuvres of the Rival Underwater
Craft to Be Kept Up During the
Present Wcok-octopus to be Given
Severe Test on Long Run to Boston
On Saturday.

NEWPORT, X. L., May IA
means of escape from the submarine
boat Octopus should she be punct,
nred, or If from any other accident
her appliances should fail to raise her
from the bottom. was demonstrated
this afternoon In her competitive
tests with the submarine boat Lake.
Since the submarine boat Porpoise
dropped dead" to tho bottom In 40
feet of water, four years ago, and
those aboard struggled Mt the hand
pumps In relays II long time before
they could raise her, such possibili.
ties as were met by the Octopus to.
day have been OF very serious con-
Germ.
The appliance used today Is called
a submarine jacket, and Is the in
ventiOn Of l.. Y Spear, the designer,
and Captain i. n. Cable, of the Octo,
pus, who have made practical adnp-
tation of oralite powder, discovered
by Frenchman.
The Jacket consists Of hood of
copper with thick glass door in
front attached to heavy canvas coil
much like tho ordinary life preserver.
Inside the coil liz copper flask
filled with pound of the oxalite
ttoth ttltiIuS Il luue WHlCll tnc
wearer of the jacket adjusts to his
mouth
Novel Way to Have Fresh Air.
with the Jacket drawn tight ut the
waist, the head and body of the wear
or are inclosed In an. air tight COW
ering. So that tho breathing shall
he exclusively through the mouth
the nose Is closed by n clip lined with
soft felt The moisture of tho breath
acting through the tube upon the OK
alite releases oxygen and refreshes
the air, while the residue of the oxalite
absorbs tn carbonic acid gas In the
breath.
AS the water is still very cold the
demonstration of the submarine
jacket was made In n tank. A man
wearing tho jacket immersed himself
In the tank for five minutes. The
Octopus has been built In n series OF
five compartments. and the theory Is
that should one or more of the COM
partments be p,inctured they could be
closed, and the crew. having assem-
bled In the unchanged compartments
could adjust their Jackets and. pass.
Ing out by the hatchways. under the
buoyancy of the air in the jackets
could rise to the surface with their
arms and legs perfectly free for &C.
ton.
The Octopus carries several oxalite
TASKS. so that the air within the boat
can undergo constant publication.
She is also fitted for the old method
of from time to time pumping bad
air out and releasing pure air from
the compressed tanks.
Octopus Successful Trial.
To test the radius of action of the
Octopus under water where only
electricity can be used for propulsion,
the endurance of her batteries WAS
tried I'm a rough sea this morning.
They lasted while running Mt speed
Of nine knots on the surface three
hours. forty-three and one.half min.
utes. Reducing this to submerged
conditions the radius of action of the
boat under water was 115 miles at a
rate of five and onehalf or six knots
and from thirty-two to thirty-five
mics at top speed.
The Octopus will be put through
more manoeuvres and she will also be
tried at torpedo firing In Potter's
cove. Her metabentres awash and on
the surface will be determined We'd
nesday morning. and at noon Wedncs-
day, off the wharf at the coaling sta
ton. the Octopus and the Lake will
be submerged for their long habi
liability test of twenty-four hours.
Both boats will be sent on their thirty
mile sea run on Friday and on Satur-
day the Octopus will start for Boston
for her 200 foot submergence test.