Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-11
SUBMARINES
MADE SAFE
ENGLlSHMEN PERFECT VALUA-
BILE INVENTION
BRITISH NAVY WILL ADOPT THE
DEVICE
experiments at Portsmouth Have
Proved Efflacy Of Apparatus Con-
sstlng Of Diving Helmet and
Canvas Jacket
Special Cable to The Herald.

Special Cable to The Herald
LONDON, Aug. 10-Crews Of submarines
have hitherto undertaken their duty with
the unpleasant consciousness that If dis
aster befell the vessel their chances of
escape were slight in the extreme. 1t Is
so no longer.
Commander S. S. Hall, inspector COM
mander of submarines, and Staff Surgeon
Oswald Rees of II. NJ. s. Mercury, have
at last perfected an apparatus which rem
ders catastrophes such as that which
overlook the men of the AL an impossi-
bility, and which will enable the crew Of
a submarine to escape from the vessel,
even though 1t be filled with water or
poisonous gases.
Examinations of wrecked submarines
after salvage show that the conditions
prevailing in the submarine when a large
quantity of water enters are such that If
life is ia be preserved. three definite prob
lens must be solved:
Saving the crew from the effects of
noxious fumes generated by the salt water
which gained access to the electrical
storage batteries.
Saving the crew from drowning in the
submarine.
Enabling the crew to escape from the
boat and ascend to the surface.
The new apparatus has been proved by
experiments at Portsmouth to fulfil all
these conditions, and will probably soon
be adopted officially by the admiralty for
use in the British fleet.
The Helmet
In appearance the new invention is like
diving helmet, made of light metal, with
canvas jacket. 1t weighs only about
ten pounds, and can be attached in a few
seconds.
The air breathed by the wearer is used
over and over again. The poisonous car
bonic acid gas of the respired air is alb
sorbed by a special substance called
"oxylithe," which also restores to the air
the requisite amount of oxygen and rem
ders it fit again for breathing.
A practical demonstration of the appa-
ratus was given yesterday at the works
of Siebe, German & Co., Limited. sub
marine engineers to the British ad-
miralty.
The firm has an enormous experimental
tank, into which Chief Petty Officer
Hines of the royal navy descended,
equipped with the new lifesaving device.
The effect of the apparatus is to bring
the person wearing it to the surface, and
consequently Hines had to wear heavy
weights, so that he could climb down the
ladder to the floor of the tank.
There were glass windows in the tank,
through which Hines could be seen walk
ing about with as little discomfort as If
he were on land. All this time, of course,
he was obtaining no fresh supply of air
from outside, the headgear itself giving
him all the necessary oxygen.
Suddenly Hines released the weights
from his body, and, as would be the case
were he escaping from the coming tower
of a submarine, he rose swiftly to the
surface where the dress acted as life
buoy.
Commander Hail. who was watching
the experiment, told newspaper repre-
sentative that, equipped with the new
apparatus, man could live in the most
poisonous fumes for an hour and twenty
minutes.
Fatal Gas
Chlorine gas, which generates imme-
diately sea water gets into the sub
marine batteries, he stated, was fatal In
very small quantities. Even apart from
being actually dangerous to lie the
smallest trace in the air will cause SO
much coughing that work Is Impossible
lust when 1t is most needed to get rid
of the water in the boat ana, perhaps To
get her to the surface.
Special arrangements, Commander Han
added, are provided in submarines Tor
enabling the crews to open the natch
of the coming tower under all conditlons'
so that they could come to surface
where the patent dress would act as a
lifebuoy until they were picked up.
One of the great advantages OF the new
device is that submarine crews can
nractice with it in the boat and under
water. l.,
Commander Hall said he was not In
favor of keeping the patent secret
"There is no reason he added, why
foreign governments should not use 1t.
After all, it is not an affair OF war
although its moral effect on the ere" Oh
a submarine will be enormous