The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-04
FIRST AMERICAN SUBMARINE.
Almost BIew Up o british Msn-sf-ywar IN
1850.

navtgated under serious conditions was
the invention Of an American, Daniel Bush
nell Of Saybrook. Conn.
Bushnell was graduated from Yale In i77S
and In that same year completed tho sub
marine vessel on which he had been At
work since I771. He does not seem to have
named the boat himself. but IL has come
70 he known as the Turtle because OF ito
shape.
The entrance to the vessel. says q writer
In the Ndvy. corresponded to the opening
made by the swells' Of q turtle shell at
Its head. The boat was about seven and
q half feet long and six feet deep; large
enough TO contain the operator and sum-
Gent air to last him half an hour
II was bsllasted chiefly with permanent
lead ballast. IN addition to this q MAS OF
lead. 200 pounds in weight. could be let
down forty or fifty feet below the weasel.
enabling the operator 20 anchor or tn rias
quickly to the surface in case OF accident.
A water gauge. illuminated by means OF
a cork wi h phosphorus on IL, which foated
on the water within the gauge.. registered
the depth Of the Turtle. BY means Of .
compass, also illuminated with phosphorus.
the operator wal able to direct the %
Of his vessel.
An oar formed on the principle Of an old
fashioned screw was liked in the forward
part Of the Turtle. The operator by turn
ing IL In one direction could propel the
vessel forward. or In the other could propel
It. backward.
Another oar. placed near the top Of the
Turtle. worked on the same principle. BY
means Of the latter the operator. after have
ing established the equilibrium OF the
vessel, could move IL either upward or
downward. A rudder in the sfterpart Of
the Turtle could be used for sculling.
The entrance TO he boat was elliptical
and % small a. TO barely admit one person.
It was surrounded by q broad elliptioal
iron band, the lower edge OF which was lot
into the wood. Above the upper edge OF
this brass iron band was a crown. -
sembling a hat. 1t shut watsrtight upon
the iron band, to which il was hung with
hinges. turning over sideways W hen opened.
In the crown were three round doors.
one directly in ront and one on each side.
and large enough to put the hand through.
These when opened admitted fresh air
Their shutters were ground perfectly tight
and were hung with hinges. There were
several glass windows in the crown for the
admission Of light and two air pipes.
A yentilator drew fresh air through one
Of the pipes and discharged IL at the bottom
Of the vessel. The impure air escaped
through the other pipe. These. Of cours
were used only when the turtle was floating
on the surface OF tho wafer. The valves
opened automatically when they came out
Of the water and closed as soon as they en-
tered it.
When the operator wished 10 descend he
placed his foot on The lever Of tie valve, by
which means he opened a large aperture in
the bottom of the vessel, thereby allowing
the water TO enter the ank When a suf-
ficient quantity had been obtained to cause
the vessel to descend very gradually he
closed the valve. The aperture under this
valve was covered by a perforated plate.
The water could be discharged from the
tank by the brass force pump. When the
vessel leaked the bilge could be pumped out
bv a similar pump. Everything in the
Turtle was brought 30 near the oper-
stor. that he could find in the dark b he
wished and without turning either to the
right or TO the left. A firm piece Of
wood was framed parallel to the short
diameter of the vessel to prove nt the sides
from yielding. This also served as a seat
for the operator.
In the fore part OF the brim OF the brass
crown wss a socket with an iron tube pass
ing through IL. At the top OF the tube
a wood screw, hxeJ by means. of a rod
which passed through the tube. When the
VOC screw had been made fast to some
object il could be cast OF by unscrewing
the rod. Behind the vessel and above the
rudder was attached a magazine composed
of two blocks Of oak wood, followed out
30 as 20 hold $50 pounds OF powder. This
was fired by a percussion device. timed by
means OF clockwork. A rope extended
from the ma gazine to the wood screw.
To destroy q ship the operator was TO
submerge the Turtle. NJ navigate il until IL was
underneath the ship that was to be de-
styoyed. screw the wood screw into her
bottom, cast OF the ma gazine and move
away. The magazine being buoyant would
Immediately rise against the bottom Of the
ship. The clockwork which fired il was
by the casting OF Of the magazine,
and gave the operator time TO retire to q
safe distance.
Bushnell made many trials OF the Turtle
before sending II against a British vessel.
found il very difficult to obtain a skilful
operator. In respect to this part of his work
he wrote as follows:
In the first Essay with the submarine
vessel / took care TO prove it's strength
TO sustain the great pressure OF the incum-
bent water, when Junk deep, before |
trusted any person to descend much below
the surface: and l never suffered any person
TO 20 under water without having a strong
piece OF rigging made fast to IL. until |
Yound him well acquainted with the opera
tons necessary for his safety.
After that I made him descend and
continue at particular depths. without
rising or sinking. row by the compass. APP
proach a vessel, 60 under her. and fix the
wood screw into. her bottom. until I thought
him sufficiently expert to put my design
into operation.
Il found. agreeable to my expectations,
that it required many trials to make a per-
son OF common ingenuity a skilful operator;
the first l employed was very ingenious
and made himself master of the business,
but was taken sick in the campaign of l77o
at New York before he had opportunity
TO make use of his skill. and never recov-
cred his health sufficiently afterwards"
In the summer OF 1870. when Admiral
Howe lay with a formidable British feet in
New York Bay a little below the Narrows,
Bushnell attempted to destroy one of his
ships, the Eagle. OF a. guns. The operator
whom the inventor selected to make the
experiment was Sergt. Ezra Lee.
He had had little experience with the
Turtle and was therefore inexpert. Lee,
however, successfully navigated the Turtle
under the Eagle. He attempted to fix the
wooden screw into her bottom, but struck
as he supposed a bar OF iron. which passed
from tina 1lddar hipOa and UNA apiLad ,,n-