The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-29

sures the lead for France, a. these little
hornets are quickly constructed.
The Pluviose, which went down OF
Calais after oolliding with a passenger
steamship on May 70, was one Of the
most celebrated submarines in the
French navy. In last years manguvres
between BEest and CheTboaTg she alone
OF several submarines engaged sue
ceeded in tOrpedOing the squadron in
It's passage She made a run Of 73O
miles in 9 hours without a stop. The
British submarine No. A was also sunk
in collision with a steamship. In fact,
the submarines are peculiarly suscepti-
bic 10 contact with any part Of a ship in
motion the PluviOse was struck by a
paddle wheel or with any immOvable
body. although il may be small vet
their speed seldom exceeds ten knots and
they are supposed to he buoyant. Their
plates are however, thin, and a rent Ii
likely TO be fatal.
At the best the submarine is a deli
cate piece Of mechanism. The loss OF
the Latin on Bizerta with all her crew
was OcoasiOned by the lodging Of a
pebble in a sea valve which stopped the
operation Of a lever used 20 raise her TO
the surface The position OF the bodies
Of her crew showed that a. soon as her
plight was discovered discipline must
have ceased. II he had not been inn
peded by the crowding Of two men into
the Cupola the commander. who was
found with his right hand chntching the
exit ladder, would probably have been
able TO work a crank designed TO open
hood for the escape Of those on board.
Naval Constructor LAWRENCE Y.
SPEAR, Z. s. ", after a study Of the ac-
cidental sinking Of tine English hats
Al and As. the French boats Fnriadst
and Lutin and the Russian Dolphin, at
tributed the catastrOphes either 20 care
lessness or incompetence. The Del
phin's ballast tanks were flooded while
the hatch was open; a hatch Of the Far
fadet was leaking when she went down:
the same was true Of the English boat
Al, although in her case there was the
excuse of a collision with a passing YES
sci; As, running ON the surface al high
speed. was driven under with an open
hatch; the pebble in the Lutin's sea
valve. investigation showed, was caused
by contact with the bottom some day
before she foundered and should have
been discovered. In his report, written
just before he died. Lieutenant SAKUMA
Of the Japapese submarine lost in Hiro-
shima Bay on April IS. said that in
making a gasOlene dive the boat sank
lower than was intended. and in our at
tempt TO close thesluiCe the chain broke. :
When she grounded on the bottom bad
gas was generated, and the crew was
soon asphyxiated.
IL has been claimed for the United
States submarines, Of which We now
have eighteen item are building. that
they are constructed with greater care
than the boats Of the European navies
and are equipped with strong tanks for
containing water ballast and easily oper-
ated machinery for ejeCting this ballast
in an emergency. The American svs-
tenn Of training the men is methodical
and thorough. so successful on the
whole have been experiments with the
American submarines that Secretary
MEYER has Recently issued an order en-
tending their radius Of action and order
ing that war risks be regularly incurred
in manGuvring with them hereafter