The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-18

JOHN p. HOLLAND CAMETO INVENT THE Rem MARK BIE
CRAFT THAT SAILS UNDER WATER.

The boat was launched in 1881.
md created Widespread interest. The
newspapers dubbed it, the 'Fenian
Ram because Of my nationality, and,
though I never was a Fenian. that
name stuck TO it in popular parlance.
[ experimental with it a good deal In
what is called Broadway, on the Jer-
sey shore. and then 1 took it down to
Bay Ridge because I wanted to get
across the Narrows, where could
have deep water TO dive In.
One day when had gone a little
beyond Dobin's Reef Lighthouse my
engines got tired, the same as those of
automobiles do nowadays. and l drift
ed down to near FIT. Lafayette. The
tide brought me back. and two boys
n were. OH. in a rowhoar saw the
strange apparition On top of the wa
ter and towed Us in. That was a. near
danger as I ever came TO in the boat,
though MY engineer had quite an adj
Venture the next winter. We had re-
turned To the Broadway then. and one
daE went Up to Eonkers and returned,
putting UP at Pier No. l OF the P. r.
r. Jersey City docks. | employed a
~~atchman for the night ard made an
appointment with the engineer to be
there the g morning. I missed my
train. however, and he got there ahead
Of ne. He was so anxious to make
an experiment that he tried to run
the boa alone a thing which was not
at all feasible. While he was busy
with his engine he failed to notice a
tug towing an empty canal boat com-
ing up the river. When he at last be-
came aware of its approach it was too
late for him TO get the submarine out
OF the way. He had barely time to
jump into the water and swim for his
life. The tug never saw II sublna-
rtne and the rounded bottom of the
canal boat passed right over her,
bearing her under. As the engineer
had left the hatch open when he
without the men or the tug even
knowing that IN aceident had oc-
cured. However. one of than hap
pened to notice a man in the water
and threw him a rope.
Meantime l had reached Pier I and
found no trace of my Submarine. I
started TO walk along the piers, and
talking excitedly. They had witnessed
the accident, but not the rescue of
the engineer. You MAJ imagine how
I felt when I heard their story. I
hurried across 10 the New York side,
where I was told the tug vas going.
but could get no information of il.
Well. I knew there was no use worry
ing and returned to the Jersey shore.
And the first thing I saw when l land
| ed was my engineer. 1 could hardly
believe my eyes. I asked him if it
! wasn't his ghost that I saw before me.
, He assured ms that he was still in
the body and explained that he had
dried his clothes while on the tug. had
been landed from it at a pier up the
river and hurried down TO find me. He
was so delighted at his escape from
RI -oti> Sbat II did mr. occur fn him m
express n concern or regret about
The loss of the boat; and I was so glad
70 see him . simply shook his hand
and congratulated him. The next
summer 1 took the boat down 20 PAM
rapo or the Jersey SHORE
But thought it had sunk" inter-
rupted the visitor.
Mr.. Holland had forgotten an acct
lent so triaing where an unnamed
submarine is concerned. On, I had
i. raised four or five DAYS after the ac-
cident and found it practically untn-
jured." he explained. Il had no stcr-
age battery in that boat l depended
upon my gasoline engines both for
surface and submarine runs. No l
had no electric lishts;"tney were not
necessary. Light penstrates to some
distance under the water, and we were
able to see quite we'll at from Is TO
90 feet below the surface. The dark
est water in the world is that Of New
York harbor. 1t is so muddy that on
ordinary occasions it Is as dark as
midnight 20 feet below the surface.
When the tide brings In fresh water
things are better and one can see at
20 feet. but his is not usually the case.
That first little boat of NINE" Mr..
Holland added. was built at an ex-
penditure of about $4,000. She was
onl:. about so feet LONG and six feet
in diameter. but she proved the avail
ability of the submarine. In principle
and design she was correct"
The success of the Fenian Ram re-
suited in the formation of the torpedo
boat company which built the Hol-
land, the first submarine to be pur-
ment, and which company now sup
plies the navies of the world with sub
marine fighters. After seyering his
connection with this company Mr..
Holland designed TIVE submarines for
tie japanese government. and one OF
the boats built according to these de-
signs decided the battle of h Straits
of Japan. in the Russo.Japanese war.
To-day 1 am principally interested
in the possibilities Of the submarine
as a pleasure croft Mr.. Holland said.
II often wonder why some n does
not realize the chance for money max
ing there is in or TWO Of them at a
resort such as Atlantic City, where
they surely would prove a great at
traction. Parties going down in them.
even when storms were raging, would
find pleasant sailing. for weather does
rot penetrate below the surface OF the
water