The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-09-07
NEW SUBMARINE
IS A WONDER
Baby Ship Does Not Depend on Air
to Make it Sink and Comes to
the Surface in Case OF
Accident.
is TO COST ONLY $4,000
Equipped With Fins Which Guide It In
Any Direction and One
Man Can oper-
ate II.
IBy Henry Wood. Rome Correspond.

ent of the United Press.]
ROME, Sept. 6.-Italy has just sue
cessfully conducted at the naval yards
at Venice it's first experiments with a
new submarine that is expected not
only to revolutionize the entire pres.
ent basis of submarine building but to
put an entirely new aspect on the en-
tire question of naval warfare.
After two years OF secret work and
secret experiments, Italy has now sue
ceeded in perfecting submarine
which requires but one man to operate
it, this one man comprising not only
the navigating crew but also the fight
ing force. In the final successful ex-
pertinent, just conducted off Venice,
Captain Bresciani of the Italian mill
tary engineers, who begged for the OPP
portunity of being the first crew of
this new naval unit, succeeded not
only in making his little craft sub
merge and navigate at will under wa
ter, but also was able with the pedal
pedoes with an accuracy to leave no
doubt of the future possibilities of the
new craft.
The man to whom the Italian gov
eminent entrusted the task two years
Iago of perfecting such submarine is
/ Doctor Robiola The work was car
ried on by him at the naval yards at
I Spezia, just below Genoa, and he has
! succeeded not only In solving the
problem of the one man submarine
marine navigation which have hereto
fore constituted serious problems and
drawbacks.
One of the most important Of these
out the introduction of water to ado
to It's weight This, in the past, has
presented most serious phase of the
submarine question owing to the fac
that when accidents have happened
under water there has been no way tt
relieve the craft of this added weigh
and it has usually gone to the bottom
leaving the crew to perish If no
promptly rescued from above
DR.. Robiola in his newly perfected
craft has avoided entirely this com
, bined necessity and peril His almos
toy battleship Is equipped instead
with series of mechanical fins a
each side and by the mere working o
these against the water with upward
motion the craft is forced downward
IL
!, other problems which this device ha
!. solved, it has solved the all import
ant one that in case of an accident tt
. the propelling machinery the Graf
being still lighter than the water
comes Immediately to the surface.
An ample demonstration of thi
was had in the very first experiment
! At that time the propelling motor o
!, the craft had not been installed, an,
the current was furnished to it by
wire connecting it with the motor 0
!, one of the large ordinary types o
! submarines. The baby craft, however
, proved itself so much more alert tina
its mother alongside that in dartin
: about under the water, it set a pac
faster than the big craft could mair
tain, and the connecting current wir
was broken, leaving the baby Graf
, without propelling power. At ono
I the vessel came to the surface an
\ Captain Bresciani equally as prompt
poked his head out of the tower t
see what had happened.
; The model which has now been PEI
e fected and which is to serve as a typ
for similar ones which the Italian go'
t eminent proposes to turn out by tn
J. score, will cost not over $4,000 eacf
\ They will be equipped with an Is
t 20 horse power electric motor an
a will have radius of action as grea
t as that of the battleships to whic
v they will be attached.
t 1t is the intention of the govern
: ment to equip every one of its larg
8 fighting units with a small squadro
e OF these one-man-automobile sui
l. marines, which can be carried yer
= much the same as life boats. TIL
perfection of this type, Italy is col
fldent, will give to each one of its ba
tleships the strength almost, in tn
d matter of mere naval encounters, {
On 10,