The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-06-03
Says Feeling Prevails That America Has UnduIy Interfered With
 Russian Jewish Situation
SUBMARINE INVENTOR TELLS HIS STORY
Claims Involved Reach Well Past The MiI- lion Dollar Mark, One on Unpaid BaI- ance, Another on Alleged Breach
 of Contract

Simon Lake, inventor of the Lake type of submarine and head of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company of this city, planes the American sympathy troubles into which his concern, with other American enterprises in Rus sia, has recently fallen.
 Dispatches from Russia announce that the Lake Company has brought big suits against the Russian gov ernment for unpaid claims also for breach of contract The amount in volved in the alleged unpaid claim is S1S,927 roubIes, and for breach of con- tract two million roub1es is demand ed. A rouble is worth about VI
 Mr Lake issued a comprehensive statement of the dealings of his com pany with the Russian government which The Farmer publishes herewith:
 "Regarding the item appearing in the morning papers re the differences between the Russian government and the Lake Torpedo Boat Company. From advices from our representa- tive iAsss ss-t.s Petersburg, it is evident that the cable was in error as to- the facts. I understand from Gable from our representative that he has made. a demand o11 the Russian gov ernment for 3,927 roubles, and g. GOO, GOO rolTb1es dama ges for breach of contract and failure to pay orders on the admiralty, given by our St. Peters burg agents and for which the Rus sian admiralty had the funds in hand and by agreement were bound to pay. 'FOur relations with the Russian gov ernrnent were always friendly up to the time of the abrogation of the treaty of 1882, and we Have built number of vessels for them. On our fast contract, however, we were oblig- ed to build the hulls of Russian ma teriaI and in a. Russian yard, and at the governments request we made subcontract for the l1ulls with a, St. Petersburg firm of shipbuilders, who were to complete the hul1s in nine months. This company failed to de- liver the huIls on time and as we were subject to penalty from the gov ernment, and the tsubcontractors were subject to a penalty to us. we refused to pay them the final payment of about 73, 900 rouleles, as we had a con tract claim against them of 246,000 roubIeS due to their delay of about two years on delivery of the hulls and failure to carry out the provisions of their contract with us. The ad- mira1ty at that time recognized the justice of our claims. and finally took the boats away from the subcontrac- tors and moved them to the New Ad- niralty Works together with all ma chinery and tools belonging to the ves- sells, and gave us a place in the Ad- nira1ty Works to enable US to com plete the vessels. Here, serious ac- cident, in the nature of an explosion, occurred, due to the careIessness and ignorance of some Of the Russian wOrkmen.
 From an investigat tion which held at that time, it appears that one of the officers wished a change in the lead of the gasoline piping in the boat, and without notifying our engineer in charge instructed one of the work f0 5iSOnnfjnI1p the nine for the purpose of having a branch installed for another lead to another tank which was normally used for ballast.
 s'One of our American engineers was in charge of the boat at the time, tuning up the engines, and had or dered a supply of gasoline for the boat He could not speak Russian and the engineer who usually had charge of the Russian workmen was sick in the hospital with cholera. but I had previously given orders that when gasoline was being put on board, all men were to leave the boat except one man who was to cheek up the hIl- ing Of the tanks, and see that the proper vents and valves were opened or closed.
 ssNow. 1t appears from the testi- nony of the workmen at an investiga- tion which L instituted the day, fol- lowing the explosion, that the gaso- line arrived while the engines were running down below and the boss of the 1aborers on the dock with out notifying anyone down below, started to pour the gasoline into the gasoline tanks on board the vessel as he supposed; but as a section of the filling pipe had been removed by order of the Russian officer, the fuel instead of going down into the tanks ran down into the electrical depart ment and right in front of the switch board About 8 half barrel had been
 -l- covered, and then one of the BRIGHT Russian workmen discovered it and cried out in Russian to run for your lives and then in his fright and rat tied condition, pulled one of the switches which was the only thing needed to give a spark which caused the explosion.
 seventeen men went to the hos-4