Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-08-20

I'm
gonaut Jr. closed her up and put in pipes to pump
her out. In my anxiety to succeed toiled under
water for several hours, and in consequence spent
tba better mart of week in bed afterward In that
brief time | lost 40 pounds in weight Dut uiuh
mind that because the boat was ahoat again
'"Tbe Argonaut, Jr., not designed TO supinerse
daanar than 20 feet and my main object in building
her was to show how craft of that nature couio
hs made to travel around on the bottom anu, oy
means of the diving compartment, make u possiDie
to recover things lying upon the waterbed 10 MAKE
a long story short$Qsx~performaDce We're SO sue
cosos,,l that obtained money and we organized a
company in November of 1896. But we did not
have funds enough to build the big boat | haa
planned and accordingly we had to cuTtali our aIi-
bition and confne efforts to smaller craft io
the purpose of demonstration and as an induce
ment to additional capital. Fortunately won the
confidence Of the late William T. Master Of Bal
timore, then president of the Columbian Iron
works and afterward mayor of the town
THE Argonaut was a cgar-shaped structure OF
steel 36 feet long and feet OF BEAM ana was
fitted with an so h. p. gasoline engine, dynamo
an air compressor, searchlight, water ballast
npmps-the apparatus necessary for successful
submarine navigation She had accommodations
inside her for crew of fiye and during 1898 a
cruise of more than 1000 miles was made in the
Chesapeake bay and on the Atlantic coast, traVe-
ing both on the surface and submerged, and over
all kinds of bottom. That boat, designed for COM
merciaI purposes was the pioneer of larger
military underwater craft which we built in
bridgeport years later
GAS far back as 1901 offered our navy depart
ment boat that could carry guns in addition to
torpedoes was generally laughed at, as was
for my bottom-traveling wheels. AS you know
most of the big British submarines now carry
guns and other nations profting by those ex-
ampes The big boats built by me in Russia Tor
the cars navy we're designed to have this very
feature.
"In view of the actual advances, and knowing
the increasing destructive might of the torpedo,
And no difficulty in subscribing to Admiral Sir
Percy SCOTS prediction Yes of course the idea
Is Of revolutionary portent but with the gun 10
halter her above water and the torpedo to do even
greater damage below, what chance OF surviving
has the accepted order Of dreadnaughts?
'The Proctor was the first underwater craft TO
nrovide comfortable quarters for her crew and to
he equipped with cooking facilities in order that
they might live aboard of her. Even so, the ruling
spirit of-our naval board of inspection IN l'o"
pooh-poohed this provision, declaring that moth
or shin would always be necessary and that the
men would live aboard the larger craft How tat
that mistaken authority erred can be gathered
from the performance of sister BOAT
After that little vessel became part of the
cars fleet she made a run from hronstaul 10
IJbau in October of 1905. The Official report OF
the commander OF the vessel best tells the STORY
This trip confirms once more the good sea
polng qualities of boats of this particular type, as
several times we we're out In cold weather ana eA
posed to high winds and heavy seas, yet not"iul
standing these conditions. the submersible stood
the weather every time quite easily. At one time
for "a hours by reason of the violence of the wind
and the nature OF the sea. 1t was not possible TO
pass food from the conveying vessel During that
period the deck swept by heavy seas ana tue
crew were able TO take the air only top of the
coming tower: but Notwithstanding this when
proposed to them the next day that they might go
over to the convoy If they liked they again asked
permission TO remain on the submersible
Yes the underwater craft are coming INTO tueH
own"