Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-03-29
SUBMARINE SAFETY WILL BE
* INCREASED.

Whatever be the immediate results of the
search for the F-4. the final results Of this I'M
der sea horror is likely to be another step for
ward in the science of submarine safety s5~.1s
As progress in aviation has been marked by
the graves of men, so has the progress of I'M
der water transportation been marked by ia
talities. Not that knowledge must be gained
necessarily at the expense of life but that in
hazardous occupations accidents cannot al
ways be foreseen; man issworklng against
mighty forces of nature A flaw in metal; the
miss of an engine-beat; miscalculation Of
speed or of distance-what in ordinary circum
stances is the merest trihe not guarded against
NAV push the frail human creation across the
margin of safety. - r.
2 Lincoln Beachey, as skilled birdman as
ever lived, pushed his daring trifie too far,
and the strength of his monoplane wings failed
him at critical moment. This is an lliustra-
ton of the thread between life and death IN
extra hazardous pursuits.
Until last Thursday morning the United
States navy has been free from major subma-
rine accidents 1t could not be expected that
this remarkable record could be indefinitely
continued And when the F-4 is recovered
what scientific inquiry will establish as the
cause Of her sinking should be of definite value
in future submarine construction and opera
ton
Within a few weeks some noted strides in
under2sea work have been ehronicled. The
Scientific American of January %, 1915, tells
Of the U-3 and ia of the Austro Hungarian
navy, 800 tons each, with structural strength
calculated to resist the hudraulic pressure
down to a depth of 165 feet.
In view of the F-4 disaster, the provision for
salving appliances on these new Austrian boats
is ofunusual interestrhere They carry safety
keel Of Ave TONS easily detachable. The boat
can be ioated in one and one-half minutes by
emtying the ballast tanks. Several devices are
Installed for purify vitiated air. Deck buoysl
are carried which can be detached from the in
terror Of the steel plate SHE'LL the better to aid
IN securing telephone communication with
rescuefs
Theradius Of these boats is 1900 miles above
water and go submerged.
Another stride in deep-sea operations de
scribed in the scientific press is in diving meth
DDS. The two hardy divers trying to locate
the IA have been going down with only a he'll
met over their heads, not using even the ordi
nary diving suit. A record of 215 feet-aI
world s record with this slight use of apparatus
was established by Jack Agraz yesterday.
Much greater depths can be penetrated by Al
diver ia an ordinary flexible rubber diving suit
inflated with compressed air. On November 3
Of last year Chief Gunners Mate S. J. Drelli-
shak Of the u. S. navy went down 275 feet to-
the bottom of the sea. This was at Race Rock
Light Connecticut, in very cold water and
through swift currents
Referring to this achieyement, the Technical
World Magazine for April, 1915, says:
1T has long been the contention Of the United
States navy that there is practically limit to the
depths to which diver descend In safety, and
exhaustive tests and experiments have been con-
Quoted by the United States navy that tend to prove
that deepsea diving is in Its infancy. The success
Of the experiment has demonstrated that men may
20 down into the and remain down and work
on the bottom 10 greater depth than was possible
year ago. and with the improvements that are
being developed the mysteries of the deep will not
remain yelled from human knowledge very much
longer
Other special diving apparatus is now being
experimental with by the navy.
Had the men ON the F-4 rescue work such
dying apparatus as this at their command,
IN ::;kely the F4 would have been located on
Tor second day after she was lost
Ere = 1tional attention attracted by the F4
OF Of az is bound to result in increased atten-
,ypgsED suoAR sEIT. preference shares