The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-09-07
TO SEEK BODIES
ON LUS|TANIA.
New Device May Enable Re-;
covery Of Lost Cold AIso. !
Invented BY SIMON LAKE

Apparatus Has Already Passsd gx.,
psrimental Stage and Has, pes~sSs
sueesssfuI-$5.ooo,0 900 In Gold On sAiH.
Sunk In 1887 Will Be Sought AIss.
Called sen,isubmsrsibIs Tube.
Simon Lake, inventor Of the typs Of
submarine that bears his namo, Ass
evolved an apparatus that can recover
the valuable cargo Of the sunken Led
tania and other vessels destroyed In
German submarines. Mr.. Lake. AZ
Bridgeport, Conn, said:
The apparatus already has proyea.
successful and has really passed ths
experimental stage. feel conndent ft.
will be able to recover cargoes fram.
vessels lying at depth of 300 feet or
less and that 1t will be able to raise
sunken vessels completely where thsys
are lying in water no deeper than 2o0s
feet.
ALREADY we have constructed a full
sized one at Brightlingsea. on the east,
coast OF England, and this one win b.
used to recover the $5,0OO,O0O Of buf-
lion that was lost I'm the British shin
Lutine Off the coast Of Holland In
1887.
Confident Of Success.
There have been many attempts to-
secure this valuable cargo, but all have.
ended in disaster Our attempt win b.
made In conjunction with Lloyd's Of
London. II it is successful, as I be-
lieve 1t will be, there is no reason why.
1t cannot be used to raise the ships
sunk in the war zone, or at least to re-
cover their cargoes."
The apparatus is known as the 'semf--
submersible tube" Mr.. Lake describes,
it as long tube, FIVE feet In diameter
with large chamber at one end The
latter Is known as the working cham
Der, and it contains motors, search
to control air pressures.
Just above the working chamber iss
q compartment known as the air lock.
It is in this that the operator accus-
toms himself to the pressure at the
particular depth in which he has to-
work before emerging into the cham,
ber.
In this working chamber is lens ar,
rangement known as the '..aquascope, ~
which enables the operator to look out
over the bottom of the ocean and lo-,.
cate the wreck he is searching. Tho
semisubmersible tube is fitted to q spe-~
cial type of wrecking steamer. :,
:. Locating the Wreck. !
Mr.. Lake explains further: !
"The operator descends into the
chamber by means of stairway built,
into the tube and, after passing through
the air lock, goes into the working
chamber. He then looks through the
aquascope while the steamer slowly
navigates around.
"As soon as the wreck is located the,
operator telephones to the captain Of
the wrecking steamer, and the latter
brings his vessel to a stop over the
wreck. following the maneuvering d.
rectons telephoned to him by the op-,.
orator. The tube is then lowered on to,
the deck of the wrecked vessel.
''The working chamber has a door
on its under side. The air inside is
equal in pressure to that of the water
outside, and, as the doors open down.
ward, 1t Is impossible for water to get
into the tube.
when the doors are open the OPP
orator, equipped with a divers outfit,
can step on to the deck Of the wreck
and Immediately begin work on re- .
covering the cargo or other things ot
value. The recovered articles are !.
placed in slings o. on hooks and then.s
hOisted to the surface by the derfickSs
on the wrecking steamer.
Carries Electric Lights. ;
"The operator carries with him a&
special type Of portable electric light.
which enables him to see his way
clearly about the sunken vessel.
Crossed lines or cut lines are a CON-
slant danger to ordinary divers, but:
they have no qualms for our OPERATOR.
because in case Of trouble all he has to
do is to walk back to the operating
chamber.
According to reports at the time of
her sinking the Lusitania Is resting In
forty fathoms Of waterloo feet. II
this depth is correct 1t would be an
easy matter to recover the bodies i'm
prisoned beneath her decks as well asS
her cargo"
For raising sunken steamships, Mr..
Lake says, the same apparatus is used.
with the exception that it can be op-
Grated only in depths up to 200 feet.
The special wrecking steamer de-
vised by Mr.. Lake for use with his
tube Is so arranged that the tube can
ha OSad in q heavy Goa