Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-07

would require a much smaller crew
than the average present day ship of
ordinary construction. AS things 60
now on the sea a large portion Of
the crews work. even on a steamer,
consists Of looking after top hamper.
THE matter Of avoiding peril and
stoppage by ice on certain ocean
routes speaks loudly for the subma-
rine freight carrier. Such ships could
make the northern route from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, as ! intimated
earlier in this talk, because they
could 60 under the ice when neces-
sary. On the voyage from Liverpool
to Hongkong this would save four
teen thousand miles in one round trip,
Nor would this mean long voyages
beneath the surface requiring great
preparations in the way of air sup
ply, etc.
Steffansson tells mo that the great
est expanse Of ice known in the Arctic
has been but twenty-five miles wide,
and that while surface vessels are
likely to get stuck in the ice at al
most any time of year, submarine
cargo carriers could make the north
ern route at least six months of every
year, and possibly never need to sub
merge The distance between San
Francisco and London is 5000 miles
shorter by the northern than by the
southern route via the Panama
canal"
1 asked Mr.. Lake how large such
vessels as he now proposes could be
built.
"They could be built of any SIZE"
he answered. II have just designed
one to carry 1900 tons and there Is
no reason why such ships should not
be built to carry 10000 tons. I think
1t would not add more than 20 per
cent to their cost to make them
practically unsinkable--that is. I'M
losable through accident.
commerce by submarine is coming.
there fore. don't believe the idea
ever will develop for passenger ves-
sells. Passengers want the air. they
want the promenade decks. air travel
on dirigibles is much more likely to
become popular with tourists than
underwater travel on submersibles.
But passenger ships should be and
could be built SO that they would be
unsuitable. and alright decks would
make them that. The unsuitable ship
Is very simple problem.
1.-The Argonaut Sd is q boat that
began three years ago fer the pur-
pose Of recovering wrecks and con-
tents of wreeka The difaculty Of
working with divers is getting the
men up. They can 60 down rapidly:
for them to rise rapidly. from con-
siderable depths. would be and often
has been fatal. Recently diver sank
three hundred and six feet In eight
minutes. 1t was necessary to give
him three hours for his return Jour-
ney to the surface. and he should
have been given four. In the depths
q man becomes saturated with nitro
gen and he must DO dssaturated he-
fore he can return safely to tho sur
eace. This must be gradual process.
1.-THE return trip should be made by
stages Of not more than one hundred
feet at time. with long waits for re-
adjustment between efforts. Indeed
rising divers at considerable depths
should pause every ten or Afteen feet
after approaching Within eighty OF
one hundred feet Of the surface.
In the submarine we have the
greatest weapon Of defense for the
next war and the greatest weapon
of offense. We shall see It wonder
fully used as both II It does not aetu-
ally prevent other ware. which IL
not beyond the bounds Of possibility.
We have in it also the meana of SAL,
wage Of the wrecks for which Il 10
responsible. and many others. and we
have in It the means OF shortening
many trade routes to an extent suffl-
cient to revolutionize the commerce.
Of the world.
"The United States ekould build
submarines of commerce and sub
marines Of war. the latter principally
defensive. These would offer the
cheapest means Of defending our
coast cities. Atlantic and PaeifiN and
could carry the defense line far
enough from shore 80 that our cargo