New Britain herald., 1929-04-06
LAKE STILL KING
 0F SUB BUILDERS
Eidgeport Man Has Planned
 Polar Trip for 30 Years

IUl0l lily lVl Uv lvulo
 Sridgeport. April 6-BeCause for < rag re than S0 years q man has Clung ea.s aa a ciously to a dream a tiny sub- Eaa rine this sumner will rip ana sIasr its way through polar ice Hoes < lu the top Of the world.
 The man Is Simon Lake, and the ssesaam is the one born when he sssailt the worlds first successful sub saarine in 1895. Even then he plan- nssl that his invention would con- sssr the frozen harriers of far < rnrt hvrn waters that have proved apenetrable ever since men frs; ssss nt 10 sea ln ships. hus what was almost the origin a purpose of the submarine is be- ses carried out now that Sir Hu- rt Wilkins, famed explorer, has 'saecidgd to go 70 the North Pole by an undersea route.
 Only Private ~ubmarine' Lakes own craft. the Dafender- te only privately owned submarine SG the worlds being rofittod here the polar voyage. II is being 4 upprd with new and amazing de- ssees that will safeguard it and its 4aluntoer crew of ton on their fan | 'tic journey into the arctic.
 "The trip won't be daugerou and ,Fe ida isn't new Lake said. More fan S3 years ago I tried to interest , s+4ptain Nansen. the Arctic oXplor- in going 10 the North Pole n an .aGer-Ice submarine" Lake was only l , years old when s,s began work on the invention Y ich was to almost revolutlonlze ,al warfare-and which now ems about 10 add new and im- r1ant page 10 tho history Of arc a exploration. He was born in
 asantNille. \. J. in 1865. Al 10
 read Jules Ncruc's then fantastic
 ny Twenty Thousand Leagues
 der the Sea" l. impressed him.
 - too, some day would sail under 5s sea-in q ship of his own mak-
 Capitalists Laughed at Him
 So into a world still bit skep,i- ea of the new and different came atf young man with weird idea idea that he could build a boat
 would sink but wouldn't stay k, boat that actually could be FaEigated under water-in short, a 1Rechanical fish,
 In 1893 I wanted 10 build
 marine about 80 feet long and
 feet in diameter" said Lake. it would have cost s75.O00 and \ capitalists whom l approached ghed at me. So swallowed some as my hopes and the Next year went zQ Atlantic Highlands, \. J., 10 con- 1ct a smaller craft that would .zove my claims.
 There l built the 'Argonaut, Jr.' T seems the worlds first practical ! sAt marine. l made it, almost with at help, of yellow pine timber, frs .nted with coal tar. II was pro- Tstled from the bottom by turning { crank on the inside of the boat, Z jae compressed air was stored in sea water tank. The air compres- sf was only plumbers hand
 mp. I made the diving armor out canvas, painting it 10 render it MsoerVious 10 water. The air supply
 ale through q piece of common den hose"
 Opened Door Under Sea
 t Was. Of course, the sensation the day. To Chesapeake Bay
 inc summer Of 1895 snarmed ssientists. navigators, capitalists and ! EsTernment officials to see the un- 5elieyable craft.
 T took three capitalists 16 feet under water for an hour and fif- teen minutes.' Lake smiles now as he recalls the difficulty he had in overcoming their fears. During the submersion the door was opened air pressure excluded the water and articles lost or thrown oyer- board from the dock were recov- cred through the aperture. My sub marine vas q success.'
 Followerd. then, in eyer-increas- ing size and practicaIity, long line CT submarines that made Lake famed the world orer-and Of course. wealthy. He has constructed undersea craft for all the great powers in his yards here. He has had to stand hy all these years to see his nautical brain child en- pioyod for warfare Instead of be- ing utilized by science in peaceful pursults. And that is why he is en- tering into plans for Captain Will kins' polar expedition with youth ful zcst
 Many New Devices
 For tbe trip the Defender will he cquIpped wih 2 special diving hatch from which q man might slip from the bow of the sub and using hlgh-poNerod explosives. blast it free from retaining Ico: stout sharp edged bar extending from prov 10 stern over the coming tow CT like 9 huge knife that will cut through all but the thickest ice: q cargo Of thermite. used for break ing up jce-locked rivers, which will melt 2 8 much as an acre Of ice ir they should become trapped. drills for boring up through unusually deep ice 10 get fresh air for the crew and for recharging the craft s batteries; an undersea radio that can communicate at all times with shore stations; special sounding de vices for finding the depth Of the sga.
 Verne Congratulated Him
 Scientific and nautical societies and governments Of many nations have heaped honors upon him, but pan. eo