Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1890 — SUBMARINE NAVIGATION. [ARTICLE]

SUBMARINE NAVIGATION.

Ylrst Attempts at It—Day and BushneU’s Boats. At the famous siege of Syracuse (212 B. C.) trained divers were employed on work uuder water, but their work was unsatisfactory, since they conldstay under Water but a few moments at a time. From that time until about two hundred years ago there wrb little or no pro.ress made in submarine woik, bnt wit Lin the last two centuries efforts have been in progress for employing submarine boats. For the most part, however, these efforts have been failures, very few even us much as partially succeeding. To do full service, the submarine boat must be constructed so as to give fresh air (520 cubic inches per minute J or each man), so as to furnish the means for freeing the air from poisonous impurities aii-iiuii from exh 'ling caroonic acid gas; also, ill© means of gi ing and gov. ruing mo.ion m the sabniaiine boat, and room for tbe woikmen wh le under water. One of the trst bo.it> constructed was by a i Englishman name i Day. in 1774. The Itoai was a tailnre, however, and Day lost hi© ife during an experimental descent iu Plymouth So ad in a essel of about fifty tons burden. He intended to make it rise after a submersion of considerable duration, but tailed 'the next year oue BnsbuelL, of Connecticut, contrived a submarine lo t to be used in warfare It was of somewhat globular i-hape. and was ptopelled by a kind of Archimedean screw. This bout was in a measure a success, but it was never put to any practical u--e. Robert Fulton, while in Pans in 1791), invented a box which, when filled with combustibles, m ght be projeltd under water, and made to extplode beneath the bottom oi a ship, so as to blow it up, but the attempt W)« an entire failure. &oa>e years efterw'ard, however, he really managed to blow up an old ship’s hull in this country. He also constructed a submarine boat lor the purpose of blowing up ships, capable of conta ndng several persons, but when tried on several of the French rivers it was only a partial sufcoess, and •very unsatisfactory. Some of the suggestions about submarine ships or boats are to the effect ■that a boat ought to carry store-vessels containing oxygen to replenish the air, tbe carbonic acid being -absorbed.either byoream of lime <or a strong solution of ammonia. In 1859 much attentiou was attracted >to a boat designed in Chicago. Aooording to the (patent, tbe vessel was ■egg-shaped in transverse seotion. and diminished nearly to a point ateach end. The rudder was >at the end of a hollow shaft, which Ulso contained (the axis -of the sorew propeller. The boat was completely dosed in -on all sides, except for certain pipe openings. There were two iron tanks in the interior; one had air forced into it by an air pump; the second contained water, nnd was furnished with a pipe and stop-cock communicating with the first. Ihe engineer of the boa!, by pumping water into .or out of the second, through the action of the air in the first, could raise or lower the boat as he willed. The boat was furnished with a steamengine to provide propelling power. The embarrassments to its use, nowever. were too many and difficult to establish its permanent success. Some years alter a boat called the Intelligent Wh»le was exhibited at Brooklyn, N. Y. It was of an extended eagshape, and provided with mauv oriainal and needful contrivances. It was thought when the boat was first exhibited that tbe problem of submarine navigation was solved, but after a few trials it was found to be too cumbersome for convenient use. —New York Ledger. ‘HA'IjIVS-CATARRH COKE is a liquid and is -taken-internally, and acts directly on th? blood and mucous surfaces of the system. Write for testimonials, free. Manufactured by OT, J.,CHE KEY & C 0„ Toledo, O.