Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1875 — William Bauer, the Submarine Direr. [ARTICLE]

William Bauer, the Submarine Direr.

William Bauer, the submarine nark gator, who died lately at Munich, at the age of fifty-three, was a remarkable man. His chief work was the submarine ship. During a season of he amused himself by watching on the coasts of the Baltic the gambols of the seal, how they rose to the surface and as quickly disappeared. Their play gave rise to die idea of building a ship which, seal-like, would rise and sink, and which could be navigated under the water. After great pains and exertions Bauer constructed a model realizing his idea, and this soon found such favor that he was able, by means of a subscription raised among the officers ami soldiers of the armies of the Duchies, to build a small ship according to his plan. Accompanied by two sailors he undertook ten submarine trips with the Boat favorable results; but as the ship Bad been constructed on the most ecoaomical principles, Bauer’s funds being limited, it sprung a leak during the tenth Inal trip and sank to the bottom of the Baltic. This happened on the Ist of February, 1851, at nine o’clock in the morning. The anxiety of the multitude waiting iwthereappeai •ance of the vessel may be imagined, but it is impossible even to jjkxure the terrible position in which Bauer and his companions found themaelves. During fully six hoofs they remained in the almost hermetically-sealed compartment of the ship, which was filled writh compressed air and into which the muter could not enter. Fortunately a haply Idea struck Bauer in this emergency. | He thought that if he were to suddenly Cyan an exit to the great quantity of compressed air it would rush out with great mm After the necessary preparations Be placed one of the sailors close to the Unß hateh, closed tight with glass. At

the proper moment Bauer, opened the hatch and the three were Forced upward, like, as Bauer expressed it, so many corks of champagne bottles, arriving safely at the surface of the water. The ship, which he had named Fire Diver (Brandtaucher), and which was destined to serve as a submarine fire-ship, was of course lost; but general attention was drawn to the young inventor, and King Louis of Bavaria, as well as Prince Albert of England, patronized him, so that he was able to buila a new model, which was inspected by the Emperor of Austria. It was the intention to utilize the invention practically in the Austrian navy; but the project had to be abandoned for the want of money experienced at that time by Austria. When, during the Crimean war, the English and French fleets invested Cronstaat, Bauer was invited by the Grand Duke Constantine to come at once to Russia and construct a ship which could be employed against besiegers. The ship was finished just when jtcace was concluded; but Bauer undertook 120 submarine trips with it. A large pecuniary compensation had been accorded to him; but as he did not comply with the demands of Russian officials he was exposed to many intrigues, and had almost to fly from Russia under the protection of the Bavarian Ambassador. He repeatedly resided in London, ami settled finally in Munich, where he continued bis studies undisturbed. His name came again prominently before the public when lie effected the raising of the Ludwig, sunk in the Lake of Constance. He earned a lasting name and honors by this feat, but at the same time contracted a severe aflliction of the gout, which grewworse with time. Paralyzed and deprived of speech, he spent his days in a chair, but his mind, notwithstanding bodily infirmities, was as fresh as ever. He subsisted on a pension granted him by King Louis until death released him from his sufferings. —Scientific American.