SUBMARINE WARFARE IN 1900.

Waikato Argus, Volume I, Issue 71, 19 December 1896, Page 1 (Supplement)

SUBMARINE WARFARE IN 1900.

o " S.sib on (he port bow, sir," called the lookout man, and we stopped at once. "How on earth do you know that,?'' 1 asked the skipper. For answer he drew me towards the sailor. In front of him was a small disc in deep shadow, and on this was mirrored a sunlit sea, with it tiny speck moving across it. " This," said he, '■ is our old friend, the ' camera obscura.' You know, I suppose, how it is utilised for submarine mines on shore ; you have (hem marked on the tabic, and when a ship crosses the mine you touch a button and blow her up. This is ;i variation of the same system. These circles indicate so many hundred yards ,- we can judge her distance to a foot with practice." " But," said 1, "that doesn't explain how you get the view of her." '' No," he answered. " But you noticed our mast when you came on hoard .'" I certainly had done >o, but il had only struck me as a survival of old naval institutions. " Well," he continued, " this mast is t descopie, and from a normal height of '2O feet above the hull can be increased to out; of f>o feet if necessary, when we are under water. It is hollow, of course, and o:i top is the aperture for the camera, and by a simple arrangement we get the picture, ; while by revolving it the signalman can command the whole horizon. In addition to this, a bell gives us notice that a vcsnel is moving within three miles of us, This is a fairly well known invention, brought out a year or two back for giving warning of the approach of torpedo boats, and acts through the vibrations they impart to the water, It hasn't been generally adopted by any navy as yet ; however, this cruiser which we have to try and approach unobserved, has one fitted ; and, doubtless, is looking for us now. Wc have to hang about, and note how long it takes her to spot our mast." We watched the cruiser going across the plate, now this way, now that, while we circled round her. Presently a puff of smoke rose from her pictured side. Wc were discovered. " Seventeen minutes," said the skipper; but they'll do it in that number of seconds with praet, I've no faith in our camera -obscura mast ; it's as plain as a pikestafl if they put look oul men at portholes

near tin; water-line. Now, then, we 00 up." I in mediately afterwards we began to feel motion, and a very unpleasant motion it wan, too ; and the air inside, which i't none of the best,, helped to increase, (In; inconvenience. li\ a few minutes we jumped out of the water, fell hack with a tren endous thud, and then rose again. It, was a horrible experience while it la.s'ed. Our tlagstafV mast was now run in, and we made slightly better weather, but it was still too much like being tilloat in ;i bottle to suit my fancy. He also ran a semaphore up through a trapdoor forward, and exchanged signals with the cruiser that now came up quite close to us. This over, the semaphore was pulled in, and down we went again. For a good two hours wo cruised about, the alarm-bell ringing every few minutes and then stopping. " It's no good," growled the skipper, disgusted : "they can steam - knots lo our one, and directly they hear us they steam away in circles till their hell no longer rings." l T p we went again, and more signalling took place. "Slut's not to go at over .") knots now,' explained our captain, "anil as we can make 10 at. u pinch we've a chance." The cruiser .steamed away till she was hidden from us by the waves : then descending we made after her as near as we could go by the compass. The Bell soon rang, and hy-and-bye we rose and made out the cruiser some six cables distant. She did not sight us this time, nor did we stay long to give her the chance —all we required was to take the position of the cruiser. Nothing happened, however, and we roso again. There was the cruiser steaming along, apparently on the same course, some four cables ahead of us on the starboard quarter. This time sho hanged at, us as we we went down. " Would that have done any harm ?' 1 asked. " Well, it depends.'' was the answer. " I'id she carry it dynamite gun ? A shell from that exploding within ti hundred feet of us would do for us for good and all, With q.f. guns we'd have a chance : but I don't thirst to face any one, in real war.'' Two or three time we missed and rose, each time a gun from the cruiser showing wo were sighted. Hang the beggar ?' said tiie shipper. " I'll try and find him under water-" We made for—as well as we could judge—the position of the, cruiser ; but for a long while failed to find her. Presently the water ahead of us was in violent agitation, and great swirls of foam shot across the scuttle. " That's her at last," cried the skipper, " we're just passing under her stern. Look to port ; quick !" I looked, and caught a glimpse above me of two great whirling screws, whence, came along spiral wreaths of bubbles as they beat the water to the throb of the engines, A moment later, and we, were thrown violently against the walls of the conning tower. " We've, bagged her this time,' our captain called out as he, rose to his feet ; " though, between you and me, it's entirely by accident ! I lur compass seems useless.'' Little wonder, for we aftcrwrada heard that the cruiser had towing around her a laitje number of powerful electro magnets, which exercised a most upsetting influence on our compasses Apart from this, however, compasses an; never reliable in submarine boats, there is too much metal close at hand : and in one American boat an attempt, is Being made to do without them altogether. We now rose alongside the cruiser and claimed her. Thankful we were, too, for the air inside was getting very foul. Nominally, we slowed enough for "_'l hours without renewal, compresses air was also given oil' by the engines (which last 1 was not allowed to visit), We also earned material for the manufacture of oxygen- -but good as these were, in theory, in actual practice they were far from satisfactory. As our lieutenant put it—" three days of being at sea in tin; Xn would transform us till into corpses," Keen this estimate seems to me excessive ; 12 hours under water would be more than enough to my thinking.—Good Words.