THE SUBMARINE BOAT. 727 



to g-et insensible. ' Whereupon.' says tiie Freneli paper from which 

 we quote, 'several of our brave sailors ])et>an to ask, Is all well?"' 

 The answer apparently was in the negative, so the rest wont home- 

 ward, with three men well-nigh sutfocated."'' 



GASOLINE TANKS COMPARATIVELY SAFE WHEX STORED IN SUPER- 

 STRUCTURE. 



It has been maintained that as the gasoline tanks are stored in the 

 superstructure the boats are likely to be destroyed by a fragment of 

 shell hitting the tanks. Such would not be the case. Liquid gasoline 

 is ditiicult to explode. The shell might rupture the tank and permit 

 the liquid to run into the sea. It might even be set on tire. You 

 would then simply use gasoline from another tank or else turn on elec- 

 tric power and steam out of the region of the burning oil. 



As an illustration of how difficult it is to explode liquid gasohne, 

 the burning of a valual)le gasomobile at Sewickley, Pa., will atford 

 some pretty positive information. The machine not working prop- 

 erly, the chauffeur and the owner dismounted to ascertain the cause. 

 Thev found the gasoline tank leaking, and while they were examining 

 the appliance the liquid suddenly ignited. A bA^stander pulled a fire- 

 alarm box and two fire companies were quickly on the scene. Both 

 chemical extinguishers and water were played on the flames, but they 

 were not extinguished until the machine was ruined. There was no 

 explosion, simph- a slow burning of the liquid fuel. 



THE ANTIDOTE TO THE SUBMARINE. 



For the past three years considerable thought has been given to the 

 subject as to the best manner of disabling the submarine. The British 

 Admiralty regard with considerable favor a device in the form of a 

 spar torpedo, electrically dischargeable, easil}" dropped, and composed 

 of powerful explosives. Some experiments have already l)een made, 

 and while the principle embodies no certainty, there are experts who 

 believe that its action is as reliable as that of a Whitehead torpedo, 

 for the torpedo is more than likely to fail in its purpose when dis- 

 charged from a l)oat that is somewhat l)lind, and from a craft whose 

 speed is so slow that a strong eddy would change its direction. 



There are other experts who ])elieve that fast-ruiming ))oats will be 

 able to run the submarines down. As the submarines are slow in 

 speed, and are not easily maneuvered, the picket ])oats or fast tugs 

 would find the submarine in the same way that you kill a whale. The 

 whale being slow in action, and being compelled to rist; to the surface at 

 intervals, can not maneuver as quickly as a skillfully worked boat, and 

 is thus caught unawares. Thus it might be with the submarine — 

 lieing slow in action, and deficient in maneuvering qualities, the picket 

 boat would have an opportunity to run over them Ix'fore the subma- 



