730 THE SUBMARINE BOAT, 



been twenty-one months since Vickers' Sons & Maxim were author- 

 ized to construct these boats; and the fact that such a firm has failed 

 to deliver the boats on time conclusively shows that unexpected diffi- 

 culties have been experienced. It has only been within a month that 

 the first of these boats has been accepted, and an expert from the 

 United States maneuvered her during the official trials. 



It has been officially reported that the second of the submarine 

 flotilla under construction in the yard of Messrs. Vickers' Sons & 

 Maxim will be different in minor respects from the first boat. The 

 fact that alterations have been made in the construction of submarine 

 boat No. 2, taken in connection with the fact that some of the boats 

 will be a year late in delivery, ought to afford pretty conclusive 

 evidence that the English boats are not beyond the experimental 

 stage. 



The British naval estimates for the year 1902-3 provide for four 

 additional submarine boats. The engineering journals of Great 

 Britain state that the new boats will be an improvement upon those 

 authorized in 1900, since Mr. Maxim will make some important 

 changes that will improve their efficiency. The British Admiralty, 

 therefore, does not rest content with having the new construction of 

 the same character as the old. England demands progressive improve- 

 ment, and we should not rest content with those that have not yet 

 proved their efficiency- 



GERMANY GIVES NO ENCOURAGEMENT TO THIS FORM OP NAVAL CONSTRUCTION. 



The German Admiralty is experimenting with a launch of small 

 tonnage. The naval periodicals of that Empire, in reflecting the 

 opinion of the officers of the naval service, show that Germany regards 

 submarine development as even in an early experimental stage. In 

 discussing the submarine question with one of the staff of Prince 

 Henry in New York, this official informed me that the Americans 

 had done very well in going slowly in building such boats. He fur- 

 ther remarked that the German Admiralty had done better, for they 

 had refused to build any. 



RUSSIA EXPERIMENTING WITH A SMALL BOAT OF TWENTY TONS. 



The Russian Government is experimenting with a small boat of 

 about 20 tons, which can be carried on the deck of a battle ship. The 

 length of the craft is 50 feet, while its diameter is only 4 feet. 

 The boat is composed of nine sections joined together b} T bolts, thus 

 permitting the craft to be taken apart and stowed in the hold of a ship. 

 It is said of this boat that when it is inclined 90 degrees it rights itself 

 immediately, and this claim is characteristic of many others that have 

 been set up in behalf of the submarine. It is reported that a boat 

 something like this type, and of the diving design, sunk by the bow 

 and stood on end. If it were not for the fact that she sank in quite 



