DIVING. 



9 



Diving. 

 Windows. 



Air pipes. 



Ballast. 



Valve. 



l'l.ATE 



CCXXXI, 

 Fig. 8. 



Watr 



RudJer. 



hinges, and secured in their places when shut. There 

 were likewise several small glass windows in the crown 

 for looking through, and for admitting light in the day- 

 time, with covers to secure them. There were two air 

 pipes i in the crown. A ventilator within drew fresh 

 air in through one of the air pipes, and discharged it 

 into the lower part of the vessel. The fresh air intro- 

 duced by the ventilator, expelled the impure light air 

 through the other air pipe. Both air pipes were so 

 constructed, that they shut themselves whenever the 

 water rose near their tops, so that no water could enter 

 through them, and they opened themselves immediate- 

 ly after they rose above the water. 



The vessel was chiefly ballasted with lead fixed to its 

 bottom B. When this was not sufficient, a quantity 

 was fixed within at R, more or less according to the 

 weight of the operator. Its ballast made it so stiff, that 

 there was no danger of oversetting. The vessel with 

 all its appendages, and the operator, was of sufficient 

 weight to settle it very low in the water. About 200 

 pounds of the lead B at the bottom for ballast, could be 

 let down forty or fifty feet below the vessel. This ena- 

 bled the operator to rise instantly to the surface of the 

 water, in case of accident. 



When the operator would descend, he placed his foot 

 upon the top of a brass valve a, depressing it, by which 

 he opened a large aperture in the bottom of the vessel, 

 through which the water entered at his pleasure. 

 When he had admitted a sufficient quantity, he descend- 

 ed very gradually. If lie admitted too much, he eject- 

 ed as much as was necessary to obtain an equilibrium 

 by the two brass forcing pumps /,/, which were placed 

 at each hand, as shewn in Fig. 8. Whenever the ves- 

 sel leaked, or he would ascend to the surface, he also 

 made use of these forcing pumps. When the skilful 

 operator had obtained an equilibrium, he could row up- 

 ward or downward, or continue at any particular depth. 

 With an oar F placed near the top of the vessel, formed 

 upon the principle of the screw, the axis of the oar en- 

 tering the vessel, by turning the oar one way he raised 

 the vessel, by turning it the other way he depressed 

 it. 



A glass tube rf, 18 inches long, and 1 inch in dia- 

 meter, standing upright, its upper end closed, and its 

 lower end, which was open, screwed into a brass pipe, 

 through which the external water had a passage into 

 the glass tube, served as a water gauge or barometer to 

 show the depth of water. There was a piece of cork, 

 with phosphorus on it, put into the water gauge. When 

 the vessel descended, the water rose in the water gauge, 

 condensing the air within, and bearing the cork, with 

 its phosphorus, on its surface. By the light of the phos- 

 phorus, the ascent of the water in the gauge was ren- 

 dered visible, and the depth of the vessel under water 

 ascertained by a graduated line. An oar D, formed 

 upon the principle of the screw, was fixed in the fore 

 part of the vessel. Its axis entered the vessel, and be- 

 ing turned one way rowed the vessel forward, but be- 

 ing turned the other way rowed it backward. It was 

 made to be turned by the hand or foot. 



A rudder E, hung to the hinder part of the vessel, 

 commanded it with the greatest ease. The rudder was 

 made very elastic, and might be used for rowing for- 

 ward. The tiller m was within the vessel at the ope- 

 rator's right hand, and passing behind him, was fixed 

 at a right angle on an iron rod, or spindle , Fig. 8. 

 which passed through the side of the vessel. The rod 

 had a crank on its outside end, which commanded the 

 rudder by means of a rod o, extending from the end of 



VOL. VIII. PART I. 



the crank to a kind of tiller fixed upon the left hand of Diving, 

 the rudder. Raising and depressing the first mention- S """"Y"*' / 

 ed tiller m, turned the rudder as the case required. 



A compass, marked with phosphorus, directed the Compass. 

 course both above and under the water, and a line and 

 lead sounded the depth when necessary. 



Every opening was well secured. The pumps b,b Precautions 

 had two sets of valves. The aperture a at the bottom s ety ' 

 for admitting water, was covered with a plate, perfora- 

 ted full of holes to receive the water, and prevent any 

 thing from choking the passage, or stopping the valve 

 from shutting. The brass valve might likewise be for- 

 ced into its place with a screw if necessary. The air 

 pipes < had a kind of hollow sphere fixed round the top 

 of each, to secure the air pipes' valves from injury. 

 These hollow spheres were perforated full of holes, for 

 the passage of the air through the pipes. Within the 

 air pipes were shutters to secure them, should any acci- 

 dent happen to the pipes, or the valves on their tops. 

 W r herever the external apparatus passed through the 

 body of the vessel, the joints were round, and formed 

 by brass pipes, which were driven into the wood of the 

 vessel ; the holes through the pipes were very exactly 

 made, and the iron rods which passed through them 

 were turned in a lathe to fit them ; the joints were also 

 kept full of oil, to prevent rust and leaking. Particular 

 attention was given, to bring every part necessary for 

 performing the operations, both within and without the 

 vessel, before the operator, and as conveniently as could 

 be devised, so that every thing might be found in the 

 dark, except the water gauge and the compass, which 

 were visible by the light of the phosphorus ; and no- 

 thing required the operator to turn to the right hand 

 or to the left to perform any thing necessary. 



The inventor then gives the following description of Powder 

 a magazine and its appendages, designed to be convey- magazine. 

 ed by the submarine vessel to the bottom of a ship. 



In the fore part of the brim of the crown G of the PLATE 

 submarine vessel was a socket, and an iron tube dotted CCXXXI. 

 at /; (Fig. 9.) passing through the socket. The tube Fi S- 9 - 

 stood upright, and could slide up and down in the soc- 

 ket six inches. At the top of the tube was a screw 

 dotted at x, properly formed for entering wood, fixed 

 by means of a rod which passed through the tube h, 

 and screwed the wood screw fast upon the top of the 

 tube. By pushing the wood screw up against the bot- 

 tom of the ship, and turning it at the same time, it would 

 enter the planks. Driving would also answer the same 

 purpose. When the wood screw was firmly fixed, it 

 could be cast off, by unscrewing the rod which fastened 

 it upon the top of the tube. 



Behind the submarine vessel, was a place above the 

 rudder E for carrying a large powder magazine. This 

 was made of two pieces of oak timber, large enough, 

 when hollowed out, to contain 150 pounds of powder, 

 with the apparatus used in firing it, and was secured in 

 its place by a screw turned by the operator. A strong 

 piece of rope extended from the magazine to the wood 

 screw above mentioned, and was fastened to both. 

 When the wood screw was fixed, and to be cast off from 

 its tube, the magazine was to be cast off likewise by 

 unscrewing it, leaving it hanging to the wood screw. 

 It was lighter than the water, that it might rise up 

 against the object to which the wood screw and itself 

 were fastened. 



Within the magazine was an apparatus, constructed 

 to run any proposed length of time under twelve hours. 

 When it had run out its time, it unpinioned a strong 

 lock resembling a gun lock, which gave fire to the pow- * 



