Launch the submarine boat. Experiment with it in Stillwater Cove.
Having completely finished and arranged my boat, my next task was to
launch it and arrange for a series of experiments to ascertain its
practical value. So one fine morning I went forth, with a beating
heart, from the Hermitage, and waited patiently till nearly high water,
and having greased my launching ways, and confined the cradle with a
long and strong rope of rawhide, so that its momentum, when launched,
should not carry it across Stillwater Cove without being checked before
it reached the other side, I, with anxiety and almost fear, withdrew
the iron bolts in front of it on the ways, and, going to the upper
end, applied a crowbar to the still stationary mass, and after a few
motions of the bar it began to move, and with one grand rush, not very
fast, and yet majestic and striking, the cradle, with its precious
freight, dashed into the water, and, being brought up by the long rope
of rawhide fast to it, in a moment or two rested quietly upon its bosom.
I took the canoe "Fairy" and paddled all about it and saw that it sat
well balanced, and secure, and that it floated beautifully. I then
made fast to it with a short piece of rawhide rope, and commenced
towing it to the mouth of Stillwater Cove, where the water was deep but
smooth, to still further carry on my experiments. It was a good hard
day's work to tow the heavy cradle to the place that I had fixed upon,
which was at the mouth of Stillwater Cove, just within the breakwater,
and about one mile beyond the landing-place and two or three miles from
the Hermitage. This place was admirably fitted for my purposes, the
shore being of a smooth sand and the water gradually deepening towards
the centre of the cove. Nothing but clear, pure sea-sand on the bottom,
and no rock to injure the boat or interfere with any experiment I might
choose to make. Having arrived, I was glad to anchor the whole concern
safely, and to make my way home in the canoe.
The next day, fitted out with all I thought I should need, including
my two goats for the treadmill and provisions for a day or two, I
made my way back again in the canoe to the floating cradle. I found
everything all right, as I had left it, and proceeded to prove the
practical efficiency of my invention. In the first place I took the
goats on shore and tethered them, so that they could feed, but not
escape. I then went to work and anchored the cradle in about twelve
feet of water, it then being nearly low tide, or slack water. After
having secured both it and the boat also, I went to work sawing off the
slats of the cradle upon which the latter rested, and in less than
two hours the last one was off, and I had the satisfaction of seeing
my boat floating in the water, drawing only a few inches, certainly
not over six, with the manhole open, sustained wholly by the confined
air in the tanks, which held up the superstructure bravely. After the
slats were cut away I drove out the pins from the mortised framework of
the cradle and left my iron boat floating calmly on the bosom of the
smooth waters of Stillwater Cove. Floating the timbers to one side that
had formed the cradle, I allowed them to drift up stream with the now
incoming tide, the boat being securely anchored by two anchors, one in
advance and one at the stern, which were made fast to two ringbolts on
the roof, placed at each extremity.
And now for my final test. I had made up my mind, if the thing was
not a success, that I did not intend to be personally implicated in
any disaster. Two things only could happen; one, that the boat might
capsize, and if so I was prepared to go on board with little clothing,
so that if it vomited me up I could easily reach the surface and then
swim ashore, which was distant only a few rods; the other, that I
should be unable to improve my air, once vitiated or used up. In the
latter event I had only to dive out from under the boat and again make
my way to the shore, losing, however, the lives of my poor goats.
I commenced my work by going on board of the boat by means of a short
ladder, which reached from the manhole to the deck beneath. In the
first place I shipped or hung the wooden shelves on each of the tanks,
and loaded them with several iron weights, and also large smooth stones
and the two anchors that belonged to the boat. This made it very firm,
and sunk the tanks at least two inches more. I then went on shore and
brought off my goats in the canoe and passed them on board through the
manhole, which I had made large for this very purpose. I then went to
work in the interior and fixed my compass, steering-gear, treadmill,
and propeller, taking great care to see that my spray-wheel was all in
order, and at hand ready to be hung.
I also conveyed on board some candles, flint and steel, matches, and
provisions, and as the last thing took in the stern anchor, so that the
boat lay with the tide, tailing up stream. The other hawser I conveyed
also--by means of the canoe and with a boathook--under the forward
tank, so that I held the end within the interior, and could cast it
off at anytime. It was by the sun about eleven o'clock when I gave one
glance around me, and, standing on the last round of the ladder, I drew
the manhole cover over my head and commenced screwing it down on the
inside, which having done I lighted several candles, although I had a
fair light reflected from the water and the bottom of the cove, formed
of white sea-sand, directly beneath me, and distant, I should judge by
the state of the tide, some twenty to twenty-five feet. My goats had
become so accustomed to the boat that they showed little surprise at
the rather dim light, and stood ready to perform their part whenever I
should put them to their customary task.
My heart beat rapidly, not with fear, but with excitement and
expectation. Here I was, already shut out from the outer air, and in
a little world of my own. I hesitated to complete my experiment, and
before going further I turned to my provisions and took a good long
drink of claret wine to strengthen my courage and steady my nerves.
If I was in a scrape I could get out of it, but my poor goats! they,
I was afraid, would have to pay for any error in judgment on my part.
Having regained perfect composure, I made up my mind to make the
first test of the practical value of my boat, and that was to see if
I could descend to the bottom of the ocean, that lay beneath me. By
moving around I felt convinced that my calculations about the centre of
gravity had been correct, and I felt that the boat would not capsize.
It was remarkably stiff and steady, and would, I felt confident, remain
so when submerged. This bugbear was already off my mind, and gave
me confidence to proceed. So, moving to the place on the starboard
side where all my pipes and stopcocks were congregated, I commenced
by opening the stopcock of the water-pipe, which, as I had foreseen,
brought no perceptible change. Some little water rushed into the tanks,
but only what was sufficient to compress the air to the extent of the
weight of the superstructure of the boat. This experiment did not sink
it one particle; its buoyancy remained exactly the same, for the same
air remained in the tanks, although compressed, and was not able to
escape on account of the position of the outlet of the pipe that had
opened communication between it and the water, pointing, as it did,
directly to the centre of the earth. After waiting a little, and seeing
that this all worked well, I placed my hand upon the stopcock of a more
important pipe, namely the tank air-pipe, which led from the tanks to
the outer surface of the superstructure.
Now, or never! Upon turning this cock I should descend or my theory
would be incorrect. The moment my hand opened this valve the air would
be expelled by the pressure of the boat upon the water, conveyed to
the air in the tanks by the water-pipe, which was already open; and,
as it was expelled, so the buoyancy of the boat would be decreased,
and I should descend. The fatal moment had come, and with a firm
hand I opened the tank air-pipe, and plainly heard the escaping air,
the incoming water, and felt the boat descending, and saw the sandy
bottom apparently approaching me. I cut off the discharge of the tank
air-pipe, and with a slight rebound the boat arose again a few inches
towards the surface, simply regaining its true position in equilibrio,
that it had for a moment passed, by the momentum of its descent. By
little turns of this stopcock I discovered, as I expected, that I
could move the boat in a descending direction even an inch at a time.
The movement was a perfect fascination, but each delivery of air was
bringing me nearer the bottom, and as yet I had tried no means of
rising again to the surface.
When I had gotten to within about six feet of the former I thought it
time to see if I could again rise towards the surface. I was well aware
that, having used up this air, it was so much loss to me, but I was in
hopes to be able to replace it; and even if I could not replace it to
make the boat rise to near the surface without it. I could do this in
one way, by casting overboard the anchors and weights lying upon the
wooden shelves; but this, if done to any great extent, might cause the
capsizing of the whole affair. No; I had a better way than this, and at
it I went. In the first place I closed the water-pipe, and then, having
opened the screw-valve in the connected tanks, I screwed upon it the
pump and commenced discharging the water from them--that had run in
to take the place of the discharged air--into the water of the ocean,
which formed, in one sense, the interior flooring of my boat.
To make this pump work I of course opened, and left open, the
pump-pipe, so that the air from the interior rushed in and filled the
tank as fast as the pump discharged the water, and at each stroke of
the pump, after the first few, the boat, as I had hoped, began to rise;
the water, having been just so much ballast to carry it down, being
discharged by the pump, was just so much thrown overboard in weight to
allow it to rise. By persistent pumping I made my boat rise quite near
the surface, but not to the buoyant position it at first maintained,
for I had in my descent used up considerable of the air in the tanks,
which I had as yet not replaced, or rather what I had used from them
had been replaced from the air of the interior when I pumped out the
water, which I could only do by allowing the connection between the
tanks and the interior to be open, so as to make the pump work. In
short I had lost just so much buoyancy as was equal to the escaped air;
but still I had been able to make the boat descend and ascend.
These experiments took me over two hours, and I commenced to feel the
need of new air, and to notice that my candles began to burn a little
dimly. I was thus warned that my air was being used up and charged with
carbonic gas, and that it was time for me to renew it. So I unscrewed
the pump and closed the valve, opened the water-pipe, and placed my
hand upon the tank air-pipe and prepared to descend. One effect I
should have noticed of my loss of air, and that was that the water in
the interior of the boat rose considerably, and a large portion of
the tanks was now submerged. A few turns of the stopcock of the tank
air-pipe carried me near to the bottom, where I desired to be, to try
my last and most important experiment.
Arriving to within a few feet of the bottom I rigged my spray-wheel,
and connected it with the drum of the treadmill and set the goats at
work. And it was time, for my breathing had become oppressive, and the
animals themselves seemed dull and frightened. I had waited almost too
long. My candles also commenced to burn more dimly, and I prepared to
take my plunge into the water and come up outside of the boat should
my experiment now fail. But wonder of wonders! my spray-wheel made
but a few revolutions, dashing large quantities of minute spray into
the interior by its rapid motion, before my lungs were relieved, the
candles renewed their brilliancy, and the goats recovered from the
lassitude under which they had a moment before seemed to be laboring.
The problem was solved. I had made my own air. I could remain below
the surface as long as I desired. Everything about me was rather damp
and moist from the dashing of spray about the interior, and several
of the candles, that I had not protected, were put out; but two, in
the extremity of the boat, were preserved, and now that my problem was
solved I did not again light the former, the two remaining ones being
all-sufficient. And in fact I did not need them; my own lungs, I found,
were sufficient as a guide to tell me in future when to renew the air.
Still it was fascinating to see these two candles burning brilliantly
that had but a moment before been so dim. The reflected light from the
pure sandy bottom just below me was amply sufficient for all purposes.
I imagined, by the slight shadow that the boat cast on the bottom
beneath, from the brilliant sun that I knew was shining overhead, and
from counting up in my mind all I had done since leaving the surface,
that the air had lasted me, as nearly as I could judge, two hours;
and that seemed to be the extreme limit to which I could go and not
renew it. I also knew by the quantity of tallow consumed in the candles
that it must be nearly that amount of time. I also noticed that the
spray-wheel had not only purified my air, but that whilst it was in
operation the boat had slightly ascended, proving that I had gained a
lighter gas for the nitrogen and carbonic acid precipitated.
One more thing remained to be tested, and I should feel that my labors
were complete. In the first place I made the boat ascend as far as
possible, by means of the pump and stopcocks, as before described, and
then I went to work and rigged my propeller and set the goats at work.
I got the boat as near the surface as possible before communicating
motion to it, so as not to run against any obstacle if possible. But
then the body of water in which I was submerged was so pure, and free
from anything of that nature, that there was little danger after all.
With a feeling of confidence that I had not had in all the other
experiments, I cast off the hawser affixed to the anchor that held the
boat, and started the goats. Mechanics did not trouble me, and it was
with no surprise, but only gratification, that I saw by the bottom
that the boat was moving forward, and that it readily obeyed the helm.
I turned it completely around by the tiller, and made an excursion of
fully half a mile, I should think, up Stillwater Cove, once in a while
getting out of the channel, when by stopping the goats and reversing
the propeller I was able to back into the channel again, and finally
to turn around by a series of forward and backward motions till I
again arrived at the place from which I had started, which I knew by
the anchor lying in mid-channel. By observation of the bottom I should
say that the boat was propelled at least three miles an hour, which was
sufficient for all my purposes.
After arriving back to my first position I pointed the boat towards
the sandy beach, and when the hanging shelves touched the bottom I
carefully removed them and their weights to the top of the tanks, in
the interior, and, with a short pole, pushed the boat still nearer the
shore, till the tanks rested on the sand; and this I did with care
and quickly, for I was a little afraid of a capsize when the hanging
shelves were removed, which was only for a moment or two, however,
before the boat was at rest on its own foundations, on the sand. I then
forced down under the water from the interior quite a large block of
wood under the tank that had the water pipe protruding, so that the
latter should not be hurt by being driven into the sand when the whole
boat was stranded at low water.
The tide being now at ebb, I knew that I had not long to wait before
the whole boat would be high and dry upon the sand. But having gotten
my piece of timber under the tank to protect the water pipe, I opened
the atmospheric pipe and let the whole boat sink solidly to the bottom,
in all its parts, as well as the forward part that was resting on
the sand. I then cautiously opened the manhole, ready to close it
immediately should it yet be below the surface; but, as I supposed, it
was out of the water at least six inches, and, throwing it open, I once
again emerged into the open air of day.
I released the goats and carried them on shore, and as the tide receded
all the water left my tanks through the water pipe, which I then
closed, and there was my boat as buoyant again as when it was first
launched, with all the tanks full of air, and ready to be towed to an
anchorage as soon as the next incoming tide should float it.
I lay down upon the sea-side and contemplated my work, and wondered
if it would not make me a rich man if I could transport it to some
civilized portion of the earth. Was it possible for me to make a boat
of this kind on a large scale, with a team of goats, fifteen or twenty
in number, and traverse the depths of the ocean till I arrived at some
Christian land? One thing at least was in its favor: I need fear no
storms or any dangers of the ocean from waves or wind, and one other
great obstacle would be overcome. I could leave the helm at any time
and go to sleep, feeling sure that my boat would not be driven about by
waves and winds, but repose peacefully in eqilibrio till I again awoke,
and forced it forward upon its passage.
There was matter for great thought in all this. But on the other hand,
should my air fail me, or my tanks leak, or steering apparatus get
out of order, I should either be stifled to death, drowned, or left
beneath the ocean to wear out a miserable existence till death relieved
me. The risk was too great. Besides I had no means but a compass of
ascertaining where I was going, no glass lens to give me any light;
but perhaps I might possibly make the latter. It was all well enough
for me to venture out from my island where at the worst I could escape
and swim ashore; and, if the truth must be spoken, I found myself too
much in love with my island, and all its comforts, to hazard too much
to escape from it. I cannot say that I did not long and long to escape,
and that I did not mourn for companionship; but I must also confess
that I had begun to love my island home also, in one sense, and I could
see far enough ahead now into the future to acknowledge to myself that,
should I escape, it would be only to return with companions to here end
my days.
These were different feelings than what I had when first cast on the
island, as will readily be perceived by perusal of this manuscript,
if ever, by the mercy of God, it comes to anybody's hands to read.
But what could I--an old sailor, but not an old man, who had banged
around the world--ask for more than I could obtain on my island except
companionship? Nothing.
Having secured the boat, and put the goats and spare traps into the
canoe, I at the close of the day paddled myself back to the Hermitage,
determined on the morrow to make an excursion out of Stillwater Cove
into the ocean, and see what I could discover. To be doubly secure I
made up my mind to tow the canoe with a long rope of rawhide on the
surface of the water, astern of the submarine boat below it, so that
if I did meet with disaster or shipwreck I could get into the former
and make my way to the shore in safety,--in fact this arrangement would
take away all danger from the enterprise, as I felt confident that I
could always escape from the boat, and it would be well worth while to
have the canoe at hand to jump into, if I had to do so.