A rudder, hung on the hinder part of the vessel, commanded it with the great est ease. The rudder was made very elastic, and might be used for rowing forward. Its tiller was within the vessel, on the operator's right hand, fixed at a right angle on an iron rod, which passed through the side of the vessel ; the rod had a crank On its outside, which com manded the rudder, by means of a rod extending from the end of the crank to a kind of tiller fixed on the left hand of the 'rudder. Raising or depressing the first mentioned tiller turned the rudder, as the case required.
A dompass marked with phosphorus di rected the course both above and under the water ; and a line and lead sounded the depth when necessary.
The internal shape of the vessel, in every possible section of it, verged towards an ellipsis as near as the design would al low ; Mt every horizontal section of it, although elliptical, was as near to a circle as could be admitted. The body of the vessel was made exceedingly strong ; and to strengthen it as much as possible, a firm piece of wood was framed parallel to the conjugate diameter, to prevent the sides from yielding to the great pressure of the incumbent water, in deep immer sions. This piece of wood was also a seat for the operator.
Every opening was well secured. The pumps had two sets of valves. The aper ture at the bottom for admitting water was covered with a plate perforated full of holes, to receive the water, and pre vent any thing from choaking the pas sage, or stopping the valve from shutting. The brass valve might likewise be forced into its place by a screw, if necessary. The air pipes had a kind of hollow sphere fixed round the top of each, to secure the air-pipe 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 se cure them, should any accident happen to the pipes or the•valves on their tops.
Wherever the external apparatus pass ed 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 that 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 opera tor, and as conveniently as could be de vised ; 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 nothing re quired the operator to turn to the right hand or to the left, to perform any thing necessary.
The intended object of this vessel was to destroy shipping, by the explosion of a magazine of gunpowder. In the fore part of the brim of the crown of the sub marine vessel was a socket, and an iron tube passing through the socket; the tube stood upright, and could slide 'up and down in the socket six inches ; at the top of the tube was a wood screw, fixed by means of a rod, which passed through the tube, and screwecrthe wood screw fast upon the top of the tube ; by push ing the wood screw up against the bot tom of a 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 fixed it upon the top of the tube: Behind the submarine vessel was a place above the rudder 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 maga, zine to the wood screw above mentioned, and was fastened to both. When the wood screw was fixed, and to be cut off from its tube, the magazine was to be cast off likewise by unscrewing it, leav ing it hanging to the wood screw ; it was lighter than the water, that it might ise up against the object, and apply itself where fastened.
Within the magazine was an apparatus, constructed to run any proposed length of time under twelve hours 7 when it bad run out its time, it unpinioned a strong lock resemblihg a gun-lock, which gave fire to the powder. This apparatus was so pinioned that it could not possibly move, till by casting off the magazine from the vessel it was set in motion.