LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
SUBMARINE BOATS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTLIOR."1 think the writer of your article on "Two Electric- Boats," which appeared in your issue of September 18th, has done English enterprise in the matter of submarine boats some injustice. The Americans are behind, and not ahead of us in this matter. Already from the Barrow Shipbuilding Company's yard we have launched three submarine boats, and a fourth is on the stocks, which it is expected will develop a speed of eighteen knots, and be able to stay submerged for twelve hours. The boats are known here as " Nordenfeldt " boats, and are con- structed from plans and suggestions of Mr. Nordenfeldt and Dr. Garrett. I think the following facts will be of interest to your readers, and they show that Englishmen have still no lack of daring and enterprise. Dr. Garrett was anxious to put his boat to a practical test, so during the blockade in the Greek waters, he took his boat thither, submerged her, and crawled along underneath her Majesty's fleet, and thus successfully ran the blockade; we here hearing of his safe arrival by telegram from Athens. He came out the same way. And I fancy, if copies of telegrams are kept at the Admiralty, one might be found from the English Admiral saying that Dr. Garrett had come out, and his boat had been seen to disappear, but nothing more had been seen of her. Probably at the time of the despatch of the message, she was somewhere underneath some of our men-of-war ; and had Dr. Garrett been so minded, he could have blown any of them up that he had a mind to. I believe the engines of Dr. Garrett's boat were driven by com- pressed air, but electricity is to be used in them. Truly the engines of death grow more fiendish and terrible !—I am, Sir,
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