A submarine was salvaged from the Chicago River in 1915
In November 1915 a diver named William Deneau discovered what he claimed was a lost submarine on the bottom of the Chicago River. It was brought out of the water that December The sub was put on display on State Street in January 1916, then appeared with a carnival in Iowa that spring. An advertisement in the Chicago Examiner indicates the submarine was back in Chicago on exhibit at Riverview in June, 1916.
The following is from an article in the Chicago Examiner when the sub was discovered which appeared on November 24, 1915:
CHICAGO READY FOR WAR? LOOK!
Why, There's Been a Submarine in the River for These Fifteen Years
"The con man," as Persuadem Lorgan used to say, "can't lie all the time — no matter how hard he tries."
For a long time it has been one of the favorite devices of the confidence fraternity in Chicago to lure their victims by the bright promise, "Just let me show you our submarine down by the river." But a confidence man is not always to be blamed for telling the truth. How could he know that the Chicago River actually does contain a submarine?
It was found yesterday, half buried in the mud at the river bottom near the Wells street bridge.
A diver, William M. Deneau, laying cables for the Commonwealth Edison Company, was the discoverer. As he groped along the slimy bottom he stubbed his toe.
To curse is impracticable when one is at the bottom of a river. So Deneau did the next best thing — he investigated. He felt all around the thing, learning that it was made of steel, that it was shaped something like a Zeppelin, and that its engine was not working. He came up then, to ask questions.
"Why didn't somebody tell me I was working in the war zone?" he demanded. "A man ought to get extra pay when he has to run the risk of submarines every time he dives, oughtn't he? It's dangerous. And are there any mines in the river?"
Photos from the Chicago Daily News and The Chicago Examiner.
