The evening times., 1897-12-17

last compaI tments. along this port wall
being arranged also series OF most in
terestlng dials and gauges, which, accord
Ing to Mr.. Lake's explain alton. are capable
Of telling the submarine navigator almost
anything he wants to know, from the amount
of water III the ballast compartments to he
pressure OF the air and the distance fromthc
surface of the bottom along which the boat
may be orswliDg.
Up in the bow there was a strongly con.
structed dOcr, ieaiing into a sort of vesti-
bule, and away forward, in front of this
vestibule and separated from il by a
similar door, was the divers compa TT
nent, from which he made his descent
into the water. There were large port
holes fitted With heavy glass in both of
these doors, 50 that one might see clearly
from one compartment to the other.
When all had been seat ed Capt. Lake
gave the order to steer southeast, the
gasoline engine barked merrily, the boat
began to skim the waves at more rapid
rate, and the passengers looked dubious
Then Capt. Lake climbed the ladder and
pulled down the lid" Of the whole ar
rangement, screwing 1t tightly from the
inside. He descended the ladder, smiled
assuringi, and announced that the Argo
naut was about to ''go down.
To those who had never '.gone DOWN
there was something uncanny in the sug-
gestion.
few quietly-spoken cOmman nds from
Capt. lake set the crew turning some OF
the larger valve cocks on the port side,
which let water into the then empty
ballast tanks, this being the means of
l,a hoo IN ink vx-ha 10 &c
sired that she should do so. The gauges
were carefully watched and the guests
were told finally that in a few min
utes they would be at the bottom OF the
Patapsco.
One OF their number climbed the ladder
and looked out OF the tiny windows of the
the Baltimore, with Ma yor Malster looking
interestedly in the direction OF the vessel.
Some distance further off was the pavilion,
with the crowd packed close together,
with faces all turned the same way. Gpon
all sides We're the waves, hiding now all OF
the deck from view, and inch by fn,h
creeping up to those little windows
Gradually the water climbed until the
windows We're covered. then the surface
could barely be seen, then the sunlight
WAS SIltlt cut 3TI JleIc WdS nOtnInE q Dove
or under or over but the water.
Down went McGinty!' exclaimed some
one, and the others smiled. The crew
worked as If they were ashore, and it
tiidn' seem bit scary.
The engine was still giving out its Bark.
bark! bark!'' and there was plenty of air
rushing down the pipes. There is no
pump attached to this ventilat tor, but the
engine is constantly exhausting the air
on the inside with tendency to create
vacuum, and the air pours in 70 fast
that one can feel the draught from the
roof to the ceiling.
This pipe arrangement is used only in
shallow water. If the water is deeper than
the pipe is long "a hose is attached to the
top Of the pipe, the other end being floa.ed
in a boat on the surface Ut the water. In
depths Of over so feet it is proposed 10
abandon the pipe yentilator altogether,
and to depend upon the storage tan anSs, in
which sufficient air can be carried to last
six men for several hous.
1--WE are on the bottom, now" an
anounced Capt. Lake. Then the power was
transferred from the propeller to the tuge.
toothed driving wheelso on either side If the
bow, but there was about three feet of
soft mud on the bottom Of the river. and
twas found that the wheels wouldnot work