Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-18
WAR UNDER THE SEA.
Weird Horrors Of Naval Battles Un-
der New Conditions.

There is something ghostly about sub
marine navigation. A pilot on tho Hol
land boat says that when tho propelling
po,yer is turned on the noise sounds like
the rattle of II steam radiator before it
warns up. There is always more or less es
cape of air, and this makes Kissing sound,
rather intimidating at first. A triangular
"drag," hung above tho ruddcr, shows
whether tho boat has held to her course,
for the steefsman has no landmarks to
puide him as soon as the coming tower Is
submerged. All the steering is done by
COMPASS, together with estimates of the
distance covered within certain period,
with the motive fGrce eyerted to II certain
degree When the boat moves forward in
"A straight line, the 'drag" hangs over the
ruddcr. If she swings TO port or starboard,
the ''drag" is at once thrown out of line
with the axis Of the boat. condition deft-
" shown by an instrument within, The
horizontal rudders or fins enable the naSi-
gator to raise or delllct the bow at will.
When the cover was lifted upon return
ing TO the surface, like tEo skylight on n
roof the collision of tho two atinospheres
within and without caused the ears to
tingle as il tsey had been sharply slapped.
On shore once more tho ordinary converse :
ton Of those about seemed like whispers.
The eyes were blurred by the influx OF
natural light and the cloarness Of the sur
roundings. There was an Irresistible de-
sire to feel and touch things to sec If they
were real and not some iinpalpable, ghost
", grizzly object of the fancy.
In the depths Of the ocean fish 20 inches
or feet long look as big as sharks. This
j. due 10 the magnifying effect Of tho fluid
all about a shell Oh the bottom no larger
than small saucer looks rs big as plat
ter The utmost distance any object was
distinguishablo according to the navigator
was 50 feet This was when the sun was
shining and the boat was boring a pntn
50 to 80 feet below the surface. The cur
rent rolled tiny shells, stones ana other OBJ
jects along like the wind blowing dow u Il
country lane The currents and Gddics Of
tho deep affect the marine growths like
wise They sway ard swirl. curve and
rise, like q field Of wheat on "A summer
day. Seaweed anemuncs, sponges, deep
water ferns, coral sprays and dozons Of
sorts OF minor growths give variety TO the
gardens hidden from all but favored
few. Dark green, brown, maroon, yellow
and tlrab arc the prevailing colors. Con
trasts quito rs vivid and enhancing as
any landscape garden Of the earth are
these submerged floral fields.
The submarine boats will bo the most
destructive fighting monsters that ever in
, yadcd Father Neptura's territory, Tho
Russian boat that Spain is reported IL he
after has proved successful traveller be-
meath the waves, ana rather more is know n
, about her by tho naval experts OF foreign
nations than the Russian Government
, would like 20 admit. 1t is known thnt the
: Russian boat is about 5u fuvt long, and
that the interior is taken up almost entire
ly with the operating mechanism. The
only portion Of the boat above the water
when she travels will be the small coming
tower, in which the commander stands.
: The means of propulsion is u naphtha or
gasoline engine operating an ordinary
sn;all screw propeller. When in motion,
, vertical ru,iders will effect the lateral di-
{ rccfion Of the craft. ON each side of the
center line and forward of the propeller
are two horizontal Raiders. These ruddcrs
arc pvoted and regulate the depth Of tho
rising and diving of the boat When it is
desired that the vessel shall dive, the rear
edges of tho rudders are pushed down
ward. This causes the stem to move up
ward and the bow downward, and tho div
ing follows.
How the naval war of the future, fought
, with such strange craft as these subma-
3 rne boats will be managed and what the
| outcome viii be are questions that the
5 men who make study of such matters
find it difficult to come to conclusion
upon. The more they study the problem
t the more the naval experts are convinced
that the submarine boats will bring the
r millennium nearer. for they cannot see
how it will be possible to wage war under