Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-05-23

There is something ghostly about sub
marine navigation. \ pilot on the Hol-
land boat says that when the propclling
power is turned en- the noise sounds like
the rattle OF n steam radiator before It
warns up. There is always more or less es-
cape of air, and this makes kissing sound,
rather intim !dating at first. A triangular
"dEag5" hung above the ruddcr, shows
whether tho boat has held to her course,
for tie steersman has 10 landmarks to
guide him Us soon as the coming tower Is
submerged. All the steering IS done by
| compass, together with estimates Of the
distance covered within q certain period,
with the motive force excrted to q certain
| degree. When the boat moves forward in
| u straight lire. the "drag" hangs over the
! ruddc-. II she swings to port or starboGrd,
| the drag" IS az once thrown out OF lire
| with TIE axis OF the boat, Il condition deft-
| - shown by an instrument within. The
| horizontal rudders or fins enable the navi-
| gator 10 raise or defect the bow at viii.
| When the cover was lifted upon return
| ing 20 the surface, like the skyli2ht on
Roof, the collision Of the two atmospheres
within end without caused the cars to
|
On shore once moro the ordinary converse
ton of those about seemed Ike whispers.
The eyes were blurred by the influx Of
natural light and the cleaIness Of the sur
| rouudings. There WIS an Irresistible de-
sire % feel and touch things to sec If they
were real and not some inpalpablo, ghost
ly. grizzly effect Of tic fancy.
IN the depths Of the ocean fish 90 inches
n e.. - =, | Il
is due to the maenifyirg effect of the fluid
oil about. y shell on the bottom no larSo-
than small saucer looks rs big rs plat
ter. The utmost distance any object was
Gistlrguishable according to the navigator
was % feet. This was when the sub was
shining and the beat vas boring path
50 to 80 feet below The surface. The cur
rent rolled tiny shells, stones and other OBJ
jects along like the wind blowing down
country lane. The currents and eddies Of
the deep affect the marine grcwtLs like
wise. They sway and swirl. curyo and
rise, like u field OF wheat on Il summer
day. Scaweed. anemunes, sponges, deep
water ferns, coral sprays and dozens Of
sorts Of minor growths give variety TO the
gardens hidden from all but favored
few. Dark green, Blown, maroon, yellow
and drab are the prevailing colors. Con-
trasts quite as vivid ana enhancing es
any landscape garden OF the earth ere
: these submerged floral Colds.
The submarine beats win be the most
destructive fighting monsters that ever in
Naded Father Neptune's tcrritory The
Russian beat that Spain is reported to lie
after has proved a successful traveller be-
meath the waves, and rather more y know T.
about her by tie naval experts Of foreign
nations than the Russian government
! would like to admit. 1t Is known that the
r Russian beat is about SO feet long, and
that the interior IS taken up almost entire
~ with the operating mechanism The
, only portion Of the boat above the water
when she travels viii be the small coming
tower, In which the commander stands.
The means Of propulsion Is naphtha or
gasoline engine operating an ordinary
small screw propeller. When IN motion,
vertical rudde-s VIII effect the lateral di-
rcC;ion OF she craft. On each side Of the
center line and forward Of the propeller
arc two horizontal rudtlrrs. These rt6ders
: ara piyotel and regulate the depth Of the
0 rising and diving Of the beat. When it is
n desired that the vessel shall dive, the rear
edges Of the rudders are pushed down
:. ward. This causes the stern to move up.
ward and the bow downward, and tie div.
ing follows.
How the naval war Of the future, fought
with such strange craft as these sEtma-
rine boats, will be managed and what tine
outcome will be are questions that the
men who make study OF such matters
find it difficult TO come to conclusion
upon. The more they study the problem
the more the naval experts are convinced
that the submarine boats viii bring the
z millennium nearer. fer they cannot sec
how it rill bs possible to wage var unde-