Washington sentinel., 1899-05-20
TIIT IT,, SENTINEL
At the Bottom OF the Sea.
EngFJI IHlnsfyafedJ MagasiHe.


many marveIs, lay off the pier at
Atlantic Highlands. Before we
were near enough 10 make out her
hulk, we saw a great black letter
A, framed OF heavy gaspipe, rising
forty feet above the wafer. A flag
from its summit. AS we
drew nearer, we discovered that
there really wasn't any hulk to
make out-only a small oblong
deck shouldering deep in the water
and supporting a slightly higher
platform, from which rose what
seemed to be squatty funnel. A
moment later we saw that the fun
mel was provided with cap some
what resembling tall silk hat, the
crown Of which was represented by
a brass pinnacle. This cap was
tilted back, and as we ran along
side, man stuck his head up over
the rim and sang out, "AhoY,
khn-ait' - ''@' HhhAASI
but 1 observed that the Argonaut
was planted as firmly ia the water
as a stone pillar, the big waves
splitting over her without impart.
ing any motion. "She weighs
fifty-seVen tons" said Mr.. Lake,
land there are only two or three
tons above water. / never have
seen the time when she rolled" >"
We scrambled up on the little plat
form, and peered down through
the open coming tower, which we
had taken for a funnel into the
depths Of the ship below. Wilson
had started his gasoline engine,
and | was wondering what became
oil the exhaust, which / heard rat
ting in the pipes, when / saw a
white plume of steam rising from
the very summit Of the gaspipe
frame above US. "This leg Of the
A." explained Mr.. Lake, "carries
of the burnt gases, and this one
brings in the fresh air while we are
submerged. You see the pipes
are tall enough, so that we can use
them unit. we are more than fifty
feet under water. Below that, we
have TO depend on the compressed
air in our tanks, or on a hose reach
ing from the upper end OF the pipe
to a buoy on the surface" Mr..
Lake had taken his place at the
wheel, and we were going ahead
slowly, steering straight across the
bay towards Sandy Hook and
deeper water. The Argonaut
makes about FIVE knots an hour on
the surface, but when she gets deep
down on the sea-bottom, where
she belongs. she can spin along
more rapidly.
"ATe you ready TO 60 DOWN"
asked Mr.. Lake. The waves were
already washing entirely over the
lower platform, and occasionally
breaking around our feet, but we
both nodded solemnIy. "Open
the centre compartments" Mr..
Lake shouted down the coming
tower "Pm flooding the ballast
compartments" lac explained,
Usually we submerge by LETTING
down two half.ton iron weights
and then, after admitting enough
water to overcome our buoyancv.
we can readily pull the boat 10 the
bottom by winding in on the
weight cables. Unfortunately, we
had lost one ofthe weights, and so
we have to depend entirely ON the
compartments" The Argonaut
was slowly sinking under the
water We became momentarllv
more impressed with the extreme
smallness Of the craft to which we
were trusting our lives. The little
platform around the COMING
tower on which we stoOd--in re-
ality the top ofthe gasoline tank
was scarcely half dozen feet
across, and the Argonaut herself
was only thirty-six feet long. Her
sides had already faded out OF
sight, but not before we had seen
how solidly they were built-all
OF steel. riVetred and reinforced. so
that the wonder grew how such a
tremendous weight, when sub
merged, could ever again be raised.
I'VE had to give her immense
strength" said Mr.. Lake, ito re-
slst the water pressure at great
depths. She is built Of the same
Of steel as the Govern.
ment used for the 1000 ton cruis-
ers Detroit and MONTGOMERY.
She'll stand hundred feet. al
though we never took her deeper
than fifty We like to keep our
margins safe"
Now we were entirely under
water. The ripping noises that
he waves had made in beating
against the upper structure had
ceased, AS ! looked through the |
.hick glass port, the water was only |
three inches from my eyes, and | |
could see thousands Of dainty |
iemi-translucent jellyfsh floating |
about as lightly as thistledown.
They gathered in the eddy behind |
he coming tower in great num-
oers, Dumping up socially against
1ne another and darting up and |
iown with each gentle movement |
II the water. And / realized that
was in the domain OF the fishes.
Here we were running as
comfortably along the bottom OF
sandy Hook Bay as we would ride
n a Broadway cab, and with quite
IS much safety.
things has Mr.. Lake dis
covered about the bottom OF the
ga. He has found that nearly all
ga roads are level. a tact OF great
Importance to sea carriages like
ne Argonaut.
The Honey Bee not a Native OF
AmprEpa