The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-12-27
A NIGHT UNDER THE SEA
Remarkable Performance Of SUBJ
marine Boat Fulton.
NO AIR SUPPLIED FROM OUTSIDE.


slept. Talked. Read and Played
Cards In Comfort While Submerged
Fifteen Hours Mt Bottom of Long
Island sound ats n storm Ragged
Overhead.
Up from the depths Of Long Island
sound a boat that looked like a whale
rose the other day while the storm
was at its height. when the ship rest
cd upon the bosom of the waters in
which 1t had been buried many hours,
the coming tower was thrown open,
and a man stepped forth and looked
around in astonishment at the wlldness
of the elements.
"Well," said he TO a little knot OF
weary faced watchers on shore who
had spent the night with their eyes
glued to the spot where the vessel had
sunk from sight the evening before, IL
hadn't expected to see anything like
this"
The man was Captain Frank Gable.
navigator of the Holland submarine
torpedo boat Fulton, and he, with Eve
other daring souls, had just spent ff-
teen hours at the bottom of the sound
with so much water above them that
they did not know that a fierce storm
had ragged so many hours, says the
New York World. The six adventur-
ers had come back TO the surface after
participating In a test that has no par
allel in history and one of worldwide
. Importance.
The Fulton had not been connected
with the surface or with the shore by
even so much as n wire throughout the
test. Not foot of air had been sent
to the six men within her. and yet
when they walked out Of her at 1890
o'clock In the morning and greeted
those who waited for them on the
wharf of the Crescent company's ship
yard at New Suffolk, n. Y. they were
as bright eyed hearty and cheerful as
If they had just finished n good break
p fast at home.
They had had n night of fine. whole
some sleep underneath the water. Be-
fore any of them went TO bed they
whiled away the hours with cards,
with the magazines and with a sub
stantlal luncheon. Then four of them
lay down in white clothed beds and
slept undlsturbed, while above the
calm of their submerged home the
wind howled and shrieked and the
great waves rolled and lowered and
broke on the shore with a mighty roar
The men 10 the wonderful craft
heard nothing of this. The two who
watched and who also slept when II
came their turn thought that the sea
above must indeed be gentle. for there
vYas not the slightest movement Of the
4ssel, not even the roll to be expected
from the incoming tide
The men looked out at the glass win
dows of the cabin. but could see only a
few feet If they had cared to, they
could have shut Off all the light within
and set going the boats electric search
light forward. Then they could have
seen far into the waters ahead. They
knew they could do this from former
experiments, and they were after a
more important certificate of useful
ness.
At the expiration of the fifteen hours
the Fulton shot up from the depths SO
suddenly as to startle those who watch
ed. a workman swung out over the
boat on a crane, peered through the
heavy plate glass observation port
holes into the cabin and then cried Out
to those on shore:
They're all right"
Within n few moments the cover OF
the coming tower fell over with q
clang. and Captain Gable. smiling and
ruddy. stepped out The wind was still
Nshrieking. and the waves washed W
and over the back of the boat. The
voyagers had fully expected 10 see q
dead calm. and there was much laugh
ter when Captain Cable explained his
blank look at the storm swept sound.
Rear Admiral Lowe was the second
man whose head showed out through
the coming tower. He was fresh faced
and smiling. 1t was a merry little
crowd that walked on to the wharf
and talked TO those who had watched
to see that there could be nothing 10
criticise about the test. Captain Cable
gave an account of the fifteen hours
under water.
Il had no particular sensation when
going down for the test" said he. IL
have been down too often for anything
like that. The Fulton went down as
usual and rested on the bottom without
any considerable motion. as you could
tell by the Flagstaff. and none of us
suspected there was a fierce storm rag
ing over the six feet of water above us.
We were well clothed and comfortable.
The temperature fell some toward the
close of the test We would have been
warmer with one Cr two more electric
heaters.
"The air apparently was as good at
the end as when we went on board, al
though none OF the valves of the air
.HocIc was oDpnad Thprp ,yos n small