Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-05-10

on outside the boat. Then I saw the
dark shadow Of ships hull. There
it was, big enough, the great keel,
the screws, the huge rudder-I was told
that we were beneath a British ves-
sci Just outside the English channel.
do they know we are below them?"
I asked.
"They haven't the slightest notion,
monsieur, and I could. If so wished,
blow the vessel to pieces In second.
SupposIng at the moment we were at
war with Johnnie Bull, should let her
have torpedo in her hull. Look here!"
The commander clambered on his
knees to the bow and he showed me
tube for firing Whiteheads and dis
charging tube for firing gun-cotton
shells. The latter can drive a shell
through the water with accuracy for
about half mile.
What do you do for air?" was my
next question.
"Well, when the stay under water Is
prolonged beyond half an hour the at
mosphere is renewed by drawing on
reserve Of compressed air contained in
tubes, the vitiated air being expelled by
small force pump driven by the elec-
trio motor"
1.-THE pressure must be great at
depth of thirty or forty feet?"
Immense and naturally the boat
must be built to Withstand tremend-
Gus strain. At forty feet the pressure
in pounds Is 1888"
We'll go lower again and fire a
shell for an experiment"
The vessel sank to about 35 feet and
stopped. The commander loaded the
discharge tube with a shell specially
made for trial purposes and pulled back
lever. There was slight hiss, and
the shell shot out into the water.
Presently there came a muffied noise
from the neighborhood Of the British
vessel and the water about US lost its
tranquility.
1.-The ship" I gasped with anxiety.
mo damage is DONE" was the an
swer. 1.-THE shell only flung the wa
ter about bit, but they are sure to
notice it on board and wonder what's
going on below, so We'll sheer off,"
No sooner had the commander said
this than we passed through the su-
preme moment Of the voyage. One OF
the levers hitched, and on our attempt
ing to rise to the surface. the vessel
stuck and wobbled about. paled.
Here we were thirty feet below wa
ter, sealed up like sardines in a box
and no means Of communicating with
the world above-and the machinery
gone wrong!
The commander alone was cool and
daring, but when he tackled the work.
ing gear and it would not shift, ne
paled a trife. too. For over five min
utes we remained motionless In the
deadly stiffness of the sea. I wanted
to open the trap and Chamber out.
The machinery worked at last and
we rose with a rush. The commander
stopped the submarine a few feet from
the surface, and then started off at
slow speed toward the coast Of France
A little later the lid was off and the
lot Of us were standing on dry land
inhaling the cool. delicious air.
| "Phew!" exclaimed the crew soto
voce, wiping their perspiring brows.
"A fine voyage" said the commander,
rubbing his hands and smiling gleeful-
ly, "and a fine boat, though 1t Is one
of the smallest the French navy has,
What others have they?. "Why there's
the Gustave Zede, the biggest subma-
rine built, with a displacement Of 26O
tons, the Gwmnote, the Morse, the Kor-
rigan, the Luten, the Farfadet, the
Gnome, the Algerien, the Francois, the
Narval, the Triton, the Sirene and one
or two other beautiful vessels already
built and others building."-London
Chronicle.