The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-19
Sub-Surface Communication.

little monsters at porpoise diving drill he might have the fright of his life.
 Sub-Surface Communication. When running with coming tower al deck exposed, communication is by fla or wigwag at day and lanterns at nigh Submerged, officers have devised sy tenn in which they use bells attached the outside of the hulls in such a ma ner that their sound is carried as clea ly and distinctly as the dots and dash of the wireless apparatus in air. Eth the Morse or the army and navy cot is used, and in this way flotllla su merged, taking orders from comman ing officer, can maintain it's formatiC practically all the way from it's static to the point of attack.
 It is even possible to communicate 1 means of hammer tappings against u steel hull of the boats, and this is oft, done by officers who in practice wish get in touch with some other boat ope ating in the vicinity or with the tende The ingenuity of these submarine office ip rigging devices and repairing engin, is typical of the resourcefulness of u American. There is ability enough amor the officers and men of the submaril fiotillas of the navy today for the goVer ment to build a new and complete fleet these boats.
 Submarines of the latest type are goo for Il knots an hour on the surface, al can do as high as eight submerged. of cers of the fiotillas are not inclined talk about their work, and the .Inen the crews are under orders to ke8 mur There is close bond of sympathy al comradeship between them, probably eve more than exists on the battleships ar torpedo boats. In the first place, u crews are small, the largest boats havir only F men. Locked as they are much of the time under the surface the sea, using the same companionWa the same deck, and dependent upon eac other every minute the submarine is Ill der way, the attachment becomes stron
 AS matter of fact, however, there little to tell that will interest the layma Life inside a submarine shell is very pr' saic. There Is nothing to see, except mass of electrical devices, machinery, il dlcators, levers, bells, gauges, forms, al men at close range.
 Naval officers, attached to this particl lar service, do not appear to be owe impressed with the claims of model submarine builders and inventors. Ths know the history of submarines as tho oughly as they do their calculus or dynan les, and off-hand the newest lieutenai on the station can tell you when sul Nmarines were first invented, how mar there are in service today, and the in provements each class has over it's imm diate predecessor.
 King James went down in a sul marine,'' declared a young officer at u yard the other day, and that was 162 wasn't it? To hear rival inventors bio their horns these days one would thir &l-. ,1,,, al, fha 1nta bpa ad-f1n hand-out by science-later than the wir less. Punk! For real ability in the spe tacular line German party by the nan of Bauer had them all beaten. He toe a German brass band down In his sui marine and had it play the Russian n; tional anthem all through the coronatio of Alexander II.
 Excellent Discipline.
 To see these young officers on duty ar hear them talk to their men, 1t is m difficult to believe the statement tn, in the submarine service the highest sta of discipline and efficiency of the Unite States navy is to be found This partici lar branch of discipline is believed to 1 something you cannot find in any oth' navy.
 \Not that Americans are any more cou ageous than seamen of other nations. NJ that some law or service regulation give their officers firmer hold on them. is the morale bred in the seryice-a r spect and admiration each for the otht and an unshaken confidence by the me in the officers who command them. IT lieutenant who stood on the cob dock an laughed as he talked had the eye and ili ure of master of men, without arrogant or conceit. He spoke Of submerging ice, of pumping into rocks, sticking Ia in soft bottoms, of engines and punI that failed to work in emergencies, an other hair-raising incidents in as matt' of fact a manner as farmer Woulo oi cuss his spring ploughing.
 See these officers at their work in tf docks, and it Is easy to picture them their post. when with all lights out ar tanks full, the submarine with every ma at his station, drops like rock in IT daily discipline test. How far they g only the officer knows. This is whi takes strong heart and perfect sel control It is the officers only mear of proving the nerve of his reliable me and the one unfailng test to discover u weak ones. Day after day come the' tests. No one enjoys them, and he vi shows the first sign of fear or of stan peding never steps foot on a submarf again.
 One Drop Enough.
 'One drop is enough Tor timld man said an officer, talking to the writer r cently. "He wants no more of 1t, and have no more use for him. Fear and d. moralization have caused most of Il submarine losses in France. With bo; srlmoreed the moment a member Of u crew loses his head he becomes dangerou In the history of our navy we have yet lose a boat, and as long as we keep simple plans, one-design boat. and maii tain our efficiency and discipline dril every submerged crew is as safe though it were on the surface. The loss' of the French navy have been due to 2 attempt to work with number of d signs. The result has been nothing b confusion"
 "see that man there, sn the blue dung --.. .s ;.i o,,ntlnnr nfficar snea king nf II