The Elbert County tribune., 1908-10-08
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! ndmOS 1Or charging tne DdtterleS anu
the air compressor. All these were all
right when the crew left the night be-
| fore, but machinery sometimes does
strange things over night. and each
part is looked over carefully
Meanwhile. from the coming tower
or from the deck, the commanding Of
ficer is directing the boats course by
the aid of an instrument about the size
of a dollar watch, which at distance
it much resembles. On it are buttons
| for signals to the engines and two
more to steer by. Pressure on one
sends the boat to port. on the other to
starboard. When neither is pressed
the vessel goes on straight course.
This watchlike affair controls the cleo
trio motor which operates the steering
gear, and long flexible cable makes
1t possible to steer from any part of
the boat.
When the point at which 1t is de-
cided to submerge is. reached water is
gradually admitted to the tanks in the
boat and she settles until she is awash.
The matches have previously been
tightly closed, then the coming tower
is closed and made tight and sea
man takes the electric steering Gsvice,
while his officer goes below to direct
the work of submerging. In his posi-
tion amidship he has his periscope di-
rectly in front of him. To his left are
gauges showing the angle of the diving
-rudder as well as the wheel by which
it is operated and two large diais
showing depth of water. Forward and
on either side men are stationed at
valves
The first thing done is to trim the
boat-that is to say, get her balanced
on an even keel, that she may be
handled properly. Water is slowly ad-
mitted to the main tank, then t. the
trimming or balancing tanks. Some
times too much is taken in. Then the
excess is blown out by air under 1000
pounds pressure until the exact bal
ance is acquired.
To those in the boat there is re-
markable lack of movement, of vibra-
. tion there is very little. One feels that
he is in a room without windows, and
when the lights out" order comes
the sensation is exactly the same as
when one finds himself suddenly left
in darkness in a strange house. The
| whining of the engines alone gives
evidence of life about, and one is glad
when the current is turned on again.
1t is cool in the boat, too, so cool that
the hull begins to sweat great drops of
water that landing on a nervous mans
neck makes him shiver
| After a few miles under water the
orders necessary to rise are given.
First water is blown from one tank,
| then from another, till at last the top
/ of the periscope is above the water.
Below, by its aid, the officer has a
clear view of all about him.
| Often these trips consume hours.
The Octopus. Lieut.. Courtney, has
often remained submerged for half a
day, travelling from the torpedo station
at Newport in a channel always fire.
.quented by commerce to point as far
| away as Brenton's reef and return
with only an occasional rise to use the
periscope. On these trips he never
had an accident, though at times the
channel on the surface was filed with
sailing vessels.
The dip beneath the surface, how
ever, is by no means the end of the
crews work for the day. They must
make ready for the next dive, for on
the trip the storage batteries have be-
come nearly, If not quite, exhausted.
The air TASKS need refilling and there
is sure to be some adjustment of ma
chinery needed. Then the gasoline
motor is connected with the dynamo
and the slow work of charging bat
teries is begun. When they are full
the electric motor is started and the
air TASKS are filled. Then the gasoline
engine again starts the dynamo up to
replace the current taken from the
batteries in working the compressor
Simple as this seems, it is 12-hour
task, making, aside from the time
spent under water, a longer day than
most men care for. One hour under
water may make necessary this long
task.
Only picked men and enthusiasts
could do the work and stand up under
1t. All the men assigned to the boats
by the bureau of navigation are ma
chinists, electricians or seamen gun
ners, and it is the boast of the officers
that their crews can do anything IL
the line Of mechanics.