The San Francisco call., 1909-08-29

/" NSIGN KENNETH WHITING did it
The idea wholly feasibility
been discussed around many room
- table But nobody had put the idea
practical attempted it. Therein Ensign
Writings conspicuous accomplishment
Imagine yourself minnow a sharks mouth A
momentary opening the you slide
and up up up through green safety That
describes the exploit Of Ensign whiting in Manila
bay.
He is minnow far from it. his brilliant foot
ball record Annapolis viii attest The shark this
the United States submarine torpedo boat
PorDoise. which he escaped by having himself
shot through the torpedo tube and swimming upward
through fathoms of gained light air
freedom the surface of the waters where Dewey
had the Spanish ships in opposite direction.
jealous daring experiment adds another pic
turesque thrilling officers
who work with the strangest of all craft under
the American flag. Moreover, it demonstrated the
Lracucabfity Of new method of escape from sub
merged submarine in the Of accident
The story establishes modern simile for the
biblical tradition Of Jonah and the whale, and
deemed of sufficient Importance be communicated to
feet read aloud to the Of several of the
big batteships and cruisers It is intended to
encourage the idea that submarines necessarily
dangerous The necessity for methods of escape
been brought home by disaster in the American
Most OF the fatal accidents in the British
service have been cases submerged submarines run
down by steamers crowded harbors and roadsteds
Work with the submarines in the Philippines is of
recent origin.
About the time that unprotected condition of
distant possessions prompted dispatch Of the
batteship feet to the Pacific the department
submarines Shark Porpoise loaded the deck
Of the collier Caesar and sent 1880 miles via
the yard at Cayite At the time Lieutenant
Guy Castle. who knew perhaps about these par
ticuIar craft than other officer the service.
across continent the to meet them
NO DRESS UNIFORM JOB
When they in water looking
detailed Porpoise and work with
Lieutenant Castle. The two craft were accorded a
prominent place in the defense Manila Their moral
effect" always accorded high rating by srategists
heightened in comparison with the meager forth
cations light naval force the islands
Submarine duty is uniform job in a tenn
perate climate much less in the tropics The sun
blistered the paint from the Shark nd
Porpoise and increased the breathing the
air laden with the fumes of the
until submergence conpes resort toa-electrc
propulsion from the storage batteries.
The two young officers aided by Ensign Theodore c.
Elyson classmate of Whiting were strictly O. T. J.
Con the job). their fellows Everybody saw
them tnkering with the machinery alongside the dock
at Cavite and making an occasional run out among
the armored cruisers Rear Admiral Harber, command
ing the division and their seniors gave them
free hand and the capabilities of the submarines were
steadily expanded.
But Ken" Whiting. classmates knew him.
had desire to DO not only all that expected of
him. out more. lie had put his vessel through the
tricks" and maneuvers which submarines on the
Atlantic coast had tried and he of
doing something which had tried.
When. the submarine submerged in fathoms of
green water the problem him of find
ing some of escape case the vessel were dis
abIed and unable to get surface
Hemmed in by the tons of pressure of the deep sea
the only thing that could escape from the vessel was
the torpedo which forced from the torpedo tube
by air pressure. couid be on its self-propelng
destructive mission.
Ensign Whiting knew all about the mechanism and
workings the Is inch torpedo which formed
the only outlet the submerged submarine Would
Il not be possible members to escape by
means OF this tube in emergency? He would
try it.
AMAZED AT HIS PLAN
As the only means of getting through the tube
was to be shot and this necessitated the CO.
operation Of some to operate the torpedo gun,
whiting gunner into his confidence and un-
folded his plan. The gunner operate the