Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-08-26

danger of death that threatened hin,
and wishing only to demonstrate Tor
the benefit Of officers and men who
go TO sen In subma, ines whether 1t
is possible to escape from them In
case they sink. Midshipman Ken
meth Whiting. In command OF the
submarine PorpOise, now In Manila.
1t is leaned today, had himself
elected from the vessel while II rest
cd on the bottom of the sea and rose
safely to the surface.
Comrades aboard the vessel
doubted whether he would reach
the surface awe. II was specu
lation with brave young life at
stake. But Whiting refused to con-
slider the danger of death that be-
set him. II there was u chance to
escape from "a submarine. he de-
declared. he wished TO demonstrate
It. so that In case of accident 1t
would not be necessary for all hands
to perish. as has been the case in
accidents that have already hap
pened.
Writings feat is regarded as all
the more heroic because he refused
to ask any of his subordinates to
ment, but, being In command, deem
ed II proper for himself to do II.
Accordingly. the forpOise was low
cred to the bottom of the bay, near
Cavite, and arrangements made for
the experiment.
When the vessel was resting on
the mud at the bottom, between
, sixty and seventy feet deep, he
crawled into a torpedo tube. The
end of the tube was closed behind
him. In submarine tube Is
, closed or opened on the outside by a
port, which is moved by powerful
machinery from within the boat.
There is a great pressure under wa
ter against the port cover, and II
takes tremendous amount OF power
to force II up. When It opens there
is great thrush Of water. There
was extreme danger Of the thrush
imprisoning Whiting and drowning
him before he could even escape
from the tube.
Whiting got within the tube and
secured a hold on the port. Inside
the officers turned on the power.
the port swinging open. whiting,
holding on for his life, swung out
with it and with powerful strokes
swan clear Of the suction OF the in
rushing water. Then he shot up to
the surface.
Immediately after the opening OF
the port the officers raised the YES
sci. For second they gazed
around, filled with anxiety for Whit
ing. A few feet away they saw him
heading for the vessel. They cheer
ed and dragged him aboard. The
feat is regarded as one of the most
remarkable ever attempted in the
navy.
The experiment demonstrates that
men in sunken submarine can be
saved, providing, OF course, the ma
chinery Is not disarranged. But 1t
also demonstrates, too. that one of
the men must die. Some one must
remain behind to keep the machin-
cry in operation while the others
make the fight through the tube.
The World says in a despatch
from Hartford: Hiram Percy Max
i'm, the inventor of the gun silencer,
has just returned from Europe.
where since last May he conducted
IL England, German, France and
Austria successful demonstrations
of his invention. Mr.. Maxim be-
lieves that II there Is another war
of the great powers 1t will be fought
with airships. To show that his
gun silencer is necessary for guns
used on airships, Mr.. Maxim gave
an illustration that proves his be-
lief.
The flash from an ordinary gun in
an airship, he said, would communi-
cate with the hydrogen. and that
would be the end Of the airship.
Mr.. Maxim fired n rifle without the
silencer attached. There was a
deafening report and large sheet
Of flame. When the assistant fired
the rifle with the silencer attached
Il card held in front of the muzzle
did not flutter in the inventors
hand, there was no visible indica-
ton upon II of smoke or flame, but