The Cairo bulletin., 1911-07-13
SUBMARINE SHIPS
Life Aboard These War Craft Is
a Sequence Of Discomforts.
TORTURE FOR THE NOVICE.

Between Choking For Air and Suffo.
eating From the Fumes Of Gasoline
tho Agony Is Excruciatine-Ad
Tsr-crs When Caught In a Storm. !,
Sperarine boats have been develop
ed &c ne point where they can cover
or their own power radius OF 800
rlca u, effective lighting trim IN
STERN ara cain tEc submarines are
enfahie OF navigating tue seas with
cr9Gil - ibcir inventors aud ronslrue'
tors Tilh Il tipri al these vessels SIa-
TiunSu IN tA,. vicinity ~ any OF our
lnran coast c!!..s II would be difficult
Tor hattlpSiiip> 10 -. w!'hin effective
striking distance
The first impressions received on de-
scr ntlilg into the hold OF n submarine
ara. those of discomfort and sntfoca.
ton. The accommodations for crew
OF thirteen seem about eight for half
dozen One Is in TOO close proximity
to whirring machinery. too. to enjoy
the sensation
On all sides are arranged electrical
devices and machinery 10 operate The
craft and the torIndoes A Thin shell
OF steel separates the visitor from the
tnrpedoeS, and The outside water Is SO
close thar one can almost feel Its
moisture
When under way IN he surface the
Submarine hnfHiS aud trpmhles The
fumes of gasoline are almost suffocal-
Ing There is 40 escaping from them.
Some Ut The men contract what is cali
ed gasoline heart" If under water
TOO tong the fumes make one sick and
dizzy
A novice cannot remain in sub
marine under water for any great
length of time without suffering ex
cruclating torture. In tine. however.
one gets used to it, ant "trip may be
one Of enjoyment,
lut Ii Is when the submarine dives
that the most unpleasant symptoms
core. There are ten compressed air
tanks supplied, and these furnish sur
ticient air to keep lhe crew alive a
good many hours
But did you ever five on compressed
air? 1t not II viii he !, new sensation.
especially II you are fifty feet below
the surface of he water There Ia a
tingling sensation all over the body.
a pounding of the eardrums and pos
Sihiy a sense OF nausea.
As the air Is automatically regulat-
ed from the compressed air tanks one
getH his share OF the oxygen. but some
times the supply may vary, 1t GER
tainly does in different parts Of the
ship. one may be choking for lack of
good mir in one part and be exhilarat-
ed by too abundant supply In anotIl-
e..
Sometimes when the engines are
running TO charge the batteries the
fumes or the gasoline become so strong
that men are rendered unconscious.
They must be taken up on deck then to
get Il Whit of fresh air
For this reason tile batteries are only
charged when above tile water But
III time of war 1t might be necessary
Then, indeed the man aboard the sub
marine might envy the aerial navi
Cater dying above the sea with his
abundance Of Trash air to breathe.
Coc.:IuG under water is pretty I'M
certain aud disagreeabIe work. The
only appliance for this purpose is IL
smGE electric heater This Is just
abJnt big enough to heat water to
mage cup OF coffee and nothing else.
Tho crew have their food cooked
aboard the tender.
TIE submarine Is built on the prin-
cipie OF ecopomizing space in every
thing. There Is no room for anything
except ;he actual necessities. Every
inch Of space is given over to ma
cliacry. This Is everywhere compact
ard efficient, but multiplied so often
that one wonders what it is all for.
There is machinery for running the
boat. for guiding 1t under water, for
controlling 1t when 1t dives. for com.
pressing the air tanks. for operating
the torpedoes and even for regulating
the power of vision above and below
water.
When caught In a storm In a sub.
marine life is really not worth living.
1t consists OF a series of intense strug-
gles to prevent death by being batter
Ell against steel walls or TO keep from
becoming involved in whirring wheels
and dynamos. II you survive the or
Gca. yon conclude that Ii is not neces-
sary TO wait for war to find hndes 1t
Is with you all the time. -Harper's
Weekly.