The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-19
Submarine Encounters Whale
NOSES ROUND THE BOAT AS IF BIG
OF H DEEP WAS OF HIS KIND

coming carer and nearer. 1t was
a school of whales and they were
installing the big steel submarine for
one of their own kind.
Sure enough, the school slowly
drew closer and presently the subma-
rine was right in the middle of them.
They nosed about the boat in a friend
~ sort of way, just as If they were
welcoming another big brother of the
herd, and not one Of them showed
the slightest sort of fear at the Mar
whal's big hulk and impregable skin
of steel. They even took the men on
her tiny deck as a matter of course
1t was just as If the submarine was
one of their number.
1T was great sport" said Lieuten-
ant Nimitz %afterward, in telling of his
experience. "They weren't a bit
afraid OF us, and. fooled around in a
friendly sort Of way, which was really
amusing. When. we turned on u
engines and started off some of them
ploughed along for a while Just for
company's sake,- but evidently the
whales wanted to. stay around in that
part of the ocean, for they soon drop
ped astern and let us go on"
Ensign Warren G. Child had anoth-
err experience just before dark on the
same day aboard, the Salmon, another
tight little submarine belonging to the
same division. They were off to No
Mans Land, and getting ready to dive
IN anticipation of the coming of the
hostile feet. Negative buoyancy had
been attained and it only needed a
turn of the horizontal rudder to duck
her below the waves.
Something Jared the side of the
Salmon slightly and the lookout in the
coming tower turned his head nery-
ously to see what was up. It's a pref
ty serious thing to bump into any,
thing when you're submerged in even
the %stoutest submarine. To his amaze
ment the sailor spied a ifty-foot
whale edging alongside in the most
friendly manner imaginable. The
husky water-going mammal wasn't a
bit afraid of his new-found water
mate and playfellow and kept along
side for miles. apparently in great
good humor at finding a friend in this
lonely part Of the ocean. He ran
alongside easily and kept up with his
steel-sided counterpart without trou-
Bile. Finally when it got to be pitch
dark he gave the submarine a friend
ly nosing over, dived deep and was
gone IN the darkness of the water.
He wasn't at all nervous at u.s."
said Ensign Child, land plainly show
ed that he thought the submarine was
another whale like himself. It didn't
take such a stretch of the imagination
to feel that our friend was sorry to
leave us, but that he realized We were
going further than he cared to four
ney.
"The big fellow looked as il he was
curious to learn what sort of a whale
We were. and more than once he
was nosing about just as a dog
might make friends with him or not.
When he reached the propellers he
didn't like them at all, but swan
alongside out Of their reach. We
were running semisubmerged at the
time, and several of the crew had q
chance to poke their heads III of the
coming tower and get a good look
at a whale at arms length"
Now this may seem something like
a fish story, but 1t isn't. Ensign A.
H. Miles. who commands the 1O5-foot
submarine Octopus, had a three-day
race with a school Of porpoiees on a
deep-sea trip in his submarine and
has SO often been on such close terms
with friendly whales and big fishes
Of the deep that it is an everyday
story with him.
Come down below and see for
yourself" said he on the day after
his memorable ten-mile trip sixty feet
below the Atlantic with Secretary of
the Navy Meyer and Mrs. Robert
Goelet as his passengers.
1t was an invitation to view the
wonders Of the underwater world
from the coming tower Of q aubma-
rine-something very, very few men
and only three women have done so
far in the history of submarine navi-
gation-a chance not to be missed.
The day was not one for ordinary
craft. A mighty northeaster was
blowing and old ocean and Nara
gansett bay. on which the torpedo sta
ton is located. we're having a bad time
of 1t. Great smothers of spume blew