Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-03-23

of a new whale we were, and he nosed
us as a dog might sniff at a stranger
to see if he could make friends with
him or not"
UNDERWATER SENSATIONS
The first impressions a "landlubber''
gets upon descending into the hold of
a submarine are those of discomfort
and suffocation. The accommodations
for crew of twenty seem about right
for half that number. On all sides are
arranged electrical devices and ma
chinery to operate the craft and tor
pedoes. & thin shell of steel separates
you from the torpedoes, and the out
side water is so close that one can al
most feel the moisture.
When under way on the surface the
submarine huns and trembIes. The
fumes of gasoline are almost suffocat-
ing. There is no escaping from them.
Some of the men contract what is call
ed gasoline heart If under water
too long the fumes make one sick and
dizzy. A novice cannot remain in a
submarine under water for any great
length of time without suffering excru-
ciating torture.
But it is when the submarine dives
that the most unpleasant symptoms
GUILE 1ueT6 are Ten compressed air
tanks supplied, and these furnish suf-
ficient air to keep the crew alive a
good many hours. But did you ever
live on compressed air? If not it will
be a new sensation, especially if you
are fifty feet below the surface of the
water. There are a tingling sensation
all over the body and pounding of the
eardrums.
GOING DOWN; COMING UP
The chug-chug of the gasoline engines
! ceases when the submarine is about to
make plunge and the electric motors
| take over the work. A negative buoy
| ancy must first be obtained Sufi-
Gent water is drawn into the tanks,
then inch by inch you sink, until there
is scarcely 100 pounds of buoyancy
| left
| Then the captain gives the order and
the craft disappears. The hand on the
indicator takes on life and shows five,
ten, fifteen feet Then the boat stops
A peep through the eye piece, and you
can see the condition of the sea above.
Then again you start a descent. A
| few feet down, and suddenly some
| thing blots out the vision on the peri
scope, something green and oily 1t is
| the water closing over the lens above.
shutting out the world You are who'll
~ immersed now Perhaps storm is
raging overhead, but all is quiet in the
submarine save for the smooth purring
of the electric motors and an occasion
al sharp cry of command Soon the
craft rests on the bottom
Going up into the coming tower,
| where there are several eye ports COW
cred with glass five-eighths of an inch
thick,-you can see the ocean. 1t is like
being on view in the aquarium your
self with all the fish of the sea looking
in at you Fish of all kinds and colors
pass before your bewildered view.
Fearlessly they poke their noses
against the glass. A school of bright
ly colored fish might pass in wonderful
array while sea growths meet the eye
| everywhere
The ascent is obtained with the re-
verse of the levers Up, up, you go
until you have reached the sea level.
The water is pumped of, the matches
opened, and the trip is over. You have
seen with your own eyes that truth in
deed is stranger than fiction and that
there are realities to match the imag-
inings OF a Jules Verne.