Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1914-08-13
SUBMARINE CRAFT
They surpass All Warshlps In
Concentrated Deadly Power.
4 DIVE UNDER THE SURFACE.

The Terrifying Sensation and tho
Agony Of Roaring Noises That Be-
wilder the Novice as tho Vessel Goes
Down Into the Depths Of tho Sea.
In waters where the United States
''hintains naval station you may
happen to see tall staff cutting
through the water as though borne by
some unseen hand beneath the sur
face. On the top of the stan is
slight bent hood pointed in the direc.
ton Of motion. This is the eye of q
submarine.
From the lens in the front of the
hood picture Of the whole seascape
Is carried down by a succession of
mirrors in the hollow staff until 1t is
thrown on prismahc lens at the bot,
tom. Here the navigator of the sub.
Murine watches moving picture of
what Is going on above the surface of
the water and guides his boat accord.
ingly.
We said boat advisedly, because 1t Is
really vessel for the transportation
of human beings at sea. 1t Is. more
over. more than floating craft, swim.
ming Oh the surface like swan. 1t
is also diver, darting down into the
depths like fish.
Let yourself be shut up In 1t and
dive with 1t and it seems more like
tightly corked bottle. Your first SEN
sution as the boat starts downward is
that you have foolishly allowed your
self to be shut up in a death trap
from which there is no escape. Your
heart sinks faster than the boat.
And then something happens to make
you forget everything but that this
craft is hellish conrivance for de-
stroying your hearing. AS the subma-
rine dips under the surface and all
outlet for sound is cut of by the seal
Ing waters tho rush of the sea around
the steel walls becomes the rattle Of
spring hall on a tin roof. You remem.
/ Der that old and painful swimming
hole experiment when you held your
head under water and let playmate
strike two stones together. But here
the assault on your eardrums Is as
though million stones were striking
together. A pebble falling through the
waters on the steel hull sets the inside
changing like Chinese temple full Of
jangling gongs. You must shout to
be heard.
| Through the roar from the vibrations
of the steel shell come the insistent
cracking hum of electric motors, the
rafting fire Of gasoline engines, the
whir Of machinery and the barking
cough Of exhausts. Your craft seems
to be nothing but an elliptical mass Of
concentrated noise sinking through the
sea. Yon fear that 1t will blow up
from its own vibrations.
When you have in measure con-
trolled your protesting ears you look
around and see wonderful array OF
engines, machinery. deadly torpedoes
dashed together in pairs and the steel
tubes from which they are projected
with compressed air all slowed away
In the least possible space.
The double walls surrounding you
are themselves huge ballast tanks,
which can be flied with water through
valves opening into the sea outside or
can be emphed by the force of COM
pressed air from within. AS these
tanks are filed the hull of the sub
marine sinks until only the periscope.
the elevated eye Of the vessel, shows
above the water. When the water il
forced out of them the boat becomes
light and rises to the surface until its
coming tower, superstructure and the
upper part Of the hull are exposed.
Then the craft Is navigated like any
other boat ts5
When the vessel is submerged the
navigator at the lower end Of the
periscope has far more intricate task
than the steering OF an ordinary boat
The periscopc, of course, brings him
a limited view of the sea about Then
be must steer in two planes instead
of one. His craft turns ;iot only to
the right or left, but also Up or. down
TO enable the vessel to stay under
the water longer time than usual
L Tic buULAhAAu SuAhAcd ASoCk VIC buPRiy
Of air. This emergency supply Is COM
pressed In steel flask under the enor-
nous pressure Of 1000 pounds to the
square inch. Should the flask burst
1.-The explosion would wreck the boat
Perhaps a better idea OF the tremen
1 dous concentration implied by this
pressure may be gained from the
statement that II this storage cylinder
were punctpred with q hole no big
ger than needle and II the tiny Jul
of escaping air were to strike a mar
|it would pierce him through ant
through like bullet and even drive Z
hole through an inch thick board be
hind him ISL
III For ordinary purposes the air sup
II ply used under water Is carried 10 or
II binary cylinders at much smaller pres
II |snres Unusual precautions have Z
II be taken to prevent the contamination
II of the air supply BY gases from tn
II storage batteries and from the gasolin'
II motors
II Concentration epitomizes the subma
II rine. It's energies and utilities ar
II packed in like the parts of a puzzle
II and in the concentration OF deadl
|. power 1t SURPRISES amy other weapo
OF man.--San francisco Chronicle.