Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-09-27
CHAPTER w.
The Quest of the Sea Shark.


the upper platform of the F55, which
ran awash in the waves of the North
Atlantic, far from the mother ship
which had conveyed her and others Of
the fotilla almost to the north of
Scotland.
The frail little craft hummed noisily
as her petrol motors drove the twin
screws through the water. The F55,
one of the older type Of submarine,
was making ten knots through a diff
cult sea- Within her $50 feet by Is
she held an amazing potentiality for
destruction.
Above the coming tower rose the
single periscope for the captain or
lookout man-nOw almost useless,
should the F55 submerge herself, on
account of the washing seas. Within
the tower were the observation port,
depth meter, and tubes connecting
with the engine room and torpedo
station. The platform quivered inces-
sanity as the periscOpe motor under
meath throbbed, and the vibration of
the engines made the entire vessel
shiver.
In the few days that he had been
at sea the sense Of responsibility for
his ship and the lives of his men had
weighed on Donald heavily. Now en-
tering the coming tower, and taking
his stand beside the lookout man, he
seemed to assume q dual personality.
One part Of him bent itself automat-
fcally to its task. The other was
thinking over the events of the past
nif1cance.
On the day following his visit to
Baltimore, Donald had telegraphed re-
peatedly to New York, but no news
had been received Of the Beotia, and
he had been unable to obtain any in
formation concerning her from any Of
the port officials. He had finally gone
aboard at Newport News in very
disappointed frame Of mind hopeless
Of meeting Ida Kennedy until after
the war.
The chances Of his surviving 1t did
not appear to him to be brilliant ones.
A last message from the mother ship
Informed him to keep his course
toward the Shetlands. He was in
structed that a battle cruiser had
slipped out of the Kiel canal and
was lurking somewhere among the
Norwegian fjords, with a view to
evading the blockade, making for the
Atlantic, and harassing shipping there.
The inference from this statement
was an obvious one, for the American
fleets patrol Joined the British in this
longitude.
"SmOke to starbOard, sir"
Sam Clouts, the lookout, was speak
ing, and instantly the two parts of
Donalds personality fused. Ida Ken
nedy was forgotten. Upon the hor1-
Zon, through his glasses, Donald could
see tiny spiral of curling smoke.
He flung over the surface steering
wheel and headed the F55 straight for
the stranger. From that distance he
knew that, while he could see the
tunnels of the ship, the submarine was
invisible, owing to the curvature Of
the earth.
Recognising the wheel to ClOuts,
he watched the stranger. Gradually
the smoke thickened; then there came
into view two tunnels, and a hull half
invisible among the chopping waves.
It was impossible to mistake the on
coming ship. She was a battle cruiser
| # the Bluecher class, and she could
.,nly be escaping westward to harry
commerce along the Atlantic trade
route. With her fast heels and II
flch guns, she could match any unit
sf1oat except those Of the home squad
ron.
Donald's luck was with him after
all.
She was proceeding west-nor'-west,
evidently purposing to round the Shet-
lands and so gain the shelter of the
open seas. It was daring maneuver,
and she would certainly be sighted by
the British destroyer fiotilla. Still,
though she could hardly outsteam
these fast little craft, she might beat
them off and escape before either the
British or the American b1ockading
vessels could come upon the scene.
Donald spoke a sharp command into
the tube of the diving station. The
hatch was damned down. The hori-
zontal rudders at the bow were de-
fected, the water rushed into the div
Ing tanks, and the F55 began to dip.
The surface running light slanted sea-
ward as the bow went under, and
slowly regained poise as the stern fol-
lowed, bringing the F55 back to an
even keel. The hum of the petrol mo-
tors ceased, the hull was filed with
the roar Of the inrushing water; then
the electric motors took up their
steady throbbing.
Give meters!" announced the man
at the depth indicator. ask meters
Seven-half!"
At first the hum Of the electric mo-
tors dominated all other sounds, but
gradually 1T became blended with a
medley Of noises. Placing his ear
moment against the plating Of the
hull, Donald could hear a steady
though faint pounding, which came, not
from within, but from the bearings Of
the distant warship, transmitted IN
der water. Somewhere, too, Donald