The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-12-27

Quickly the green translucency that
followed gave place to darkness. Ida
slipped on the tipping floor. Donald
ran In; she heard him calling to her
through the darkness, and felt his arms
grope for her.
tits all right, dear" he said has.
thy. "Dayies has probably got tan
gled UP with the diving rudders. It's a
bit stin for him to handle alone. II
doesn't mean anything particular"
But Ida could read the fear In his
voice, and she knew that IL meant ev-
erything. The diving apparatus had,
In fact, Jammed when the F55 ground
ed upon the beach, and the rudder had
become twisted. Under Davies hands
1t had been released, and had worked
in the wrong direction.
With her how pointing downward
at an angle or 80 degrees. The F55
sank until her nose dug into the ooze
300 feet beneath the surface, into the
~cup-shaped crater of the submarine
peak.
Then, slowly settling under the
weight OF the water, the stern fol-
lowed. and the little craft remained
submerged on the scaled. Darkness
covered her. The inmates felt their
eardrums throb under the pressure.
At the first indication of danger
Clouts had contrived to shut off the
petrol engines. That alone prevented
an explosion when the sea rushed
through the aft escape hatch.
Fortunately. the after part OF the
ship remained above the surface for
a few moments after the bow went
under, and only a couple Of sweeping
seas came In. Short as the period of
respite was. Ii enabled Donald and
Clouts to grasp the hatch and replace
IL. They fought In q deluge of water
that swept them from their feet and
FLASHED them. half stunned, against the
walls Of the engine room. But they
got the hatch into place.
Clouts came In, and presently Da-
vies Joined them. He began to STAN
mer brokenly, but Donald laid his hand
In kindly fashion on the lads shoulder.
you are not to blame, Davies" he
said. "It was my own fault for try
ing to run the old boat instead Of
putting you all ashore. No doubt the
vertical-rudder blades are bent and
fouled the rocks. Now we've got to
think. and harder than we have eyer
thought before"
I'VE amt a-going to drown like rats
In traps, SIR" said Sam Clouts hear
tily.
"Not If I know 1t, Clouts," Donald
returned. "Now, first, II isn't possible
to adjust the rudder, and we can't
rise without 1t. That's self-evidcnt. i
think. We are comparatively safe for
some time to come. because we have
just taken on a supply of natural afr,
and we haven't opened the alr-flasks
yet. But, Of course. 1t means only
two days respite
"If / might say SO, SIR" said Clou,s,
It means that we must put on the
diving suits"
You're right" answered Donald.
"We aren't in q hopeless position by
any means II we manage to keep our
heads. Miss Kennedy, we'll get you
out Of here in q jiffy If you don't mind
getting your feet wet.
"You see," he continued, In explana-
ton, "fortunately-very fortunately
for us-we have the new Siebert div
ing apparatus aboard, which was to
have been used for u special purpose
in connection with our work FOR the
government"
"One moment, sir" said Davies.
Have you a matchf"
Donald handed him one OF the few
that remained. Davies struck it,
looked at the depth meter, and whistled
expresslvely.
1.-TWO hundred and eighty feet, SIR
he said In a low tone
"Yes, that was about what I mag
ined," replied Donald. ut is about as
much as the old F55 would stand with
out bucklipg."
But two hundred Is the extreme
limit Of deep-sea diving. SIR" Davies
protested.
"The Siebert apparatus Is especially
devised for going deeper than that"
returned Donald. SIN fact, Slebert
himself went down to six hundred,
though he was all In when he came up.
You see, Davies, the new factor In the
Siebert dress Is hat 1t has a compen-
sating pressure. I didn't specialize on
1t, but ! understand 1t Is a sort Of
internal oxygen arrangement. com.
pressed. which partly ~neutralizes the
pressure outside. 1t has enough COM
pressed oxygen to last six hours.
(TO BE CoNTINUED)
lnfants, Food "a SheIIs.