Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-11-02

The frail little craft hummed nolsil,
as her petrol motors drove the twir
screws through the water. The r55
: one OF the older type Of submarine
) was making ten knots through a diff
J cult sea. Within her $50 feet by l.
she held an amazing potentiality 70,
destruction.
Above the coming tower rose the
single periscope for the CAPTAIN OF
lookout man-now almost useless
should the F55 submerge herself, on
account Of the washing seas. Within
the tower we're 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
SILVER.
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 a dual personality.
One part Of him bent itself automat-
ically to its task. The other was
thinking over the events Of the past
few days, and bordering on their sig
nifcance.
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 a very
disappointed frame Of mind, hopeless
Of meeting Ida Kennedy until after
the war.
The chances Of his surviving It did
not appear to him to be brilliant n
A last message from the mother ship
Informed him to keep his course
toward the S~hetlands. He was in
structed that a battle cruiser had
slipped out Of the Kiel canal and
was lurking somewhere NOM 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
Donald's personality fused. Ida Ken
nedy was forgotten. Upon the hori-
zon, through his glasses, Donald coqld
see a 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.
Relinquishing the wheel to Clouts,
he watched the stranger. Gradually
the smoke thickened; then there came
into view two tunnels, and a hull half
among the chopping waves.
1t was impossible to mistake the on
coming ship. She was a battle cruiser
OF the Bluecher class, and she could
only be escaping westward to harry
along the Atlantic trade
route. With her fast heels and 12-
nch guns, she could match any unit
afioat except those of the home squad.
Donald's luck was with him after
all.
She was proceeding west-nor'-west.
evidently purposing to round the Shet-
ands and so gain the shelter of the
open seas. 1t was a daring maneuver.
ma she would certainly be sighted by
he British destroyer f1otilla. Still,
.hough she could hardly outsteam
.hese fast little craft, she might beat
hem off and escape before either the
British or the American blockading
'essels could come upon the scene.
Donald spoke a sharp command into
he tube of the diving station. The
latch was damned down. The hori.
'ontal rudders at the bow were de-
lected, the water rushed into the div.
ng tanks, and the F55 began to din.
The surface running light slanted sea. ,
yard as the bow went under, and !
lowly regained poise as the stern fol.
owed, bringing the F55 back to an :
ven keel. The hum Of the petrol mo. !
ors ceased, the hull wa filled with !
ne roar Of the inrushing water; then !
he electric motors took I'D their d
teady throbbing.
Five metersw announced the man
{ the depth indicator. "Six metersi ,
even-half" :