French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-02-22
EDITOR TELLS OF DIVE IN
UNITED STATES SUBMARINE
One of Few Civilians Permitted This
Experience Describes It-Says
Submarine is Master Marvel.

+ H. Thompson Rich, managing editor
of the Forum Magazine, writing. from
Provincetown. Mass, gives the follow
ing interesting account of his expert
ence on a U. S. submarine:
/ A dull, mufled roar, rhythmic vibra-
| ton through the echoing iron beneath
/ my feet, dense cloud of yellowish
smoke shooting out from the exhaust
holes astern, and the great underwa-
ter dreadnaught on whose deck / stood
was tearing off at express speed to-
ward the open sea.
I was about to take a cruise, and a
plunge, on a submarine battle cruiser
/ was starting on an adventure that
only few civilians had ever before
been allowed to experience.
On a huge American-made subma-
rine, bigger and more powerful in
every way than the German U-boats
just turned loose in the Atlantic was
experiencing all the wonder and ex-
citement that must thrill the crews of
German divers as they set forth from
their home ports on a commerce raid.
For I. too, was wondering whether
would ever return from this trip to
land again on the Providence dock.
This was a test cruise.
/ remembered the long series of mis-
haps to American-made submarines.
I recalled the F-4 disaster. Would
something go wrong when we made
our first plunge. and would my last ex-
perience in this life be dramatic
struggle with gas fumes while penned
up with a score of suffocating men in
a crushed iron hull on the Atlantic's
bottom?
AS we put out into launch from
the dock in Provincetown harbor, the
semi-submerged dreadnaught swept
gracefully shoreward to meet us. Her
two periscopes flashed and sparkled
like twin diamonds at their tapering
points, and she glistened all over like
a colossal fish.
AS we clamored onto her rounded
side. with a curious thrill I realized
we were about to enter on an astound-
ing adventure; our fortunes were in
higher hands and we were pawns in
a new order of things.
Suddenly mufhed roar sprang up
from somewhere deep within, and.
the water foamed about the Prov.
We were Off I clutched a stanchion,
fearing we might be about to dive
But no! We were making a surfaca
run now. testing out the great DIESEL
oil-burning engines. The speed amaz
ed me. 1t was all the more impressive
because we stood so close to the rush
ing water. which left and right rose
in green, foamy columns
Astern a great fan-tailed wake fell |
away, half hidden by the huge quail |
ties of yellowish-white smoke pour
ing from the exhausts.
The roar of the engines had now be- |
come thunderous; and the submarine |
vibrated dythmically as it sped on
ward!
The yelloWish-w white smoke had now
almost entirely disappeared, and from
theexhaust-holes issued only thin
blueish haze, very hot and volatile.
Presently even this stopped, and
there was no sign that the engines we're
running save that steady rhythmic
thunder, and our flying speed.
In the outer harbor we came to rest
and made for the plunge.
There was no time to be lost.
With one glimpse of the blue sky
perhaps my last, thought went to
the circular hatch in the coming tow
er. and climbed below on a small steel