The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1917-12-14

The trail 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
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
nifieance
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 it 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 tc
evading the blockade, making for the
Atlantic, and harassing shipping there
.. The inference from this statemen
t was an obvious one, for the American
t fleets patrol joined the British in thi
longitude.
"Smoke to starboard, sir I"
Sam Clouts, the lookout, was speak
ing, and instantly the two parts 0
Donald's personality fused. Ida Ken
: nedy was forgotten. Upon the hori
zon, through his glasses, Donald coult
T see a tiny spiral of curling smoke.
He flung over the surface steering
j wheel and headed the F55 straight TO
5 the stranger. From that distance h,
knew that, while he could see tn,
: tunnels of the ship, the submarine wa
> invisible, owing to the curvature o
S the earth.
:. Relinquishing the wheel to Clouts
he watched the stranger. Gradual,
the smoke thickened; then there cam
into view two tunnels, and hull hal
invisible among the chopping waves
1t was impossible to mistake the on
coming ship. She was a battle cruise
of the Bluecher class, and she coul
! only be escaping westward to harr
/ commerce along the Atlantic trad
| route. With her fast heels and Il
| inch guns, she could match any uni
| af1oat except those of the home squad
| ron.
| Donald's luck was with him afte
| all.
/ She was proceeding west-nor'-wes
i evidently purposing to round the Shet
lands and so gain the shelter of tn
Z open seas. It was daring maneuvel
/ and she would certainly be sighted b
| the British destroyer fiotilla. Still
I though she could hardly outstear
| these fast little craft, she might bes
them off and escape before either til
British or the American blockadin
! vessels could come upon the scene.
2 Donald spoke a sharp command int
8 the tube of the diving station. Th
hatch was jammed down. The hor
n zontal rudders at the bow were d.
n fected, the water rushed into the di'
n ing tanks, and the F55 began to dill
y The surface running light slanted SCI
, ward as the bow went under, an
slowly regained poise as the stern 70
le lowed. bringing the F55 back to a
le even keel. The hum of the petrol nj
tors ceased the hull was filed wit
- the roar of the inrushing water; the
!, the electric motors took up the
steady throbbing.
give meters y announced the ma
- at the depth indicator. "Six meter:
20 Seven-half!"