Emmons County record., 1918-05-23
CHAPTER w.


~ $1,000 " VII SSd Sii'
Lieutenant Donald Paget stood on
the upper platform of the I55, which
ran awash In the waves of the North
Atlantic, far from the mother ship
which had conveyed her and others. Of
the ilotilla almost to the north OF
Scotland.
The frail little craft hummed noisily
MS her petrol motors drove the twin
screws through the water. The F55,
one of the older type of submarine.
was making ten knots through 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 rs 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
Mt sen 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 dual personality.
One part Of him lent itself nutomat-
ically to it's task. The other was
thinking over the events of the past
few days, and pondering on their sig
nificance.
On the day following his visit to
Baltimore. Donald had tclegraphed re-
pentcdly to New York. but no news
had been received of the BcOtia, and
he had been unable to obtain any in
formation concerning her from any of
the port officials. He had finally gone
aboard mt Newport News in Il very
disappointed frame Of mind. hopeless
Df meeting Ida Kennedy until after
the war.
The chances of his surviving 1t did
not appear to him to be brilliant ones.
last message from the mother ship
Informed him TO keep his course
toward the Shetlnnds He was in
structcd that II battle cruiser had
slipped ont of the Kiel canal and
was lurking somewhere among the
Norwegian fjords, with n view to
rvnding the blockade. making for the
Atlantic. and hnrassing shipping there.
The Inference from this statement
was an obvious one. for the American
fleets patrol joined the British in this
longitude.
"Smolle to starbonrd, 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 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.
Relinquishing the wheel to Clouts.
lie "ilCieu tne StTuuSeT. bTuuuilllS
the smoke thickened: then there came
into view two tunnels, and hull half
Invisible among the chopping waves.
1t was impossible to mistake the on
coming ship. She was battle cruiser
of the Bluecher class, and she could
only be escaping westward to harry
commerce along the Atlantic trade
route. With her fast heels and -
inch guns, she could match any unit
afioat except those Of the home squad
ron.
Donalds 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. 1t was daring maneuver.
and she would certainly be sighted by
the British destroyer flotilla. Still,
though she could hardly outstean
these fast little craft. she might beat
them off and escape before either the
British or the American blockading
vessels could come upon the scene.
Donald spoke sharp command into
the tube of the diving station. The
hatch was jammed down. The hori-