The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-01-18

/. MERIDIAN, IDAHO
Quickly the green transluce2cy 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.
Its all right, DEAR" he said has
tily. Davies has probably got tam
gled up with the diving rudders. It's
bit stiff for him to handle alone. 1t
doesn't mean anything particular"
! But Ida could read the fear In his
voice. and she knew that it 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
it had been released and had worked
in the wrong direction.
| With her bow pointing downward
at an angle of 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 seabed. Darkness
covered her. The inmates felt their
eardrums throb under the pressure.
At the first indication of danger
Clouts had contriyed to shut off the
petrol engines. That alone prevented
L. od
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 couple of sweeping
seas came in. Short as the period of
lrespite was, it enabled Donald and
CIouts to grasp the hatch and replace
it. They fought in a deluge of water
, that swept them from their feet and
dashed 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 80 stam-
mer brokeL3y, but Donald laid his hand
, In kindly fashion on the lads shoulder.
"You are not to blame, Davies" he
: said. sit 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 ever
thought before"
1--WE amt a-going to drown like rats
in traps, sir" said Sam Clouts hear
tiIy.
mot if know it, Clouts," Donald
returned. "Now, first, 1t isn't possible
to adjust the rudder, and we can't
rise without it. That's self-eyident.
think. We are comparatively safe for
4 some time to come, because we have
just taken on a supply of natural air
and we haven't opened the air-fask;
yet. But, of course, it means onl!
two days respite"
Il IF might say so, sir" said Clouts
sit means that we must put on tn,
diving Suits"
you're right" answered Donald
"We aren't in a hopeless position BY
any means if we manage to keep oul
| heads. Miss Kennedy, wen get you
out of here in jiffy if you don't mind
I getting your feet wet.
'You see" he continued, in explana
ton, 'fortunately-yery fortunately
for us-we have the new Siebert div
ing apparatus aboard, which was tc
have been used for a special purpose
e in connection with our work for the
government"
q zone moment, SIR said Davies
4 "Have you a match2"
Ii Donald handed him one of the few
that remained. Davies struck it
v looked at the depth meter, and whistleC
expressiveIy.
n 1.-TWO hundred and eighty feet, sir
a he said in low tone.
+ YES, that was about what I imag
ined," replied Donald. at is about a:
much as the old F55 would stand with
" out buckling."
v But two hundred is the extrem,
It limit of deep-sea diving, sir" Davie!
b. protested.
a "The Siebert apparatus is especial!
" devised for going deeper than that,
II returned Donald. ''In fact Sieber
IS himself went down to six hundred
if though he was all in when he came up
1t You see, Davies, the new factor in thu
". Siebert dress is that it has a compen
ir sating pressure. / didn't specialize OF
it, but / understand it is a sort O.
ly internal oxygen arrangement, com
pressed, which partly neutralizes thu
10 pressure outside. 1t has enough com
q pressed oxygen to last six hours.