The Submarine Boys Trial Trip | Page 9

the depths. Formerly, when crews found themselves placed in that
predicament, death followed.
Jack's solution was wonderfully simple. In brief, when the "Pollard" lay
on the bottom of the little harbor at Dunhaven, the young captain had

crawled into the long tube through which torpedoes were to be
discharged in war time.
One end of this torpedo tube projects slightly into the water, at the bow
of the submarine boat. The other end of the tube is well inside the craft.
Two doors, or "ports," as they are called, close the tube at the ends.
Ordinarily the forward port is closed, to keep water from entering the
boat. When a torpedo is placed in the tube for firing, the outer or
forward port is opened automatically just at the instant of discharging
the torpedo. Enough compressed air is turned into the tube to force the
torpedo out, after which the torpedo goes on its deadly journey
propelled by its own motor. The presence of the air thus turned into the
tube at the instant of firing keeps out the water until the tube's forward
port is once more closed. Then the rear port of the tube, inside the
submarine boat, may be opened whenever it is desired.
Captain Jack Benson, when he reached bottom with the "Pollard," and
had donned his bathing suit, crawled into the tube through the rear port.
This port was then closed. Hal Hastings simultaneously opened the
outer port and discharged compressed air into the tube. Thus Jack
forced his way out into the water, and, with the aid of his natural
buoyancy, made a quick swim for the surface.
In returning, he had dived down, close to the anchor cable. Nearer the
bottom he seized the cable, thus hauling himself down to the outer port
of the torpedo tube. He had quickly crawled into the tube, where the
presence of air still kept the water out. As he knocked heavily at the
rear port with both hands, Hal swiftly turned in a moderate discharge of
compressed air, while Eph, controlling mechanism inside, swung the
forward port shut. Then the rear port was swung back, Captain Jack
crawling back into the forward compartment of the boat.
"The whole trick is rather easy," Jack informed Mr. Farnum, as they
walked that night in the village and discussed the matter in undertones.
"But you were in not more than seventy feet of water there," suggested
the builder. "You couldn't do it at much greater depth."

"At eighty feet of water I could do it," replied Benson, thoughtfully.
"But at a greater depth than eighty feet--?"
"Of course, the deeper one gets, the more tremendous the pressure of
the water is," answered the young captain. "At a depth of a hundred feet,
say, the pressure of the water would be enough to crowd me back into
the tube, crushing my body."
"And killing you," clicked Mr. Farnum.
"Undoubtedly. Yet seventy feet is as deep as one need go. Fifty feet is
far enough below the surface, for that matter. And we have the splendid
little 'Pollard' under such perfect control that we can drop to fifty feet
below the surface, as shown by our submersion gauge, and keep just at
that depth."
"It's all wonderful," cried the boatbuilder. "Jack, you are a genius at this
work!"
"There are some rather big problems to be worked out, in connection
with this new idea," hinted Benson.
"What are the problems?"
"Well, in observing a stretch of water, for the position or approach of a
hostile battleship, it might be necessary for the swimmer to go up
several times."
"Yes--?"
"That would call for a very considerable use of compressed air."
"Naturally."
"So, in the boat now building, Mr. Farnum, I think Mr. Pollard and
yourself should provide for the carrying of greater quantities of
compressed air. For, when a submarine is below, you must always have
reserve tanks of compressed air to be used in bringing the boat to the

surface. Of course, once on the surface, with the motor going, more
compressed air can be quickly stored."
"You've been doing some busy thinking, Jack," spoke Mr. Farnum,
approvingly.
"I haven't been doing it all, sir," was Benson's quick reply. "Hal and
Eph have been talking it all over with me."
"The Melvilles are very anxious to find out how you performed the
seemingly wonderful feat of leaving the submerged boat and then
returning to it."
"Are you going to tell them, sir."
"Not, at any rate, until I've taken more time to think about it. Yet, you
understand, Jack, I can't be too offish with them. They are able to
control the investment of a good deal of money, and that money I am
afraid we are going to need if we are