UNDER THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 245, 25 March 1915, Page 7

UNDER THE SEA.

HEROES OF THE SUBMARINE

MARVELS OF SCIENCE.

Descending from the rain-laden gusts I of a black, cheerless night into the body | of a submarine, with a 12 hours nin in prospect, one is apt to think, not of t!.e enthusiasms of the early inventors of underwater craft, but of the fate of many of the pioneers who put the successive types to the test. In the ship itself, however, there is brilliant light and in a moment one catches somcth.ng of the glorv of the patient toil arid great sacrifice which have gone to Lie making of the marvel of which one is now a part. The man in a submarine is indeed a part o* her. There is no place for the "passenger." Each man upon whom the tower closes is a definite attachment of some portion ..f wonderful mechanism; he is the thinking, final factor in assuring the efficiency of a working part; he is the guard onct "the odd chance." He forgets everything but that. To him has been entrusted the product of the unceasing brooding of science over a period ot a

hundred and forty years. In these days, one may not speak of the details of a British submarine, a may be said, nevertheless, that in submarine efficiency we have not neglected Keep our light so shinin'

A little in front o' the next. America and France really led the way, and England carefully gleaned the beat o' their results, whilst working out something of her own. In that respe-t, awakening Russia, in a manner peculiar to her new condition, scrupulously cop<e:l British methods, and also added something of her own. The results in her case were noteworthy. Prior to the outbreak of war Russia had a motley assortment in her submarine collection, but the assortment included a submarine with a surface speed not excepted by any submarine vessel of Continental Powers; further, a submarine of the biggest type produced on the Continent, a German effort; and in addition a v;wsel of great possibilities, a submarine mine-layer. There was also a tiny submarine weighing under 20 tons, w.i.eh could be slung out-board from a par.-nt i ship in circumstances where it might do most harm.

WONDERFUL VESSELS.

To realise the marvels of science that have been brought to the making of a submarine, one has but to move wiMiin her as she lies at half-buoyancy. «*f the powers of movement conferred upon her nothing need be said. She possesses other powers more striking, if no more astonishing. That she can see, and hear, and speak, and breathe, are fa?ts sufficient to indicate the wondrous assemblage of scientific achievements Lottied up in the resounding shell of metal which moves in the depths of the am. There are lifetimes of study and ex-| pcriment in every dttail of her. n h# arrangement that ensures accurate fire is not the least of the wonders, and marvels of mechanism go to the preservation of poise whilst the vessel is far under the sea. Snug in the parent she'l rest the terrible torpedoes, the deadly spawn of the submarine. Each bigger than two very big men, each a complete submarine vessel in itself, they are eloquent of the genius which has bdn brought to bear on their creation. Many years of toil are represented in the discovery of the metal which stands the stupendous pressure of the compressed air which will drive the tiny vessel over two miles at nearly 40 miles pahour: and there is engineering inspiration in the device which preserves the poise of the torpedo in spite of the loss of weight due to the expenditure of motive energy whilst it is sending -ip that well-known and terrible white track to the surface of the waters, fmprcssivc, too, is the uncanny efficiency of the firing tube which will enable the young of the submarine, when the time comes, to break from the parent sln-11, ( as do the young of the cobra, full-von-omed and death-dealing. "Manslaying by mathematics," commented a submarine engineer recently after a general explanation of some of the powers of his vessel. A lesser dignitary (on board) put the matter no less effectively, in response to a remark that she was a wonderful ship. "Ship! This ain't no .ship, matey! This is a blinkin' Technical College out for a swim!"

A TRYING SERVICE. It is when tlie signals go for getting under weigh that one begins to seise the tremendous demands which submarine service makes up on the chosen men to whom it is entrusted. Every man is in his place, and he has lone other in that ship. It is to be surfacerunning down an estuary to the d'.rp water. The surface is a little more than ruffled on the narrow, shallow stretch, and it is dirty work above. The main engines take charge, and then the noise begins—confusion of sound, concentrated, bottled, and not improving in bor.tle. And within that "hurricane of ruction"' (Jack usually finds a phrase) you imagine that somebody is being violently shaken as a ribbon is shaken in a gale. If you are not too sensitive to noise, you will realise in a minute or so that the somebody is yourself, that you have not moved from your place, that there is distinguishable the steady slap of the waves on the hull above you, and that the vessel is creeping seaward actually in sweet silence. Eloquent as slit? is within her own circle, the submarine keeps her eloquence to herself. Outride ears must needs be very keen to catch the sound of her coinings and goings, even at close quarters and with the upper structure a-wash. Nosing slowly down the estuary, in the darkness, there is little movement within the vessel. Tlie men are at the points to which they passed when we got under weigh. Tli-jy will be at those points till the voyage ends.

FORTY FEET UNDER THE SEA

The surface grip of the open water | upon tlic light little vessel is made evident to those below as she leaves the estuary. Soon there is a slight stir or board, and the Mind appears in his place. We are closed down entirely now. '''' lP men brij/litcll up perceptibly; it was a monotonous business, that long spell at "slow." The ship is going to be put through all her paces now, excepting one. one. Hitrdly noticeable, if not expect-d, is the angle as she "sails" under, but the sense of peace-is distinctly impresed. upon one, for the main engines have been relieved of the duty which they performed so noisily, ami the stores of electric energy are' being drawn upon f.,r the propulsion of the ship. There is still plenty of noise, but it has shown us how soon we became accustomed to the rumble and racket that had for hours preceded it. For a time we sweep in a wide circle, running with the peiisoope showing, and we understand that the Mind is simply making sure that there is nothing in the vicinity to disturb our evolutions. There comes another slight movement, and down she goes in a swift dive at the extmr.e angle permissible, then levels up and bores steadily along 40ft under the sea. Wo know that the angle of the dive was controlled to a hair, that the lcvcllingup process was brought about by nil easy movement of extraordinary mechanism, and that the rise would be made in due course with the same ease and sureness. But "the odd chance'' has nor been entirely engineered out of submarine work yet, and (be sirain upon []■■• man in control, no less than his skill und

the wondorful powers of the vessel, cannot be forgotten. In special circumstances a submarine may "mill" to the sinface and "sail" under again in the mini- | mum of lime, tin* midden nppriinincit of the periscope .which alone need he shown, being, usually accompanied In war lime by not a little excitement- nil of it fully justified—on board the enemy vessel which is within range. We did not i "sail" up, the first time. There was nn lother movement on board, other force* were set in operation, and straight up we came, gently and in perfect, hahine". And so all through a long end rigorous test, with the Mind in his place and the other silent men each supplying the brain to his special section of mechanical marvels. The very air they breathed was being "washed" clean for them and revitalised, all the time. In the grey of the dawn, from a comfortable corner down under the sea, we saw, by favor of the Mind and the periscope, wellremembered headlands and hills and mansions slip past, and some hours later the submarine was back in harbor, and her weary crew pronounced her in language bizarre and weighty, "a beauty."