Kitabı oku: «The Boy Volunteers with the Submarine Fleet», sayfa 4
CHAPTER VII
CAUGHT IN THE DEEP SEA NETS
The starting of the heavy machinery was sufficient indication that night had come. They were now going up and at an angle which was very perceptible. The boys had become quite expert in detecting certain activities, as they tried in every way to understand the use of the signals. One thing was certain; two sets of bells were brought into play as the signal for changing the motive power. The first signal, three bells followed by two more, was invariably the necessary preparation for this event.
A highly pitched bell next gave the signal to stop the gasoline engines and a deep-toned bell indicated the coupling of the electric motor. Occasionally a new set of signals would resound, which they tried to figure out. During the night Alfred thought he had found the key.
"Did you notice the big hand wheel on the side of the upright tank, which we pass as we go into the dining room?" he remarked.
"That is connected with a large valve," said the captain. "What did you observe?"
"Well, did you ever notice that before they rang the shrill bell four times we always have heard a whistle?" asked Alfred.
"Why, I have heard the bell ring four times on several occasions without the whistle," contended Ralph.
"So you have, but it was always after the four rings that followed the whistle. A little while ago I was near the tank, and I heard the whistle. The attendant sprang to the wheel, and when the four rings came he turned the wheel around twice. When the four next rings came (without the whistle, of course), he quickly turned it back again," said Alfred.
"That is the submerging tank," said the captain. "I see you are rapidly learning how to handle a submarine," and he laughed at the eagerness of the boys trying to conquer the details of signaling.
During that night there was hardly a half-hour but some movement or other was indicated by the bells. They submerged, halted, rose to the surface, steamed at full speed, and in one or two instances it was evident from the sudden stopping that the submarine had to reverse.
This constantly kept them alert, and while engaged in conversation late in the morning, they were thrown forward on their seats with a motion that indicated a collision with something which was not very rigid, for there was no concussion such as usually accompanies the contact of the hull of a vessel with a hard object.
The boys looked at the captain in astonishment. They could now feel the propeller pulling in the opposite direction, only to be brought back again with the same springy collision, as when it had gone forward and first struck the strange obstacle.
The captain's face paled, and the boys plied him with questions as they saw his perturbed countenance.
"What do you think it is?" asked Ralph, as he saw the anxious seamen, and the second officer rushing about shouting orders, while one of them seized the main valve wheel and turned it.
"We are caught in one of the steel nets," said the captain quietly.
The boys' faces grew deadly pale. They knew what such a calamity meant. Few, if any of the submarines caught in the nets, ever escaped. The boys, while they did not know this, were, in a measure, aware of the great danger to submarines from this source. They were alarmed particularly on account of the serious manner in which the captain acted the moment the first impact took place.
The captain now arose, followed by the boys, and marched through the narrow passageway toward the lieutenant who was leaning over one of the air compressors.
"Is there anything we can do to help you?" asked the captain.
The lieutenant looked up and replied: "We can do nothing but change the trim of the ship. Everything portable in the stern must be moved forward. Your assistance will be appreciated," was the reply, an answer that was in marked contrast with his former demeanor.
The lieutenant then quickly detailed four men, who, together with the captain and the two boys, were directed what articles to carry forward. In this exercise they found many unexpected nooks and turns. The articles removed were mostly ship's supplies, stores, boxes of canned goods, drugs in cases, and a lot of tubing. Some of the boxes must have contained machinery, or mechanical parts, for they were very heavy.
They were engaged at this work for fully an hour, and the task proved a difficult one, for the passageways were narrow and tortuous, and sometimes it was necessary to move through narrow alleys which ran almost directly across the ship. Every available bit of space is utilized in these vessels for the operating machinery.
The entire length of the submarine was 126 feet, and the material had to be carried a distance of about eighty feet. The lieutenant was in the stern portion, pointing out the articles which should be taken, while the sub-lieutenant directed the placing of them in the bow.
The captain and Ralph were just depositing a load in the hold near the bow, when a peculiar noise was heard, resembling a scraping, rasping sound. Before they had time to turn around, or move from their positions, the rear end of the submarine seemed to swing upward, bringing down and scattering among the machinery a choice lot of boxes and parcels.
A groan followed. Something peculiar had happened,—a thing unique in the annals of submarining. The vessel, after the peculiar motion, was quiet, but it was lying at an angle of forty-five degrees. The seamen and the captain hurriedly tried to move back in order to discover what had happened and from whom the groans proceeded.
It was hard work, and dangerous, too. Alfred was found pinned between the tanks, and temporarily held by several cases, but, fortunately, he was not hurt in the least.
Directly forward of the conning tower stairway the captain now noticed an object, and upon examination it was found to be the lieutenant, who had been thrown a distance of more than thirty feet through the tangled machinery. He was unconscious.
The physician was soon by his side, and a frightful gash was observed on the right side of the officer's face. Two men nearby were groaning. One had a broken leg, and the other several contusions about the head, and, owing to their crippled condition, it was just as much of a task to lower the bodies down into the inclined hold as to walk upward.
This was finally accomplished, and the lieutenant, with the two injured men, were landed in the long compartment, which served as the dining room.
The sub-lieutenant was found pinned by some boxes between two stanchions, which had not been distributed and placed within the compartments. The seaman soon released him; he was not injured in any way, and now that the lieutenant was in a serious condition, the command devolved on him.
"That motion, if anything, will disentangle us from the nets," said the captain, addressing the sub-lieutenant. The latter did not reply, but turned on the captain with a frown.
"Your opinion is not requested!" he said in a terse manner.
The captain made a quiet bow and moved toward their small room, the boys following.
"I am sorry that fellow is in command," said Alfred. "I never liked him from the first."
"I'll bet we were locked up by that fellow's orders, for I don't believe the lieutenant had anything to do with it," remarked Ralph. The captain nodded his head, as he replied: "I knew that from the first day."
"I'd like to get ahead of him some way," said Alfred.
The captain looked at the boys for a few moments, then quietly put his hands on their arms, as he said: "Getting ahead, or getting even, doesn't pay, as a rule; but I have known where a few have been able to overcome a great many, as a duty, for that is what makes men strong."
Alfred's eyes fairly bulged, as he gazed at the captain. "Isn't it a duty to capture this submarine?"
The captain leaned forward and held up a warning hand. Ralph rose up and glanced around. "Why can't we do it?" he asked.
"There is only one thing lacking; yes, it has been in my mind from the first moment we came aboard, but we cannot do it without weapons. With them in our possession we might succeed. Why, if we could have had them this afternoon it would have been an ideal time to make the attempt," said the captain.
"I have something to tell you," said Alfred, as he lowered his voice.
"What is it?" asked the captain.
"I know where there is a box of revolvers," he replied.
"Where?" asked the captain, agitated visibly.
"Do you remember the two big upright drums which I was pinned against when the ship went up?" asked Alfred.
"Yes," replied the captain.
"Well, one of the boxes broke open when it came down the passageway, and when I saw what was in it I pushed it way under the base of the tank on the left side," said Alfred.
"The revolvers are all right, but we may have some trouble in getting cartridges," replied the captain. "But wait," he continued, "I am sure I carried cases of them down the passageway."
"If I am not mistaken, there are several boxes near there,—rather long, slim boxes, are they not?" asked Alfred.
"Yes; with a red label on the corner," interrupted Ralph. "I can put my hands on a box any minute."
"Then you are with me and will carefully follow out my instructions?" inquired the captain, looking at them intently.
"We will follow you in whatever you ask us to do," replied Ralph.
"You must remember that the business we are about to engage in means life or death. Once begun we cannot go back. We have no line of retreat. While it is most hazardous, the feat would be a wonderful one," said the captain.
"No; we are not afraid. Both of us have been in some dangerous places and have come out all right. We have confidence in you," said Alfred slowly and deliberately.
"Thank you for that," replied the captain. "We must begin the preparations at once, for at the present time when all is confusion we can get the opportunities that may not be offered later on."
"The boat seems to move," said Alfred.
A perceptible swaying motion was now observed. The vessel was still lying at the inclined position heretofore described. As they were about to crawl out of their cabin, they heard the voice of the sub-lieutenant:
"Connect the forward motor!"
They drew back into the room. "What is that for?" asked Ralph.
Before the captain could reply came the second order:
"Reverse!"
The motor buzzed, but no effect was produced on the boat.
"That seems singular," observed Alfred.
"Not at all," answered the captain.
"Why not?" asked Ralph.
"The stern of the submarine is out of the water," answered the captain.
The power was shut off, and again turned on. It was now obvious that they were dangling in the water with the prow of the boat held fast in the entangling nets. As they glanced out the door they could see the faces of the seamen moving to and fro with terror depicted on their countenances.
"They may well fear the results," said the captain. "But we have a duty to perform, and I might as well advise you of several things which we should do and observe. We must try to obtain the weapons and ammunition. That will be the first duty. Does either of you know where the electric switches are?"
"Yes," answered both of the boys in one breath.
"I mean the switch in the hold," said the captain.
"Yes," said Alfred. "The one I mean is close to the dynamo on the switchboard, behind the steps leading to the conning tower."
"That is correct," answered the captain. "The control switch for the lighting is in the conning tower, however, and I call your attention to this, as it may be of service to us in our work."
"I can see, now, that to keep that in our control would be the main thing," said Ralph.
"The officer has not yet given any orders to put the boxes in the passageways aside, and he will not do so, probably, until they are able to ascertain whether or not the ship will free itself; under the circumstances, Alfred, I must delegate you to secure a half-dozen of the revolvers, or remove them from the box so that we can secrete them later," said the captain.
As Ralph crawled from the cabin and moved toward the main gangway, the captain added: "If you remember where one of the ammunition boxes is you might smuggle it into this room, but proceed very cautiously."
Ralph soon made his way back, carrying with him one of the revolvers. "There are a dozen in the box," he said, "and I brought one over to show you. You see, it is the kind from which the cylinder can be removed. Wouldn't it be a good idea to take the cylinders out of all that we can't use?"
"Capital idea," said the captain. "If you can find any wire, put it where you can quickly place your hands on it."
"I found a box of ammunition also," continued Ralph, "but I haven't tried whether it would fit the revolvers."
An examination revealed the fact that the cartridges were not of the same calibre. It was, indeed, a terrible disappointment.
"Here it is," said Alfred, as he slipped into the door of the room.
"Ah, this is a different size; you have the right ones, fortunately," said the captain.
"Now, let me give you a few words as to the next,–"
A pronounced lurch in the vessel's position interrupted the captain. The seamen were now rushing around frantically, and talking excitedly.
"Hold your tongues!" shouted the sub-lieutenant.
The vessel was, evidently, moving. Occasionally, there would be a heavy, rasping sound, and the rear end of the boat would seem to settle down a few feet.
"It's coming all right," said Ralph in excitement.
"Connect forward motor!" again shouted the sub-lieutenant.
The motor turned smoothly without producing a disturbing influence on the ship, indicating that the propeller was still in the air.
"I fear that the sub-lieutenant does not know his business any too well," remarked the captain.
CHAPTER VIII
THE NIGHT'S STRUGGLE TO FREE THE VESSEL
The boys wondered at the remark which the captain had made, and were about to ask him for an explanation, when the electric lights suddenly died out, and all were left in total darkness. The captain crawled past the boys and felt his way toward the stern of the vessel.
"The storage batteries!" was all he said.
That there was confusion on the part of the crew of the vessel, was apparent, for the sub-lieutenant shouted one order after the other, until he seemed to be incoherent, and, as a result, no one knew what was expected of him or what to do.
Evidently, the captain knew the trouble and how to remedy it, for within a minute the lights were again in commission, and the captain was noticed at the main switch. From that point he shouted to the sub-lieutenant:
"I found a box on the switchboard. It had slipped down and thrown out the switch bar at the time the boat made the last lurch."
"Thank you for the service," said the sub-lieutenant, to the surprise of the captain and boys.
As the captain returned to their room he remarked: "The sub-lieutenant was very polite; probably he would not be so likely to thank me for some other things I have done."
"What! since you left us two minutes ago?" asked Ralph.
The captain nodded. "But I started to say a few minutes ago," he continued, "that we ought to have our work planned out ahead and thoroughly understand each other. There is one thing I must impress on you, and that is, we must not again be locked up in this room. I have no faith in the present commander, and would be very much mistaken if he permits us to have our freedom after we once get free of the nets."
"What must be done if he again orders us locked up?" asked Alfred.
"That brings us to the point where we must make a canvass of the situation as it confronts us. Let me see; there are three men in addition to the commander, who need not be reckoned with in a contest. Fortunately, one of the men is a machinist, and the only other man except the sub-lieutenant, of any intelligence, is the doctor. I doubt if he would be a strong factor against us," said the captain.
"The fellow who had charge of the men carrying the boxes is nothing but a chump," said Ralph. "I wouldn't be afraid of him."
"I am considering more the character of the men who are able to handle the boat, and who know the intricacies of the mechanism. I can see where men of that sort will be able to make it very interesting for us if we should attempt to capture the officers and crew," said the captain thoughtfully.
It was evident that the vessel was slowly righting itself, for every minute or two there would be a slight sinking movement, which was very gratifying.
"Where are the revolvers?" asked the captain.
"I found a dandy place for them, and can get them in a minute, if wanted," said Ralph.
"Captain, I wanted to ask you some time ago what you meant by saying that the sub-lieutenant didn't know any more about submarining than he ought to. What did you mean by that?" asked Alfred.
"One of the things I had in mind was, when he was trying to start the propellers, that he could have found an easier way to learn whether they were in the water or not," was the answer.
"How so?" asked Ralph.
"The indicator board in the conning tower shows just how far the vessel is under water," replied the captain.
"But," said Alfred, "would that tell it correctly if one end of the vessel should be up and the other down, as this is?"
"Why not? It would indicate how far down in the water the hull would be amidship, and it would not require much involved calculating to figure out where the stern of the vessel would be if he knew the angle at which the hull was resting," answered the captain.
"I would just like to know how far we are down," said Ralph, looking up the stairway into the conning tower.
"Do you think you could spot the right dial face if you went up?" asked the captain.
"I think I could," said Ralph, rather doubtingly, it must be admitted.
"Then I'll give you a little hint, if you'd like to try to make an investigation," said the captain. "Directly forward of the table, which contains the chart, and below the three levers, you will see a glass column with red colored liquid in it,–"
"I know what you mean now," said Ralph, interrupting.
"Well, simply get the number on the card on the right side of the glass column. Do you understand?" remarked the captain.
"Yes; but why not take the numbers on the left side also?" asked Ralph.
"They merely indicate the pressure. Depth below the surface is all we want," rejoined the captain.
"Well, here goes; and I hope they won't catch me at it," said Ralph, as he slowly moved out.
"One moment," said the captain, as he put forth a restraining hand. "What will you do, or how will you act if some one should catch you in the tower?" he asked.
Ralph hesitated: "I hadn't thought of that; why,—well,—I suppose I should try to explain it in some way or other," he said.
"I am afraid that would not do. Allow me to make a suggestion. Go up boldly, as though you had a perfect right to, or that you did not suspect it was a forbidden place; if some one accosts you look at him in a surprised way, make an apology, and retire; I give you this pointer because you may be flustrated and unable to make a prompt reply, and that would show guilt of some kind," said the captain.
Ralph went out and loitered about, gazing at the various pieces of machinery, and finally stood on the steps of the conning tower, which, at the angle of the boat in its inclined position, were almost horizontal. He stretched himself out on the stairs, and turned his head. From that point he could see the red liquid in the glass column, but it was difficult to read the figures.
The glare from the electric light interfered with his sight, and before he had an opportunity to get a glimpse of the figures from his new position, one of the petty officers crawled along the passageway, and, noticing him lying on the stairs, peremptorily ordered him to get down.
Ralph glanced at the man, smiled at him, and promptly complied, chagrined at his failure. As he entered the little room the captain eagerly questioned him: "What did it say?" he asked.
"That fellow ordered me away before I could make out the figures," said Ralph, "but I'm going to try it again."
"How near was the liquid from the top of the glass tube?" asked the captain.
"Well, I should say about so far," replied Ralph, indicating space between his thumb and finger. "I guess it was about an inch."
"How long do you think the tube is?" asked the captain.
"I think it must be a foot long; probably more," was the answer.
"I asked you to give me an estimate of the length of the entire tube so as to give me some assurance that you knew the value of an inch. You were right; those tubes are twelve inches long. Now let me see; I ought to know what figures are an inch from the top!" remarked the captain thoughtfully.
"Pardon me, Captain, but how does it come that you know all about these boats?" asked Alfred.
"I used to be an officer on a French submarine," he replied in a quiet tone, and immediately proceeded to make certain mental calculations. Then he continued: "One inch below the top! That is twenty."
"Twenty what?" asked Ralph.
"Twenty feet; the Germans have the English foot on all their boats. I wonder they didn't think about that, and make a change before starting out."
"Maybe it's twenty meters," said Alfred, with a slight laugh.
"Oh, no," replied the captain. "That would be too Frenchy for the Germans. Besides, it would be too much by all odds. I am sure the conning tower is not more than twenty feet below the surface of the water."
"Then the stern of the submarine must be sticking out of the water," remarked Alfred.
"Unquestionably," replied the captain.
"How far, do you suppose?" asked Ralph.
"We can easily figure that out," said the captain. "Let me see; we must first get the angle at which the boat is lying."
The Entangled Submarine
After looking about for some time he continued: "The door jamb is built in vertically; that is sure. A string, or piece of thread will make a plumb-bob; here it is: now let us see; according to the plumb line the boat is at an angle of 33 degrees, as nearly as our imperfect device indicates. There, now this line A shows the top of the boat and B the base of the conning tower. A line C, from the top of the water to the center of the conning tower, measuring 20 feet, shows where the water line is. Do you understand how I am doing it?"
"That is very plain," said Alfred, "and it is an interesting way to get at it, too. Then how far is the tail of the boat out of the water?"
"I should say it is about nine feet," replied the captain.
"No wonder the propellers didn't do any good when they sent them spinning!"
"There is one thing I forgot about," said the captain, as he shook his head. "Why didn't I tell you to note the time. We are in the greatest danger, I fear."
"Why, what makes you think so?" asked Ralph.
"This accident happened during the night, and we have now been in this condition for at least four hours. If we are caught here at daylight it is all up with us," remarked the captain.
"Why, is it any more dangerous then than now?" asked Alfred.
"Because the patrol boats and submarine chasers will spy us, and then a shot, and all will be over," replied the captain with a solemn voice.
"Then I think we ought to do something right away," said Ralph, as he half rose and glanced out.
"I am afraid that will put the burden of getting out of the nets on our shoulders," replied the captain. "No, let them work at it, as long as they care to, but we must try by some means to determine the time."
"Do you think the seamen would object to telling us?" inquired Alfred. "Just let me alone; I am going to try it on, anyway," he said, as he slipped out of the door, picked up a box and stowed it away snugly at one side out of the way of a young fellow who was making his way up the incline toward the stern.
Alfred struck up a conversation, and asked: "Can I help you in any way? Tell me what to do."
The request seemed to warm up the fellow, and the information was given that the officer had instructed him to remove the stray boxes from the machinery. The two engaged in this work for more than fifteen minutes. Finally Alfred said: "How are you, pretty tired? You haven't had much sleep so far?"
"Oh, no; but we're used to that," he replied, "why, in the last run we had hardly an hour's sleep in the last four days before reaching port."
"That must be very trying," rejoined Alfred. "But it must be near daylight."
"It is just about an hour off; and when the day comes I don't know what will happen," remarked the seaman.
"Why, what are you afraid of?" asked Alfred, appearing to be greatly alarmed.
"They have caught us this time for good, as I heard the lieutenant,–"
The sentence was never finished, for at that moment there was another rasping sound, and the stern of the boat came down with a sudden spring, then rebounded, and after two or three oscillations, rested quietly in the water, still at quite an angle.
The sub-lieutenant sprang toward the conning tower as fast as he could scramble. The signal was given to reverse, the motors began to hum and the ship vibrated. It was a glorious feeling, and the captain grasped the hands of the boys in an ecstacy of joy.
