Part 1 (1/2)
The Sub Cruise
by Victor G Durham
CHAPTER I
WHY THE ”DANGER” SIGN WAS UP
”Danger!”
That sign ht have been near rapidlyin a factory
As a ainst the red paint on the door of the shed, er in the er, which, defied too far, would send one traveling skyward
The shed stood in a lonely corner of the big Farnu yards at Dunhaven Now, it was the Farnum yard in which the Pollard submarine boats were built, and this shed contained some two dozen Whitehead submarine torpedoes, each with its fearful load of two hundred pounds of that dread high explosive, guncotton
It was in the month of February, and the day, at this seacoast point, was cold and blustery, when two boys of seventeen, each in natty blue unifor those worn by naval officers, crossed the yard toward the shed Over their uniforms both boys wore heavy, padded blue ulsters, also of naval pattern
”Danger?” laughed young Captain Jack Benson, stopping before the door and fu like two tons and a half of guncotton in this old shed,”
sh explosives”
”It's this gun-cotton that begins to erous one,” muttered Jack, as he produced the key and fitted it into the lock
”Once upon a tier, just in going out on the ocean in a sub below the surface”
”Yet we found that suberous,” pursued Captain Jack ”Really, riding around in a sub in any other kind of yacht”
”After we've gotten un-cotton on board,” ser in that stuff, either”
Jack unlocked the door, swinging it open Then both young men passed inside the red shed
It needed hardlyperson, to make certain that neither boy was likely to be er
For a nus had lived all but continually aboard submarine torpedo boats They had operated such craft, when awake, and had drea youths of intense natures, and unusually quick to learn, they had long before qualified as experts in handling sub to learn practically It needs the deadly torpedo, fired below the water, and traveling under the surface, to ers that hty battleshi+p of a ether with his engineer, Hal Hastings, and Eph So member of the creere about to have their first practical drill with the actual torpedo An officer of the United States Navy, especially detailed for the work, was expected hourly at Dunhaven The three suber for their first taste of this work Barely less interested were Jacob Farnum, shi+pbuilder, and president of the submarine company, and David Pollard, inventor of the Pollard type of submarine craft
In this shed, placed on racks in three tiers, lay the two dozen Whitehead torpedoes hich the first as to be done As Jack stepped about the shed, looking to see that everything was in order, he was thinking of the exciting work soon to coe at that particular moment There was a fourth rownin Farnum's employ, and as considered a ine roo fortnight, had been away in the interior of the country He had taken a one to visit his mother Noever, the machinist knew of the work at hand, and his return was expected
”Really,” declared Jack, turning around to his chuht to be here not later than to-ood season”
At this ht crust of snow outside Then a els!” laughed Hal