Part 54 (2/2)

There were, of course, in 1819 men who had developed into mechanics and there were shops of some account, as the steamboat for short trips had been in existence for soe in which the boat should be headed due east was characteristic of the boldness and bravery of the Americans

The Savannah did not return to the States directly fro and brought forth further coine and side-wheels were practicable for deep-sea navigation The idea of transatlantic travel under steam had been born and it was only necessary to develop the idea to ”shorten the distance” between the two continents

This pioneer voyage, however, was then looked upon more as a novelty than as the inception of a new -distance travel The trip had failed to demonstrate that steam was an entirely adequate substitute for the ular service

Since the Savannah was pri vessel, the loss of steaine would not be serious, as she could continue on her ith paddle-wheels removed and under full sail

It was 19 years later that the idea of e vessels propelled by stealand came under the serious consideration of merchants and shi+p builders In the interval the ines had been ie of experies had beco of real transatlantic steaes was made by the Sirius and the Great Western The latter boat had been built especially for trips across the ocean and the former was taken from the Cork and London line The Sirius started from Liverpool on April 4, 1838, and the Great Western four days later They arrived in New York within 24 hours of each other, the Sirius at 10 pm on April 22 and the Great Western at 3 o'clock the following afternoon Neither of the vessels carried ular service until withdrawn because of their failure to pay expenses In 1839 the Cunard Company was formed and the paddle steamers Britannia, Arcadia, Columbia, and Caledonia were put into service

Froreat rapidity, the value of which was never more demonstrated than at the present tiers with his crude little Savannah was the ave birth to the idea of transatlantic travel under steaazine section of the _Harrisburg Patriot_)

SEARCHING FOR THE LOST ATLANTIS

By GROSVENOR A PARKER

Not so long ago a stubby tralish Channel and out into the Atlantic Her rusty black bow sturdily shouldered the seas aside or shoved through thery hail of spray on deck The tramp cared little for this protest of the sea or for the threats of h the rainbow kicked up by her forefoot there glie of wealthy cities sunk fathoe sea creatures For the traht by an argosy of legend The lost cities of Atlantis and all the wealth that they contain was the port awaiting the searchers under the rioose chase that had started thus unroain faround and they have all the most modern mechanical and electrical aids for their quest On the decks of their shi+p two submarine boats are cradled in heavy timbers One of thee fantasy of another Jules Verne A great electric eye peers cyclops-wise over the bow and reaching ahead of the blunt nose are huge crab-like claws delicate enough to pick up a gold piece and strong enough to tear a wall apart

These under-water craft are only a part of the equiplishman, has provided to help him in his search for the lost city There are divers' uniforreat pressure under which the hts to be lowered into the ocean depths and give light to the workers are stacked close beside powerful generators in the shi+p's hold In the chart roo out the ocean floor, and on a shelf by itself rests the tangible evidence that this search n which was brought up by a diver from the bottoht it was supposed to be part of loot froalleon, but antiquarians could find nothing in the art of the Orient, or Africa, or of Peru and Mexico to bear out this theory Even the gold of which it wason record

It was this that gave Meeker his first idea that there was a city under the sea He found out the exact spot from which the divers had recovered the bowl, and cos with all the ancient charts which spoke of the location of fabled Atlantis In one old book he located the lost city as being close to the spot where the divers had been, and with this as a foundation for his theories he asked other questions of the men who had explored that hidden country Their tale only confirmed his belief

”The floor of the sea is covered with unusual coral formation,” one of them told him, ”but it was the queerest coral I ever saw It looked more like stone walls and there was a pointed sort of arch which was different froh to take Meeker to the Caribbean to see for himself He won't tell what he found, beyond the fact that he satisfied himself that the ”coral” was really stone walls pierced by arched doors and s

Meeker kept all his plans secret andany stir if he had not been careless enough to naiven out that he was sailing for Yucatan to search for evidence of prehistoric civilization

It is true that the shores of Yucatan are covered with the rereat cities but the word ”Atlantis” awoke suspicion Questions followed and Meeker had to admit the bare facts of his secret

”Only half a dozen men know the supposed location of Atlantis,” he said, just before sailing, ”and we don't intend to let any others into the secret Those who have furnished thethe ht for the profit The divers and the otherhoarded wealth It is not at all impossible that their dreams will come true, and that they will be richly rewarded At any rate they deserve it, for the ill be dangerous

”Our plans are sih With the submarine of the usual type ill first explore that part of the sea botto tower a powerful searchlight which will reveal at least the upper portions of any buildings that reater depths ill have to depend on the 'Atlantis' with its special equipment of ballast tanks and its hatch-ways for the divers

”You see, we do not plan to lower the divers from the steamer or from a raft Instead they will step directly out on the sea floor from a door in the submarine which opens out of an air chamber In this the diver can be closed and the air pressure increased until it is high enough to keep out the water All that he has to do then is to open the door and step out, trailing behind him a much shorter air hose and life line than would hamper him if he worked from the surface The air hose is arer of an inquisitive shark chopping it in two”

Previous to the diver's exploration the claws of the ”Atlantis” will search out theplaces in the ruins These claork on a joint operated electrically, and on the tip of each is a sensitive electrical apparatus which sets off a signal in the conning tower of the sube monster, the claill also help to avoid collisions alls when the depths of the water veils the power of the searchlight