THE DEATH BLOW TO THE SUBMARINE
Let us try to get some idea of the situation. Ahead of the boat on which
the boys were watching the scene, and probably not more than eight
hundred feet distant, was _l'Orient_. Between them was the row of buoys,
as far as the eye could see, stretching from the shore of England to the
coast of France. To their right, and not two hundred feet distant was
the saucy little chaser, which acted as their convoy.
At a point which might be termed midway between the three vessels thus
described, were the two buoys, which moved with spasmodic jerks, due to
the action of the imprisoned vessel below. As they looked along the
bobbing buoys in either direction, small vessels were observed,
patrolling to and fro, in the tiny mast, or lookout of each, being two
or more men, with glasses, constantly scrutinizing the floats as the
ships slowly moved past.
Apparently, at regular intervals, were large ships of war, all of them
in motion. Sailing vessels and steamers, carrying freight, were coming
up the channel, convoyed to the open doors in this giant network which
guarded the channel.
The lieutenant on the chaser backed his vessel toward the submarine and
hailed the captain:
"Do you wish to remain?" he asked.
"The chances of that fellow seem to be pretty slim. I would like to see
the finish of the game; but I suppose we ought to get into port as soon
as possible," answered the captain.
"Then I will give the order to proceed," replied the lieutenant.
The captain nodded, and the boys started for the door.
"One moment!" said the captain. "We may still be able to see an
interesting sight."
The boys rushed out of the door. Glancing up at the deck of the chaser
they could see the marines aboard rushing to the side of the vessel. As
they looked at the buoys it was noticed that they were silent.
_L'Orient_ was slowly backing away from the obvious location of the
submerged vessel.
"They are about to throw a shell," observed the captain.
The remark had hardly left his mouth when an explosion was heard and the
shell could be observed moving upward at a very high angle, and
descending into the water with a vicious plunge.
No sooner had it struck the sea than it seemed to raise the surface of
the water like the foaming mass in a boiling pot. The explosion was
dull, vibrant, ominous.
"They are shooting another one," shouted Alfred, although he tried to
suppress his voice.
"Boom!" came the sound, as he uttered the words.
The second shot struck the water not fifty feet distant from the first
one.
"Do you think they will fire another?" asked Alfred.
"Probably not," answered the captain.
"What is that little boat going over there for?" asked Ralph, as one of
the torpedo boats boldly advanced over the spot where the two shells had
entered the water.
The captain nodded his head for a few moments before speaking.
"The shots were successful."
"I can see that now," said Ralph. "Look at the oil coming up and
covering the sea."
It was, indeed, a sad sight to witness, knowing that the shots meant the
death of thirty or more human beings.
"Well, I am awfully sorry for them, even if they had no sympathy for us,
and didn't wait to see whether or not we were put into safety before
they sent our ship down," said Alfred reflectively, as he turned and
entered the conning tower.
The scene had its fascination for Ralph, although he felt the horror of
it all as he stood leaning over the railing, gazing at the patrol boats
which were sailing back and forth in and around the spot where the
petroleum was fast covering the surface of the water in all directions.
"You can understand now, can't you, why flying machines are such good
spotters for submarines?" remarked the captain.
"Do you mean the oil that comes on top of the water?" asked Ralph.
"Yes," was the reply.
"But does oil arise at all times when a submarine is submerged?" asked
Ralph.
"More or less oil is constantly detaching itself from the body of the
hull, at the discharge ports, and it can't be helped because all of the
gas discharge ports are under water at all times, whether the vessel is
running on or under the water, hence, as it moves along it will leave a
trail of oil which can be easily detected by a machine in flight above
the surface of the water," said the captain.
"But doesn't a machine, when it is under the water, leave a ripple that
is easily seen by a flying machine?" asked Ralph.
"Yes; I was going to refer to that," replied the captain. "An aviator
has a great advantage over an observer on a vessel, for the reason that
the slightest movement of the surface of the sea, even though there may
be pronounced waves, can be noted. If the submarine is moving along near
the surface, the ripple is very pronounced, and the streak of oil which
follows is very narrow. Should the submarine stop, the oil it discharges
accumulates on top of the water at one place, and begins to spread out
over the surface of the water and this makes it a mark for the watchful
eye of the airmen of the sea patrols," answered the captain.
"I heard one of the officers at the aviation camp say that a submarine
could be seen easily through fifty feet of water by an airman," remarked
Alfred. "Do you think that is so?" he asked.
"I know it is possible," replied the captain.
"But why is it that when you are on a ship it is impossible to see
through the water that depth?"
"For this reason," answered the captain: "if you are on a ship, and you
are looking even from the topmast of the vessel, the line of vision from
the eye strikes the surface of the water at an angle. The result is that
the surface of the water acts as a reflector, exactly the same as when
the line of sight strikes a pane of glass."
"Do you mean that the sight is reflected just as it is when you are
outside of a house and try to look into the window at an angle?" asked
Ralph.
"Exactly; that is one explanation. The other is this: sea water is clear
and transparent. By looking down directly on the water, a dark object,
unless too far below the surface, will be noted for the reason that it
makes a change in the coloring from the area surrounding it, and a
cigar-shaped object at fifty feet below, whether it should be black or
white, would quickly be detected," explained the captain.
"I remember that Lieutenant Winston, who has flown across the channel
many times, told me that he could tell when he was nearing land, in a
fog, by sailing close to the water, even though the land couldn't be
seen. Do you know how he was able to do that?" asked Ralph.
"That is one of the simplest problems," replied the captain. "The
shallower the water the lighter the appearance to an observer in an
airship. As the water grows deeper the color seems to grow greener and
bluer, the bluest being at the greatest depth."
The chaser was now under way, and described a circle to the right. The
captain, after saluting the officer on the bridge of _l'Orient_, gave
the signal "Forward," and slowly the submarine sheered about and
followed.
The second line of buoys appeared a quarter of a mile to the east of the
one they had just left. In a half-hour the two vessels passed through
the gateway and turned to the north.
"We can't be very far from England," remarked Alfred.
"I judge we are fifteen miles from Dover," replied the captain.
"Do you intend to go to Dover?" asked Ralph.
"No; there are no stations there that can receive crafts of this kind. I
do not know to what point they may take us; possibly to the mouth of the
Thames, and from there to some point where the vessel will be interned,"
answered the captain.
"How deep is the channel here?" asked Ralph.
"Probably not to exceed 120 feet," was the reply.
"Not more than that in the middle of the Channel,--half way between
England and France?" asked Alfred in surprise.
"No; the Channel is very shallow," answered the captain.
"No wonder then," said Alfred, "that the submarines are having such a
hard time getting through, even though they don't have the nets!"
Having passed the cordon of nets the chaser turned and slowly steamed
past the submarine. The lieutenant stepped to the side of the bridge and
said:
"I suppose, Captain, you can now make the pier-head at Ramsgate, where
you will get a ship to convoy you to the harbor. Good luck to you!
Adieu!"
The boys waved their caps in salute, as the chaser began to move, and
the crew lined up to give the final goodbye.
The captain smiled and replied: "I think I have ample assistance on
board; give my regards to the admiral."
"How far is it to Ramsgate?" asked Ralph.
"It cannot be more than twenty-five miles, and at the rate we are now
going we should reach the head at five this evening. That will be the
end of our troubles, as the naval officials will take care of this
vessel from that point," said the captain.
"Well, I shall be glad of it," replied Alfred.
It was a glorious day, the sun was shining brightly, and the air,
although somewhat cool, was not at all disagreeable. The boys insisted
on taking their turns at the wheel, the course being given by the
captain as west by north. Everything was moving along in fine shape, and
Alfred was at the wheel, while Ralph was peering through the periscope,
for this interested them from the moment they boarded the ship.
"Where is that steamer bound?" asked Ralph, who noticed a large
two-funnel steamer crossing the field of the periscope.
"It belongs to the Australian line," replied the captain.
"Aren't we in the barred zone?" asked Alfred.
"I was about to remark a moment ago that it does not seem as though the
German edict of a restricted zone makes much difference in the sailing
of vessels," replied the captain.
While speaking, the submarine seemed to slow down, and the captain
turned toward the conning tower. "I wonder what is up now?" he asked.
Alfred's head appeared at the door and shouted: "They don't seem to
answer my signals."
The captain entered the tower, and pulled the lever, _Attention!_ There
was no response to the signal below the word. He again rang, with the
same result.
[Illustration: _The Periscope_]
"I will open the hatch," said the captain.
It was quickly swung open. The sub-lieutenant appeared at the hatch with
haggard face and staring eyes. "The captain has gone mad!" he shouted.
"I will go down if you want me to; I am not afraid," said Ralph.
The captain looked at him for a moment, and glanced down into the
hatchway. "Why do you not obey my signals?" he asked.
The sub-lieutenant stared at the captain, but did not make a reply.
"Answer my question!" shouted the captain.
The officer raised his face, threw up his hands, and fell back across
the low railing, which served as a guard at the foot of the stairs.
"You may go down, and ascertain what is the matter, but use caution,"
said the captain.
Ralph stepped into the open hatch, and, as he did so, the captain laid
his hand on his shoulder, and said: "Take out your revolver; do not
trust those men for a moment, under any consideration; we know them too
well."
Ralph quickly drew the weapon and held it in his hand, then cautiously
descended. He passed the inert form of the officer on the rail, and not
until he reached the last step did he see the doctor and the chief
machinist by the side of the dynamo.
The doctor held a revolver, which he pointed straight at Ralph. "Drop
that revolver!" shouted the doctor. "The lieutenant is dead, and the
time fuse will soon send this ship to the bottom."
The moment he saw the revolver and heard the voice, Ralph dropped behind
the stanchions to which the stairway was attached. The doctor's revolver
was fired. Instantly the captain divined the cause. Without waiting for
a warning cry from Ralph, he leaped into the open hatch, and saw the two
men with their weapons. He covered them with his revolver.
"Come up!" he shouted to Ralph.
The latter raised up from his crouching position, with his revolver now
leveled full in the faces of the two frenzied men. Before Ralph had
reached the upper step both men in the hold fired, fortunately, without
doing any damage.
The moment Ralph gained the deck the captain jumped out of the hatch and
slammed it down.
"Now, quickly, boys; tie this rope to the railing close to the periscope
tube, and arm yourself with the life preservers; there, you will find
them under that couch," said the captain, as he quickly threw back the
cover from the couch and handed out four preservers.
"Why do you want four?" asked Ralph, as he hastily buckled one of them
around himself.
"To attach to the end of the line that you have just fastened to the
rail," replied the captain.
The captain sprang out through the open door, and attached one of the
life belts to the end of the line. The boys now noticed the coil of
rope, which must have been more than a hundred feet in length.
"I wonder what that is for?" asked Alfred, as the captain disappeared.
"There," said the captain, as he again appeared at the door. "If she
goes down that preserver will tell them where to fish for her."
"Do you think there is any danger?" asked Ralph.
"I do not know; I am not taking any chances. I have my opinion, though,"
replied the captain thoughtfully.
"Do you think they are going to blow up the vessel?" asked Alfred.
"No; but I am inclined to think that they have not been able to
disconnect the automatic fuse, or, that the death of the lieutenant, if
such should be the case, has prevented them from finding the secret key,
and,----"
"That the sub-lieutenant has actually gone mad," interrupted Ralph.
The captain nodded, and continued: "Although they deserve death, still,
I am not a barbarian, and shall give them a chance for their lives,"
and, saying this, he moved through the door, and, sighting a large
steamer, gave a signal. Once, twice, three times he moved the flag from
right to left. Almost immediately there was a response and two short
whistles responded.
Before the great ship had time to stop, the forward end of the submarine
moved upward with a violent heave, followed by an explosion that seemed
to tear everything to pieces. Ralph was thrown clear of the top, and
landed fully twenty feet from the side of the hull. Alfred and the
captain seemed to be propelled to the stern of the ship and dashed into
the waves at least fifty feet from the spot where Ralph had landed.
Ralph did not appear to be even stunned, but Alfred's head dropped
lifeless on the side of the life preserver, and the captain was prompt
to reach his side and support him so that his head was kept free from
the water.
Ralph was bewildered at the suddenness of the affair, and, while
splashing in the water, glanced first at the captain and Alfred, and
then swung around to get a view of the big ship, which they had
signalled. The submarine had vanished. The sea around appeared to be a
mass of bubbles, and he could plainly see the petroleum which was oozing
up.
Nothing was visible where the submarine floated but a single belt,--the
life preserver which the captain had used as a buoy, to mark the
location of the sunken vessel.