Nor was
anything found disturbed.
"It certainly is a great machine," remarked the lad as he
looked up at the cigar-shaped bulk towering over his head.
"Dad has outdone himself this trip."
"It looks all right," commented Mr. Sharp. "Whether it
will work is another question."
"Yes, we can't tell until it's in the water," con ceded
Tom. "But I hope it does. Dad has spent much time and money
on it."
The Advance was, as her name indicated, much in advance of
previous submarines. There was not so much difference in
outward construction as there was in the means of propulsion
and in the manner in which the interior and the machinery
were arranged.
The submarine planned by Mr. Swift and Tom jointly, and
constructed by them, with the aid of Mr. Sharp and Mr.
Jackson, was shaped like a Cigar, over one hundred feet long
and twenty feet in diameter at the thickest part. It was
divided into many compartments, all water-tight, so that if
one or even three were flooded the ship would still be
useable.
Buoyancy was provided for by having several tanks for the
introduction of compressed air, and there was an emergency
arrangement so that a collapsible aluminum container could
be distended and filled with a powerful gas. This was to be
used if, by any means, the ship was disabled on the bottom
of the ocean.
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