"
"Why don't you shut off the current?" demanded the youth,
as he prepared to pull his parent from the whirring machine.
Then he hesitated, for he feared he, too, would be glued
fast by the terrible current, and so be unable to help Mr.
Swift.
"I'm held fast here, too," replied the balloonist. "I
started to cut out the current at this switch, but there's a
short circuit somewhere, and I can't let go, either. Quick,
shut off all power at the main switchboard forward."
Tom realized that this was the only thing to do. He ran
forward and with a yank cut out all the electric wires. With
a sigh of relief Mr. Sharp pulled his hands from the copper
where he had been held fast as if by some powerful magnet,
his muscles cramped by the current. Fortunately the
electricity was of low voltage, and he was not burned. The
body of Mr. Swift toppled backward from the dynamo, as Tom
sprang to reach his father.
"He's dead!" he cried, as he saw the pale face and the
closed eyes.
"No, only badly shocked, I hope," spoke Mr. Sharp. "But we
must get him to the fresh air at once. Start the tank pumps.
We'll rise to the surface."
The youth needed no second bidding. Once more turning on
the electric current, he set the powerful pumps in motion
and the submarine began to rise.
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