"Oh, no, but it's best to be prepared," answered his
father.
The captain and the young inventor lost no time in donning
the diving suits. They each took a heavy metal bar, pointed
at one end, to use in assisting them to walk on the bed of
the ocean, and as a protection in case the sharks might
attack them. Entering the diving chamber, they were shut in,
and then water was admitted until the pressure was seen, by
gauges, to be the same as that outside the submarine. Then
the sliding steel door was opened. At first Tom and the
captain could barely move, so great was the pressure of
water on their bodies. They would have been crushed but for
the protection afforded by the strong diving suits.
In a few minutes they became used to it, and stepped out
on the floor of the ocean. They could not, of course, speak
to each other, but Tom looked through the glass eyes of his
helmet at the captain, and the latter motioned for the lad
to follow. The two divers could breathe perfectly, and by
means of small, but powerful lights on the helmets, the way
was lighted for them as they advanced.
Slowly they approached the wreck, and began a circuit of
her. They could see several places where the pressure of the
water, and the strain of the storm in which she had
foundered, had 'opened the plates of the ship, but in no
case were the openings large enough to admit a person.
Pages:
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184