|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 6
"Do you intend to go as deep as that?" asked Tom, looking
up from a paper he was reading.
"Possibly," replied his father; and his son resumed his
perusal of the sheet.
"Now," went on the inventor to the aeronaut, "I have
another plan. In addition to the positive and negative
plates which will form our motive power, I am going to
install forward and aft propellers, to use in case of
accident."
"I say, dad! Did you see this?" suddenly exclaimed Tom,
getting up from his chair, and holding his finger on a
certain place in the page of the paper.
"Did I see what?" asked Mr. Swift.
"Why, this account of the sinking of the treasure ship."
"Treasure ship? No. Where?"
"Listen," went on Tom. "I'll read it: 'Further advices
from Montevideo, Uruguay, South America, state that all hope
has been given up of recovering the steamship Boldero, which
foundered and went down off that coast in the recent gale.
Not only has all hope been abandoned of raising the vessel,
but it is feared that no part of the three hundred thousand
dollars in gold bullion which she carried will ever be
recovered. Expert divers who were taken to the scene of the
wreck state that the depth of water, and the many currents
existing there, due to a submerged shoal, preclude any
possibility of getting at the hull. The bullion, it is
believed, was to have been used to further the interests of
a certain revolutionary faction, but it seems likely that
they will have to look elsewhere for the sinews of war.
Besides the bullion the ship also carried several cases of
rifles, it is stated, and other valuable cargo. The crew and
what few passengers the Boldero carried were, contrary to
the first reports, all saved by taking to the boats. It
appears that some of the ship's plates were sprung by the
stress in which she labored in a storm, and she filled and
sank gradually.' There! what do you think of that, dad?"
cried Tom as he finished.
"What do I think of it? Why, I think it's too bad for the
revolutionists, Tom, of course."
"No; I mean about the treasure being still on board the
ship. What about that?"
"Well, it's likely to stay there, if the divers can't get
at it. Now, Mr. Sharp, about the propellers--"
"Wait, dad!" cried Tom earnestly.
"Why, Tom, what's the matter?" asked Mr. Swift in some
surprise.
"How soon before we can finish our submarine?" went on
Tom, not answering the question.
"About a month. Why?"
"Why? Dad, why can't we have a try for that treasure? It
ought to be comparatively easy to find that sunken ship off
the coast of Uruguay. In our submarine we can get close up
to it, and in the new diving suits you invented we can get
at that gold bullion. Three hundred thousand dollars! Think
of it, dad! Three hundred thousand dollars! We could easily
claim all of it, since the owners have abandoned it, but we
would be satisfied with half. Let's hurry up, finish the
submarine, and have a try for it."
"But, Tom, you forget that I am to enter my new ship in
the trials for the prize offered by the United States
Government."
"How much is the prize if you win it?" asked Tom.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|