Grim disaster stared them in the face.
The meal over, Commander McClure called a council of his aides in the
control chamber. It lasted ten minutes, at the end of which time
"Little Mack" sent word to Chief Engineer Blaine to assemble all his
men with the remainder of the crew in the torpedo compartment. One
by one they came forward in response to the call until the entire
crew was assembled. Then the submarine skipper stepped forward.
"Men of the _Dewey_," he began, in slow even tones, "I want first of
all to thank every man here for the splendid work he has done since
we left God's country. We have established a record that, whether
we live or die, will become an essential part of the history of the
United States. The crew that we started with is intact, save for
one brave man---Jack Hammond---who, on his own petition, was the
first to be shot out of our stranded submersible in hopes that he
might bring us succor. What has happened to him it is impossible to
say, but what he has done, you can do, and it is the only thing you
can do.
Pages:
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174