gnable_. From the depths in which we were sailing we
watched its slightest manoeuvres until the admiral's flag, waving
on the top of a fort, reminded us that it was time to return.

[Illustration: _The Submarine's Perfect Work._

_Painting by John E. Whiting._]

CHAPTER XIII

JOHN P. HOLLAND AND SIMON LAKE

The Naval Committee of the House of Representatives of the United
States in the early part of 1900 held a meeting for the purpose of
hearing expert testimony upon the subject of submarines. Up to then
the United States authorities had shown, as compared with the ruling
powers of other navies, only a limited amount of interest in the
submarine question. Increased appropriations for the construction of
submarine boats which were then beginning to become more frequent in
other countries acted, however, as a stimulus at this time.

The committee meeting took place a few days after some of the
members of the committee, together with a number of United States
navy officers, had attended an exhibition of a new submarine boat,
the _Holland No. 9_.

The late Admiral Dewey gave the following opinion about this
submarine to the committee, an opinion which since then has become
rather famous:

Gentlemen: I saw the operation of the boat down off Mount Vernon
the other day. Several members of this committee were there. I
think we were very much impressed with its performance. My aid,
Lieutenant Caldwell, was on board. The boat did everything that
the owners proposed to do. I said then, and I have said it since,
that if they had two of those things at Manila, I could never
have held it with the squadron I had. The moral effect--to my
mind, it is infinitely superior to mines or torpedoes or anything
of the kind. With two of those in Galveston all the navies of the
world could not blockade the place.

Admiral Dewey's approval of the _Holland No. 9_ undoubtedly exerted
a considerable influence on the Naval Committee and as a result of
its recommendations the United States Government finally purchased
the boat on April 11, 1900, for $150,000. This amount was about
$86,000 less than the cost of building to the manufacturers, the
Holland Torpedo Boat Company. The latter, however, could well afford
to take this loss because this first sale resulted a few months
afterwards--on August 25th--in an order for six additional
submarines. The British Government also c