e 'Pollard' that,
being men of good sense, they'll see the point."

In the afternoon several delegations of naval officers visited the
little submarine from the different craft in the fleet. The tiny cabin
was crowded with visitors, the air being thick with cigar smoke much of
the time. What astounded many of the visitors was the extreme
youthfulness of captain and crew, but Jacob Farnum assured the naval
callers that these young men had accomplished all that had been done
with the 'Pollard' up to date.

"And I'm going to be wholly satisfied, gentlemen," added the builder,
"with the impression that will be made upon you by what my crew of boys
can show you."

"Why, your boy crew is your strong point," laughed Captain Carew.
"You're building a type of submarine so simple that any child can
handle it above or below water."

All present joined in the laugh at this sally, but Mr. Farnum took
it in good part declaring:

"That is just the idea, Captain Carew. We have the simplest, most
effective submarine boat that it is possible to build."

All of the visitors were inclined to take this view, from an inspection
of the simple running methods of the boat. Of course, none of the
visitors had seen the "Pollard" dive or run beneath the surface, but
they were willing to accept the statements of builder and inventor.

One naval officer, however, was sceptical on the whole subject of
submarine torpedo boats. That gentleman was Lieutenant McCrea, of the
huge battleship "Luzon."

"Of course," remarked Lieutenant MeCrea, "there's a whole lot of good
theory about what submarine torpedo boats can do. In different naval
evolutions, I admit, the submarines have made an excellent theoretical
showing. As far as can be determined in peaceful evolutions it looks
as though the submarine might really be a source of great danger to
a hostile battleship.

"But, in actual war, conditions are different from anything that can
be planned during mere evolutions. In war time the nerves of both
officers and men are more keenly attuned. So, in actual war, I think
it very doubtful whether a submarine could succeed in getting up close
to a big battleship, unseen, and delivering the mortal blow."

That started a good deal of lively discussion. A few of the Navy
officers present favored Lieutenant McCrea's view. More, however, were
inclined to the belief that, as time went on, the more and more
perfected submarine torpedo boat would be