A Dive iw 4 Suswanms, the "Weekly Call" of Seattle prints the following despatch.
Oyster Bay, 25th August.
For fifty minutes, part of the time in utter darkness, President Roosevelt late this afternoon was at the bottom of Long Island Sound. He took. dive in the submarine boat Plunger, which was submerged while a fierce gale raged and hich was put through al! the movements of which she is capable while the com. mander-in-chief of the navy. was battened down in her interior, The President: had invited sgme friends see the'tests of tha Plunger from the deck of the Sylph. to-mocrow- morning. No one expected that the sub-marine would stir from her mourings alongside the Apache, in, to-day's stormy weath. But the President, when the storm wi at its worst, skipped down to his pri Ianding and ordered Lieutenant No to take'him to the Plunger, The visit was an entire, surprise to the ere When Mr. Roosevelt choppy 8 was rolling in the mouth of the harbour, Mr, Roosevelt, at once stopped into the narrow standing room beneath the conning tower, the hatches were closed and the Plunger, consorted by the, Apache, headed on the surface for the harbour mouth. The Apache stood, away and the submarine was at once sent toward: the bottom. At a depth of thirty-five feat or #0 there was a halt of a few minutes and then the boat was moved again and sent to. the bottom.
After the President had been allowed to. thoroughly appreciate the now se: tion Lieutenant Nelson gave an exhi tion, of, what is called porpoise diving. 'The' Plunger was rushed to the surfec-, where, she remained for five or six second, Jong, enough. for those in command in time of war to sight a worship and note her location for the purposes of destruction. Then there was a dive toa aafe.depth and a repetition of the performance. The Plunger was then stopped at.a.dopth of twenty feet. Her engine was stopped and. she was sent to the surface stern foremost. Again twenty feot below the storm-swept, face of the bay. the submarine. was made. to: turn a complete circle, and; reverse her course in, jus} one-minute.
Then sho.was sent again to the bottom; where she lay motionless in order to demonstrate how-easy it-is for her: to lic in wait under-water-for a warship. Lieu-{tenant Noleon extinguished altho lights oe low how perfectly the machinery of oat' could" beliandled bythe crew darkness was' a necessary precau.
For the firet time in history a President of the United States was in utter darkness st the bottom of s sea swept by a stinging gale.
But the President was more than a passenger, There was nothing bethatcould done in the specification of marine ingenuity that he did not attempt with hi own thands, He took the wheel in the onning tower, with Lieutenant Nelson his side, started motors, reversed them, operated the submerging apparatus and finally fired " blank torpedo.
Judging from the President's expression on coming ashore about 6 o'clock in the Dart the experience was pleasing to him. He congratulated Lieutenant Nelson on the way the Plunger was handled and shook hands with each of the eleven men in the crow.
The visit to the Plunger in weather that made walking on shore a burden hod—of the President. inow just how it fools to. Handlo a oubhas longed for an opportunity to
marin and just what it can be made todo. For days he has given out official statements through his secretary that under no circumstances would godown in the Plunger jin her coming inspection. This is literally true for the regular test of the submarine takes place to-morrow.
Mr. Roosevelt could not resist' the temptation to-day to experience actual work in a submarine under unfavourable conditions. Even his secretary di know until he was down that going to undertake this extraordinary adventure.
Lieutenant. Nelson to-night is being heartily congratulated by his fellow officers on the Sylph that his little craft answered the unexpected call without the sughest hitch or accident.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.