At the other end of that wire is submarine mine number nineteen. In a
breathless instant the current traverses the whole length of the wire.
The spark has reached the gun-cotton! There is a dull, booming sound;
a great column of water shoots up from the surface. In the midst of the
commotion the enemy's battleship is rent, and all on board, perhaps
killed. The cool, dry-eyed Army officer bending over the white
screen-map sees all this scene of horror depicted under the white
surface beneath his eyes. He knows that submarine mine number nineteen,
planted out there in the harbor, has done its duty in protecting this
portion of the coast of the United States.
Here, at Fort Craven, it was desired to find whether an enemy's submarine
boat could creep in, below the surface, find the mine, whose location
was already known through spies, and effectively cut the firing wire.
If this could be done, then, in war-time, it might be that the sergeant
at the wall-board would press the button in vain. No explosion would
follow. With the current thus cut off, the officer bending over the
white screen would not see the miniature reproduction of the destruction
of the enemy's battleship.
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