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  The Undersea Tube

  BY L. TAYLOR HANSEN

  Classic Reprint from AMAZING STORIES, Nov., 1929

  Copyright, 1929, by E. P. Incorporated

  If my friend the engineer had not told me the Tube was dangerous, Iwould not have bought a ticket on that fatal night, and the world wouldnever have learned the story of the Golden Cavern and the City of theDead. Having therefore, according to universal custom, first made myreport as the sole survivor of the much-discussed Undersea Tube disasterto the International Committee for the Investigation of Disasters, I amnow ready to outline that story for the world. Naturally I am aware ofthe many wild tales and rumors that have been circulated ever since theaccident, but I must ask my readers to bear with me while I attempt tobriefly sketch, not only the tremendous difficulties to be overcome bythe engineers, but also the wind-propulsion theory which was made use ofin this undertaking; because it is only by understanding something ofthese two phases of the Tube's engineering problems that one canunderstand the accident and its subsequent revelations.

  It will be recalled by those who have not allowed their view of modernhistory to become too hazy, that the close of the twentieth century sawa dream of the engineering world at last realized--the completion of thelong-heralded undersea railroad. It will also be recalled that theengineers in charge of this stupendous undertaking were greatlyencouraged by the signal success of the first tube under the EnglishChannel, joining England and France by rail. However, it was from thesecond tube across the Channel and the tube connecting Montreal to NewYork, as well as the one connecting New York and Chicago, that theyobtained some of their then radical ideas concerning the use of windpower for propulsion. Therefore, before the Undersea Tube had beencompleted, the engineers in charge had decided to make use of the newmethod in the world's longest tunnel, and upon that decision work wasimmediately commenced upon the blue-prints for the great air pumps thatwere to rise at the two ends--Liverpool and New York. However, I willtouch upon the theory of wind-propulsion later and after the manner inwhich it was explained to me.

  It will be recalled that after great ceremonies, the Tube was begunsimultaneously at the two terminating cities and proceeded through solidrock--low enough below the ocean floor to overcome the terrible pressureof the body of water over it, and yet close enough to the sea toovercome the intensity of subterranean heat. Needless to say, it was anextremely hazardous undertaking, despite the very careful surveys thathad been made, for the little parties of workmen could never tell whenthey would strike a crack or an unexpected crevice that would let downupon them with a terrible rush, the waters of the Atlantic. But hazardis adventure, and as the two little groups of laborers dug toward eachother, the eyes of the press followed them with more persistent interestthan it has ever followed the daily toil of any man or group of men,either before or since.

  * * * * *

  Once the world was startled by the "extree-ee--" announcing that theEnglish group had broken into an extinct volcano, whose upper end hadapparently been sealed ages before, for it contained not water butair--curiously close and choking perhaps, but at least it was not thewatery deluge of death. And then came the great discovery. No one wholived through that time will forget the thrill that quickened the pulseof mankind when the American group digging through a seam of old lavaunder what scientists call the "ancient ridge," broke into a sealedcavern which gleamed in the probing flashlights of the workers like thescintillating points of a thousand diamonds. But when they found thejeweled casket, through whose glass top they peered curiously down uponthe white body of a beautiful woman, partly draped in the ripples of herheavy, red hair, the world gasped and wondered. As every school childknows, the casket was opened by curious scientists, who flocked into thetube from the length of the world, but at the first exposure to the air,the strange liquid that had protected the body vanished, leaving in thecasket not the white figure, but only a crumbling mass of grey dust. Butthe questions that the finding of the cave had raised remainedunanswered.

  Who was this woman? How did she get into the sealed cavern? If she hadbeen the court favorite of that mythical kingdom, now sunk beneath thewaves, and had been disposed of in court intrigue, why would hermurderers have buried her in such a casket? How had she been killed? Anunknown poison? Perhaps she had been a favorite slave of the monarch.This view gained many converts among the archaeologists who argued thatfrom all the evidence we have available, the race carrying the Iberianor Proto-Egyptian culture, long thought to have been the true refugeesfrom sinking Atlantis, were a slight dark-haired race. Therefore thiswoman must have been a captive. Geologists, analyzing the lava,announced that it had hardened in air and not in water, whileanthropologists classed the skull of the woman as essentially moremodern than either the Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon types. But theengineers, secretly fuming at the delay, finally managed to fill up thecave and press on with their drills.

  Then following the arguments that still flourished in the press, came atiny little news article and the first message to carry concern to thehearts of the engineers. The sea had begun to trickle in through oneslight crack. Perhaps it was only because the crevice was located on theEnglish side of the now famous "ancient ridge" that the article broughtforth any notice at all. But for the engineers it meant the firstwarning of possibly ultimate disaster. They could not seal the crack,and pumps were brought into play. However, as a month wore on, the crackdid not appear to widen to any material extent and the danger cry of afew pessimists was forgotten.

  Finally, it will be remembered, that sounders listening in the rocksheard the drillers of the other party, and then with wild enthusiasm thework was pushed on to completion. The long Tube had been dug. Now itonly remained for the sides at the junction to be enlarged and encasedwith cast iron, while the work of setting up the great machines designedto drive the pellet trains through, was also pushed on to its ultimateend. Man had essayed the greatest feat of engineering ever undertaken inthe history of the planet, and had won. A period of wild celebrationgreeted the first human beings to cross each direction below the sea.

  Did the volume of water increase that was carried daily out of the Tubeand dumped from the two stations? If it did, the incident was ignored bythe press. Instead, the fact that some "cranks" persisted in callingman's latest toy unsafe, only attracted more travel. The Undersea Tubefunctioned on regular schedule for three years, became the usual methodof ocean transit.

  * * * * *

  This was the state of matters, when on the fourth of March last, ourtextile company ordered me to France to straighten out some orders withthe France house, the situation being such that they preferred to send aman. Why they did not use radio-vision I do not care to state, as thisis my company's business.

  Therefore, upon entering my apartment, I was in the midst of packingwhen the television phone called me. The jovial features of "Dutch"Higgins, my one-time college room-mate and now one of the much-malignedengineers of the Undersea Tube, smiled back at me from the disk.

  "Where are you? I thought we had a sort of dinner engagement at myapartment, Bob."

  "By gollies I forgot, Dutch. I'll be right over--before it gets cold."

  Then immediately I turned the knob to the Municipal Aerial-car yards,and ordered my motor, as I grabbed my hat and hurried to the roof. Indue time, of course, I sprang the big surprise of the evening, adding:

  "And, of course, I'm going by the Tube, I feel sort of ahalf-partnership in it because you were one of the designers."

  A curious half-pained look crossed his face. We had finished our meal,and were smoking
with pushed-back chairs. He finished filling his pipe,and scowled.

  "Well? Why don't you say something? Thought you'd be--well, sort ofpleased."

  He struck his automatic lighter and drew in a long puff of smoke beforeanswering.

  "Wish you'd take another route, Bob."

  "Take another route?"

  "Yes. If you want it straight, the Tube is not safe."

  "You are joking."

  But as I looked into his cold, thoughtful blue eyes, I knew he had neverbeen more serious.

  "I wish that you would go by the Trans-Atlantic Air Liners. They arejust as fast."

  "But you used to be so enthusiastic about the Tube, Dutch! Why Iremember when it was being drilled that you would call me up at allkinds of wild hours to tell me the latest bits of news."

  He nodded slowly.

  "Yes, that was in the days before the