The Radio Boys Under the Sea; or, The Hunt for Sunken Treasure Read online

  CHAPTER III

  RADIO AND ITS WONDERS

  "Oh well, probably it was only a coincidence," remarked Phil. "As forBenton himself he struck me as just about all right. The kind of fellowyou'd like to have at your back in a scrap."

  "That's the way I sized him up, too," agreed Dick.

  "He sure has seen a lot of the world," observed Tom, "and he's got apair of eyes that aren't likely to have overlooked anything. I'm keen tosee him again and start him talking."

  "Well, he's promised to run up to the house tomorrow night," said Phil."Be sure to get over, Dick."

  "I'll be there with bells on," promised Dick as they separated.

  He kept his word, and on the following night all three were gatheredabout the table on which Phil kept his radio set, when the bell rang andBenton was ushered into the room.

  The Radio Boys gave him a rousing welcome, and he on his part wasunaffectedly glad to see them.

  "How are you feeling?" asked Phil, as he drew up a chair for him.

  "Fine as silk," replied Benton. "This old head of mine has stopped itsbuzzing, and outside a little soreness I'm as well as ever. It takesnothing less than an axe to kill us old leathernecks," he added with agrin.

  "I see that you fellows are radio fans," he went on, as he settledhimself comfortably and nodded his head in the direction of theapparatus on the table.

  "Thirty-third degree," replied Phil. "Are you a member of thefraternity, too?"

  "I'm crazy over it," said Benton, as he bent over to examine the set. "Isee you've got all the latest wrinkles, super-regenerative circuit andall that. What's your range?"

  "Easily over a thousand miles," replied Phil, "and probably a good dealmore than that. On quiet nights we've frequently picked up the signalsof the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the station at Nauen, Germany. We'vetalked as far as Texas, and any night we want to we can listen in on aradio broadcast from Newark, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago. We keepwatches regulated by the nightly signals from Arlington. It's a peach ofa set all right."

  "We wouldn't know how to do without radio in the Navy," remarked Benton."Every ship is equipped with it now, and the captain on his bridge cantalk as easily with the Department in Washington as though he wereseated at a desk in the Secretary's room. Of course most of the work isdone by the radio telegraph, but before long we'll be able to use theradio telephone just as well. I tell you it's a wonderful thing. Noworrying your heart out now in a fog and mist and storm. You don't needto have the sun in order to get your bearings. You don't even need thelighthouses at night. Just get busy on your loop aerial and get in touchwith shore stations and they'll tell you to a dot just what yourlatitude and longitude is. A blind man could navigate a ship nowadays.No one can figure how many vessels and how many lives have been saved bythis blessed old radio."

  "Right you are," agreed Phil. "I know that one time it saved mine. It'sthe youngest of all the sciences and yet it's made greater strides thanany other in the history of the world. Every day something new develops,and it fairly makes you dizzy trying to keep up with it. It'srevolutionized peace and it will revolutionize war."

  "As a matter of fact," replied Benton, "it's going to make warpractically impossible, because it would make it too terrible. A fleetof airplanes without a single man in them could fly over the cities ofthe enemy and drop high explosives that would destroy them all. Theairplanes could be directed by radio many miles away. The same is trueof battleships. Torpedoes could be sent out from land and guided byradio directly against any ship it was desired to destroy. And all thiswithout risk on the part of the attacking party.

  "My ship was off the Virginia Capes last year," he went on, "when theywere having that duel between airplanes and battleships, to test outwhich was the more effective. The old Iowa was picked out to be thevictim of the plane attack. There wasn't a soul on board, and I tell youit seemed something uncanny to see how that big ship sailed along,turned, wheeled, zigzagged just as perfectly as if it had had its wholecrew aboard. All the controls, rudder, propeller and steering deviceswere regulated by radio."

  "It surely seems like a miracle," agreed Phil. "It's quite within therange of possibility that merchant ships after a while will be able tosail from America to Europe without a soul on board. The ship could sendout signals every hour by which its path could be plotted by the shoreoperator over the entire route."

  "And that's only a single feature of radio," put in Tom. "I see that inItaly and Germany they are locating ore and coal mines by means ofradio. Radio waves are sent underground and by means of certaininstruments the observer can notice the difference in the intensity ofthe sounds received, and so can chart out the position of ore and coalveins. The old-time prospector will soon be a thing of the past, asextinct as the dodo. Of course they have to have super-sensitive vacuumtubes, but the thing is being done every day. By the same means it willbe possible to locate the position of buried treasures that have beencarried down in sunken ships."

  "What's that?" interrupted Benton with keen interest.

  "Buried treasures," repeated Tom. "The principle is practically the sameas in locating the coal veins. The difference in signals when the radiowaves are coming from the ocean bed and those received when there issome big object on the bed like a ship will indicate the location of theobject. Up to now it has been a matter of great difficulty to get theexact position of a sunken ship. A submarine would help some, but thatcan only be used where the water is comparatively shallow, for if thesubmarine went down too far it would be crushed by the increasingdensity of the water. But you can't crush radio waves. They goeverywhere and through everything."

  "Locating sunken ships," murmured Benton reflectively, almost as thoughhe were talking to himself. "That sure is a new thing to me, though Itry to keep pretty well up with things. I sure am glad to know it."

  "Lost any ships lately?" asked Dick with a grin.

  "Not exactly," replied Benton, "but I'm mighty interested in one thatwas lost a good long time ago."

  "You're talking in riddles," laughed Phil. "Why not let us in on thestory?"

  Benton studied their faces for a full minute without replying. Then hestraightened bolt upright in his chair as though he had reached adefinite decision.

  "I will," he said. "It's a queer story and perhaps you think I've goneloco before I get through with it. But first I want to ask a question.Are you fellows game for an adventure?"

  The boys looked at one another and it was Phil that answered.

  "Yes," he said, "if it's straight and legitimate and seems to us worthwhile. Of course we've got to know what it is first."

  "That goes without saying," replied Benton. "It's perfectly straight,and I think I can prove to you that it is worth while. I don't disguisefrom you, however, that it's attended with great risks. But it also hasgreat rewards if it is successful."

  "We've taken risks before," laughed Phil.

  "I know you have," answered Benton. "I was sure that I had sized youboys up right last night, and that's why I nearly told you then what I'mgoing to tell you now. But this thing means so much to me that Icouldn't afford to act on first impressions. I don't mind telling youthat I've been making inquiries about town today, and everything thatI've learned proves that my first impressions were right.

  "I've heard about your work in running down the counterfeiting gang inFlorida. And I've learned about your adventures with the Mexican banditsand the way you rounded up 'Muggs' Murray. Perhaps you don't know it,but the people in this town think that you're about the finest fellowson the footstool."

  "You must take that with a grain of salt," said Phil deprecatingly."Local pride and all that, you know. We've just got into a few scrapesand had the luck to come out of them with a whole hide. That about letsus out."

  "I prefer to take their verdict," smiled Benton, "and I have furtherproof if I needed it in what happened yesterday afternoon. At any rate,I'm perfectly satisfied in my own mind that
you're the fellows I want toshare my plan if it appeals to you. You see I'm somewhat in the positionof a man who thinks he has a gold mine but can't work it alone."

  He took a package of papers from his pocket and laid them on the table.

  Tom nudged Phil mischievously.

  "Say 'pirate'" he said, "and see Benton jump."

  Benton looked puzzled for a moment. Then he laughed.

  "I catch on," he said. "Well, there's a pirate in this story all right,but he's been a long time dead. Now just one other little thing. Ifafter I've told you my plan you don't want to go in with me on it, Iwant you to promise me on your word of honor that you won't mention thematter to a living soul."