English
"Sir"CaptainNemosaid,showingmetheinstrumentshangingonthewallsofhisstateroom,"thesearethedevicesneededtonavigatetheNautilus.
Here,asinthelounge,Ialwayshavethembeforemyeyes,andtheyindicatemypositionandexactheadinginthemidstoftheocean.
You'refamiliarwithsomeofthem,suchasthethermometer,whichgivesthetemperatureinsidetheNautilus;thebarometer,whichmeasurestheheavinessoftheoutsideairandforecastschangesintheweather;thehumidistat,whichindicatesthedegreeofdrynessintheatmosphere;thestormglass,whosemixturedecomposestoforetellthearrivaloftempests;thecompass,whichsteersmycourse;thesextant,whichtakesthesun'saltitudeandtellsmemylatitude;chronometers,whichallowmetocalculatemylongitude;andfinally,spyglassesforbothdayandnight,enablingmetoscrutinizeeverypointofthehorizononcetheNautilushasrisentothesurfaceofthewaves."
"Thesearethenormalnavigationalinstruments,"Ireplied,"andI'mfamiliarwiththeiruses.
ButnodoubttheseothersanswerpressingneedsuniquetotheNautilus.
ThatdialIseethere,withtheneedlemovingacrossit—isn'titapressuregauge?"
"Itisindeedapressuregauge.It'splacedincontactwiththewater,anditindicatestheoutsidepressureonourhull,whichinturngivesmethedepthatwhichmysubmersibleissitting."
"Andthesearesomenewbreedofsoundingline?"
"They'rethermometricsoundinglinesthatreportwatertemperaturesinthedifferentstrata."
"Andtheseotherinstruments,whosefunctionsIcan'tevenguess?"
"Here,professor,Ineedtogiveyousomebackgroundinformation,"CaptainNemosaid."Sokindlyhearmeout."
Hefellsilentforsomemoments,thenhesaid:
"There'sapowerful,obedient,swift,andeffortlessforcethatcanbebenttoanyuseandwhichreignssupremeaboardmyvessel.Itdoeseverything.
Itlightsme,itwarmsme,it'sthesoulofmymechanicalequipment.Thisforceiselectricity."
"Electricity!"Iexclaimedinsomesurprise.
"Yes,sir."
"But,Captain,youhaveatremendousspeedofmovementthatdoesn'tsquarewiththestrengthofelectricity.
Untilnow,itsdynamicpotentialhasremainedquitelimited,capableofproducingonlysmallamountsofpower!"
"Professor,"CaptainNemoreplied,"myelectricityisn'ttherun–of–the–millvariety,andwithyourpermission,I'llleaveitatthat."
"Iwon'tinsist,sir,andI'llrestcontentwithsimplybeingflabbergastedatyourresults.
Iwouldaskonequestion,however,whichyouneedn'tanswerifit'sindiscreet.
Theelectriccellsyouusetogeneratethismarvelousforcemustbedepletedveryquickly.
Theirzinccomponent,forexample:howdoyoureplaceit,sinceyounolongerstayincontactwiththeshore?"
"Thatquestiondeservesananswer,"CaptainNemoreplied.
"Firstoff,I'llmentionthatatthebottomoftheseathereexistveinsofzinc,iron,silver,andgoldwhoseminingwouldquitecertainlybefeasible.
ButI'vetappednoneoftheseland–basedmetals,andIwantedtomakedemandsonlyontheseaitselfforthesourcesofmyelectricity."
"Theseaitself?"
"Yes,professor,andtherewasnoshortageofsuchsources.
Infact,byestablishingacircuitbetweentwowiresimmersedtodifferentdepths,I'dbeabletoobtainelectricitythroughthedivergingtemperaturestheyexperience;butIpreferredtouseamorepracticalprocedure."
"Andthatis?"
"You'refamiliarwiththecompositionofsaltwater.
In1,000gramsonefinds96.5%waterandabout2.66%sodiumchloride;thensmallquantitiesofmagnesiumchloride,potassiumchloride,magnesiumbromide,sulfateofmagnesia,calciumsulfate,andcalciumcarbonate.
Henceyouobservethatsodiumchlorideisencounteredthereinsignificantproportions.
Nowthen,it'sthissodiumthatIextractfromsaltwaterandwithwhichIcomposemyelectriccells."
"Sodium?"
"Yes,sir.Mixedwithmercury,itformsanamalgamthattakestheplaceofzincinBunsencells.Themercuryisneverdepleted.
Onlythesodiumisconsumed,andtheseaitselfgivesmethat.
Beyondthis,I'llmentionthatsodiumbatterieshavebeenfoundtogeneratethegreaterenergy,andtheirelectro–motorstrengthistwicethatofzincbatteries."
"Captain,Ifullyunderstandtheexcellenceofsodiumundertheconditionsinwhichyou'replaced.Theseacontainsit.Fine.
Butitstillhastobeproduced,inshort,extracted.Andhowdoyouaccomplishthis?
Obviouslyyourbatteriescoulddotheextracting;butifI'mnotmistaken,theconsumptionofsodiumneededbyyourelectricequipmentwouldbegreaterthanthequantityyou'dextract.
Itwouldcomeabout,then,thatintheprocessofproducingyoursodium,you'duseupmorethanyou'dmake!"
"Accordingly,professor,Idon'textractitwithbatteries;quitesimply,Iutilizetheheatofcoalfromtheearth."
"Fromtheearth?"Isaid,myvoicegoingupontheword.
"We'llsaycoalfromtheseafloor,ifyouprefer,"CaptainNemoreplied.
"Andyoucanminetheseveinsofunderwatercoal?"
"You'llwatchmeworkthem,ProfessorAronnax.
Iaskonlyalittlepatienceofyou,sinceyou'llhaveampletimetobepatient.
Justrememberonething:Ioweeverythingtotheocean;itgenerateselectricity,andelectricitygivestheNautilusheat,light,motion,and,inaword,lifeitself."
"Butnottheairyoubreathe?"
"Oh,Icouldproducetheairneededonboard,butitwouldbepointless,sinceIcanrisetothesurfaceoftheseawheneverIlike.
However,eventhoughelectricitydoesn'tsupplymewithbreathableair,itatleastoperatesthepowerfulpumpsthatstoreitunderpressureinspecialtanks;which,ifneedbe,allowsmetoextendmystayinthelowerstrataforaslongasIwant."
"Captain,"Ireplied,"I'llrestcontentwithmarveling.You'veobviouslyfoundwhatallmankindwillsurelyfindoneday,thetruedynamicpowerofelectricity."
"I'mnotsocertainthey'llfindit,"CaptainNemorepliedicily.
"Butbethatasitmay,you'realreadyfamiliarwiththefirstuseI'vefoundforthisvaluableforce.
Itlightsus,andwithauniformityandcontinuitynotevenpossessedbysunlight.
Now,lookatthatclock:it'selectric,itrunswithanaccuracyrivalingthefinestchronometers.
I'vehaditdividedintotwenty–fourhourslikeItalianclocks,sinceneitherdaynornight,sunnormoon,existforme,butonlythisartificiallightthatIimportintothedepthsoftheseas!
See,rightnowit'steno'clockinthemorning."
"That'sperfect."
"Anotheruseforelectricity:thatdialhangingbeforeoureyesindicateshowfasttheNautilusisgoing.
Anelectricwireputsitincontactwiththepatentlog;thisneedleshowsmetheactualspeedofmysubmersible.
And...holdon...justnowwe'reproceedingatthemoderatepaceoffifteenmilesperhour."
"It'smarvelous,"Ireplied,"andItrulysee,Captain,howrightyouaretousethisforce;it'ssuretotaketheplaceofwind,water,andsteam."
"Butthat'snotall,ProfessorAronnax,"CaptainNemosaid,standingup."Andifyou'dcaretofollowme,we'llinspecttheNautilus'sstern."
Inessence,Iwasalreadyfamiliarwiththewholeforwardpartofthisunderwaterboat,andhereareitsexactsubdivisionsgoingfromamidshipstoitsspur:thediningroom,5meterslongandseparatedfromthelibrarybyawatertightbulkhead,inotherwords,itcouldn'tbepenetratedbythesea;thelibrary,5meterslong;themainlounge,10meterslong,separatedfromthecaptain'sstateroombyasecondwatertightbulkhead;theaforesaidstateroom,5meterslong;mine,2.5meterslong;andfinally,airtanks7.5meterslongandextendingtothestempost.
Total:alengthof35meters.
Doorswerecutintothewatertightbulkheadsandwereshuthermeticallybymeansofindia–rubberseals,whichinsuredcompletesafetyaboardtheNautilusintheeventofaleakinanyonesection.
IfollowedCaptainNemodowngangwayslocatedforeasytransit,andIarrivedamidships.
ThereIfoundasortofshaftheadingupwardbetweentwowatertightbulkheads.
Anironladder,clampedtothewall,ledtotheshaft'supperend.
IaskedtheCaptainwhatthisladderwasfor.
"Itgoestotheskiff,"hereplied.
"What!Youhaveaskiff?"Irepliedinsomeastonishment.
"Surely.Anexcellentlongboat,lightandunsinkable,whichisusedforexcursionsandfishingtrips."
"Butwhenyouwanttosetout,don'tyouhavetoreturntothesurfaceofthesea?"
"Bynomeans.TheskiffisattachedtothetopsideoftheNautilus'shullandissetinacavityexpresslydesignedtoreceiveit.
It'scompletelydeckedover,absolutelywatertight,andheldsolidlyinplacebybolts.
ThisladderleadstoamanholecutintotheNautilus'shullandcorrespondingtoacomparableholecutintothesideoftheskiff.
Iinsertmyselfthroughthisdoubleopeningintothelongboat.
MycrewcloseuptheholebelongingtotheNautilus;Icloseuptheonebelongingtotheskiff,simplybyscrewingitintoplace.
Iundotheboltsholdingtheskifftothesubmersible,andthelongboatriseswithprodigiousspeedtothesurfaceofthesea.
Ithenopenthedeckpaneling,carefullycloseduntilthatpoint;Iupmastandhoistsail—orItakeoutmyoars—andIgoforaspin."
"Buthowdoyoureturntotheship?"
"Idon't,ProfessorAronnax;theNautilusreturnstome."
"Atyourcommand?"
"Atmycommand.Anelectricwireconnectsmetotheship.Ifireoffatelegram,andthat'sthat."
"Right,"Isaid,tipsyfromallthesewonders,"nothingtoit!"
Afterpassingthewellofthecompanionwaythatledtotheplatform,Isawacabin2meterslonginwhichConseilandNedLand,enrapturedwiththeirmeal,werebusydevouringittothelastcrumb.
Thenadooropenedintothegalley,3meterslongandlocatedbetweenthevessel'shugestoragelockers.
There,evenmorepowerfulandobedientthangas,electricitydidmostofthecooking.
Arrivingunderthestoves,wirestransmittedtoplatinumgriddlesaheatthatwasdistributedandsustainedwithperfectconsistency.
Italsoheatedadistillingmechanismthat,viaevaporation,suppliedexcellentdrinkingwater.
Nexttothisgalleywasabathroom,convenientlylaidout,withfaucetssupplyinghotorcoldwateratwill.
Afterthegalleycamethecrew'squarters,5meterslong.ButthedoorwasclosedandIcouldn'tseeitsaccommodations,whichmighthavetoldmethenumberofmenittooktooperatetheNautilus.
Atthefarendstoodafourthwatertightbulkhead,separatingthecrew'squartersfromtheengineroom.
Adooropened,andIstoodinthecompartmentwhereCaptainNemo,indisputablyaworld–classengineer,hadsetuphislocomotiveequipment.
Brightlylit,theengineroommeasuredatleast20metersinlength.
Itwasdivided,byfunction,intotwoparts:thefirstcontainedthecellsforgeneratingelectricity,thesecondthatmechanismtransmittingmovementtothepropeller.
Rightoff,Idetectedanodorpermeatingthecompartmentthatwassuigeneris.*CaptainNemonoticedthenegativeimpressionitmadeonme.
*Latin:"inaclassbyitself."Ed.
"That,"hetoldme,"isagaseousdischargecausedbyouruseofsodium,butit'sonlyamildinconvenience.Inanyevent,everymorningwesanitizetheshipbyventilatingitintheopenair."
MeanwhileIexaminedtheNautilus'senginewithafascinationeasytoimagine.
"Youobserve,"CaptainNemotoldme,"thatIuseBunsencells,notRuhmkorffcells.Thelatterwouldbeineffectual.
OneusesfewerBunsencells,butthey'rebigandstrong,andexperiencehasproventheirsuperiority.
Theelectricitygeneratedheremakesitswaytothestern,whereelectromagnetsofhugesizeactivateaspecialsystemofleversandgearsthattransmitmovementtothepropeller'sshaft.
Thelatterhasadiameterof6meters,apitchof7.5meters,andcandoupto120revolutionsperminute."
"Andthatgivesyou?"
"Aspeedoffiftymilesperhour."
Therelayamystery,butIdidn'tinsistonexploringit.
Howcouldelectricityworkwithsuchpower?
Wheredidthisnearlyunlimitedenergyoriginate?
Wasitintheextraordinaryvoltageobtainedfromsomenewkindofinductioncoil?
Coulditstransmissionhavebeenimmeasurablyincreasedbysomeunknownsystemoflevers?*ThiswasthepointIcouldn'tgrasp.
*Author'sNote:Andsureenough,there'snowtalkofsuchadiscovery,inwhichanewsetofleversgeneratesconsiderablepower.DiditsinventormeetupwithCaptainNemo?
"CaptainNemo,"Isaid,"I'llvouchfortheresultsandnottrytoexplainthem.
I'veseentheNautilusatworkoutinfrontoftheAbrahamLincoln,andIknowwhereIstandonitsspeed.
Butitisn'tenoughjusttomove,wehavetoseewherewe'regoing!
Wemustbeabletosteerrightorleft,upordown!
Howdoyoureachthelowerdepths,whereyoumeetanincreasingresistancethat'sassessedinhundredsofatmospheres?
Howdoyourisebacktothesurfaceoftheocean?
Finally,howdoyoukeepyourshipatwhateverlevelsuitsyou?
AmIindiscreetinaskingyouallthesethings?"
"Notatall,professor,"theCaptainansweredmeafteraslighthesitation,"sinceyou'llneverleavethisunderwaterboat.Comeintothelounge.
It'sactuallyourworkroom,andthereyou'lllearnthefullstoryabouttheNautilus!"
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