"Montey" listened while "Cap" Austin unfolded the whole story of the disaster that had wiped a ship from the roster of the U. S. Navy.
"Suppose we make sure of our identification then, particularly since we have been so fortunate as to run upon a derelict our very first trip out," suggested the superintendent.
Captain Austin agreed that it would be the ideal thing to thoroughly test out the Jules Verne and the Nautilus with a minute inspection of the find that fate had so coincidentally thrown in their way.
Accordingly they jockeyed the Nautilus to and fro through the water until they had found the bow of the submarine chaser. Jay and Dick had been reminded by their captain to keep their eyes open and take in every detail of the operation of the new diving craft.
"It will be only a matter of a very few days at the most until you chaps will be down here as workmen instead of guests, and you might as well get acquainted with the new boat and learn everything about her you can," the executive had told them.
Needless to say, they were more than taking it all in; they were acclimating themselves to the very best of their versatile natures. It was marvelous how well the craft could be handled. The telephone kept them constantly in touch with the mother ship. In case they wanted to stop or start suddenly, it was not necessary to wait for the telephone. An electric buzzer rung in accordance with a pre-arranged code of signals told the engineer just what to do.
By now the aquascope, or windowed floor, of the Nautilus was poised directly over the bow of the lost sub-chaser. By moving the chamber slightly to the left it was possible to lower away toward the bottom until the name of the lost craft might be noted from the ports of the Nautilus.
"Drop her down gradually now and I'll keep a sharp lookout," said the superintendent, at the same time directing Dick to take his position at the other port and likewise to pay all attention toward finding the telltale mark of the supposed submarine chaser, E-70, on the starboard side of the bow.
Jay remained by the side of Captain Austin.
"This is one thing you want to learn well in advance and to keep constantly in mind," the ship's executive cautioned as he signaled the Jules Verne to swing the Nautilus lower in the water.