Having failed miserably at building a self contained underwater
breathing apparatus I took the sensible route and played normal games
with other kids. Just kidding, I tried to build a submarine. Once
again I was un aware of the need for an air supply so the problem as
I saw it was to make an container to hold out the water with some see
through parts that I could look through. Simple as that. I got a 55
gallon steel drum and enlisted Justin to help me cut the bottom out
of it. I worked out a method myself because I couldn't very well tip
my hand about my super cool plan to my overprotective parents. I was
not sure of their exact policy on submersibles but I was afraid that
the rule may include a strict prohibition so I decided this was one
of the forgiveness in lieu of permission situations. We used a hammer
and screw driver to start the hole and then we cut it out very slowly
with a jig saw. When the bottom was finally out we got a piece of
plexiglass out of a storm window and cut it into a matching circle
using the same technique. When we had the mating pieces all that was
left was to glue them together using some silicone and viola! We had
decided on using our legs for the propulsion system because we
couldn't think of any other way. This meant that the top of the
barrel had to remain open which is a pretty major design flaw in a
submarine. We figured what we could do is just keep it at a
forty-five degree angle and that would keep our legs and the water
out of the open end and we could still see under the waves. Even
though I had first go at the scuba equipment I also got to try the
submarine first because I understood the inner workings of the system
better than Justin and needed to work out the subtleties of our new
design. We put the 55 gallon submarine on the back of a bike cart and
rode up to the reservoir ready for uninterrupted fun. I put the sub
in shallow water and was distressed by its buoyancy it bobbed around
uncertainly high above the water and was not very stable. That
problem was soon fixed when I jumped in face down over the
lip and applied my weight to the contraption. The plexiglass view
port instantly imploded flooding the barrel with me upside down from
the waist down in it the water filled up around my head and chest as
I struggled to free myself. The good news was that the now open pipe
of a barrel had stuck firmly in the mud so the stability problems
were solved. If I could just stop from dying I might be able to get
the water tight issue resolved. I tried at first to pull my head and
shoulders out by bending at the waist but I just smacked my head on
the inside of the now full barrel it took a few panicked seconds to
hit upon the proper extraction technique of pushing up on the rim
with my hands until I was clear. For the second time in three weeks I
had narrowly escaped drowning at the hands of faulty craftsmanship on
brilliant inventions and I decided to give water based exploration a
rest. Right after I built a boat.
