Part 1 · Chapter 11All by Electricity

"Sir," said Captain Nemo, showing me the gadgets hanging on the walls of his room, "these are the things we need to navigate the Nautilus. Like in the living room, I keep them right here so I can see my position and exactly where we're going in the middle of the ocean."

"You’re familiar with some of them, like the thermometer, which tells us the temperature inside the Nautilus; the barometer, which tells us the air pressure and predicts the weather; the hygrometer, which measures the humidity; the storm-glass, which changes when a storm is coming; the compass, which guides our course; the sextant, which shows our latitude based on the sun’s height; and chronometers, which help me calculate our longitude; and binoculars for day and night, so I can check the horizon when the Nautilus surfaces."

"These are all standard nautical tools," I replied.

"I know what they do. But these others, I’m guessing, are for the Nautilus’s specific needs. Is that dial with the needle a manometer?"

"That’s right, it’s a manometer. But because it’s connected to the water and shows its external pressure, it also tells us how deep we are."

"And what about these other instruments? I have no idea what they do."

"Professor, I need to explain a few things. Can I have your attention?"

He paused for a moment, then said -

"There’s an incredibly powerful force here, super quick, easy to control, and it handles everything. It powers everything, lights it, heats it, and it’s the heart of my mechanical systems. This force is electricity."

"Electricity?" I exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, sir."

"But Captain, you move so fast, and electricity doesn’t seem like it’s powerful enough for that. Until now, its force has been limited, only able to produce a little power."

"Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity isn’t like what you know. You know what seawater is made of. In a thousand grams, you find ninety-six one-half percent water, and about two-two third percent sodium chloride."

Then, in smaller amounts, there are chlorides of magnesium and potassium, magnesium bromide, magnesium sulfate, and calcium carbonate. See, sodium chloride makes up a big part of it. So, I extract this sodium from seawater, and I use it to make my ingredients.

"I owe everything to the ocean; it produces electricity, and electricity gives heat, light, motion, and basically, life to the Nautilus."

"But what about the air you breathe?"

"Oh! I could make the air I need, but it’s not necessary, because I can surface whenever I want. But if electricity doesn’t provide air, it powers the powerful pumps stored in huge tanks. These pumps let me stay underwater as long as I choose. It gives a constant, even light that the sun doesnn't."

Now look at this clock; it’s electric, and it’s so accurate it’s better than the best chronometers. I’ve divided it into twenty-four hours, like Italian clocks, because for me, there’s no night or day, no sun or moon, just the artificial light I take with me to the bottom of the sea. Look!

"It’s ten o’clock in the morning." "Exactly."

"Another use for electricity. This dial hanging in front of us shows how fast the Nautilus is going. An electric wire connects it to the propeller, and the needle shows the real speed. Look! We’re cruising along at a steady fifteen miles an hour."

"This is incredible! And I see, Captain, you were right to use this thing that replaces wind, water, and steam."

"We’re not done yet, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, standing up.

"If you’ll follow me, we’ll check out the back of the Nautilus."

I already knew the front part of this submarine, and this is basically how it’s laid out, starting from the bow: - the dining room, about fifteen feet long, separated from the library by a sealed wall; the library, fifteen feet long; the huge living room, thirty feet long, separated from the Captain’s room by another sealed wall; the Captain’s room, fifteen feet long; mine, seven and a half feet; and finally, an airlock, twenty-two and a half feet long, that stretched to the front.

Total length was about a hundred and ten feet. The walls had doors that sealed shut with rubber, making sure the Nautilus was safe in case of a leak.

I followed Captain Nemo through the middle of the boat and got to the center. There was like a well opening between two walls. An iron ladder, hooked to the wall, led up to the top. I asked the Captain what the ladder was for.

"It leads to the small boat," he said.

"What! You have a boat?" I exclaimed, surprised.

"Of course; a great little vessel, lightweight and unsinkable, that works for fishing or just cruising around."

"But then, when you want to go out, you have to come to the surface, right?"

"Not at all. This boat is attached to the top of the Nautilus’s hull and fits into a space made just for it. It’s sealed, totally waterproof, and held together with strong bolts. This ladder leads to a hatch in the hull of the Nautilus that lines up with a similar hatch in the side of the boat."

By using these two openings, I can get into the small vessel. They close the one on the Nautilus; I close the other with a screw. I undo the bolts, and the little boat shoots up to the surface super fast.

"Then I open the panel of the bridge, which has been carefully sealed until then; I raise the mast, hoist the sail, grab the oars, and I’m off."

"But how do you get back on board?"

"I don’t come back, M. Aronnax; the Nautilus comes to me." "By your command?"

"By my command. An electric wire connects us. I send a signal, and that’s all it takes."

"Seriously," I said, amazed by all these wonders, "it couldn’t be simpler."

After passing the cage for the staircase that led to the deck, I saw a small room, about six feet long, where Conseil and Ned Land, totally psyched about their meal, were devouring it. Then a door opened into a kitchen, about nine feet long, located between the large storage rooms.

Electricity did all the cooking - way better than gas. The heat from under the furnaces came out of platinum sponges, kept at a steady temperature and distributed evenly. They also heated a water-making machine that, through evaporation, produced excellent drinking water.

Near the kitchen was a bathroom, comfortably equipped with hot and cold water taps.

Next to the kitchen was the crew’s quarters, about fifteen feet long. But the door was closed, and I couldn’t see how it was organized, which might have given me an idea of how many people worked on the Nautilus.

At the bottom was another room that separated this office from the engine room. A door opened, and I found myself in the compartment where Captain Nemo - definitely a seriously talented engineer - had set up his machinery. This engine room, brightly lit, was at least sixty-five feet long.

It was split into two sections; one held the stuff for making electricity, and the other had the machines that connected it to the propeller. I checked it out, really wanting to understand how the Nautilus worked.

"You see," said the Captain, "I use Bunsen’s designs, not Ruhmkorff’s. They wouldn’t have been strong enough. Bunsen’s are fewer, but super powerful and big, which experience shows is best."

"The electricity made goes forward, where it powers huge electromagnets, on a system of levers and gears that move the propeller’s axle. This one, which is nineteen feet across and twenty-three feet around, spins about a hundred and twenty times a second."

"And how fast does that get you?"

"A speed of fifty miles an hour."

"I’ve seen the Nautilus zip around before the Abraham Lincoln, and I have my own thoughts about how fast it really is. But fifty miles? That’s not enough. We need to see where we’re going. We need to be able to turn it - left, right, up, down."

"How do you deal with the crushing pressure at the deep depths, where the resistance is measured in hundreds of atmospheres? How do you come back up to the surface? And how do you breathe down there? Am I asking too much?"

"Not at all, Professor," replied the Captain, a little unsure; "since you might never leave this submarine. Come to the main lounge - that’s where we usually hang out - and you’ll learn everything you want to know about the Nautilus."