- Episode 1: Dr. Ralph Burke, a scientist and inventor, perfects an apparatus enabling submarine craft to remain underwater indefinitely without relying wholly upon compressed air stored in the boat. The discovery is perfected at the opening of the story and has been offered to the United States government. Lieut. Jarvis Hope. U.S.N., is dispatched to witness a practical demonstration of the invention. Arriving in the city where Dr. Burke lives, Lieut. Hope meets an old acquaintance. Hook Barnacle, whose life he once saved. Hook had his right hand bitten off by a shark, and an iron hook being substituted gained for him the odd sobriquet. Hook escorts the lieutenant to the Burke home and relates to Cleo, the doctor's "daughter," how his life had been saved by the young naval officer. Cleo and Hope become mutually interested. Hook is much given to talking and it is not long before the entire village knows the reason for Lieut. Hope's visit. Among those who learn the news are Sextus, a Russian, and Satsuma, a Jap, working under the orders of one Mahlin. The following day is set for the demonstration. Satsuma watching his chance has secreted himself aboard the submarine. Olga Ivanoff, head of the Russian bureau in this country, receives a visit from Sextus, who is commanded by her to obtain the secret of the submarine. Meantime Calvin Montgomery, a wealthy lobbyist, upon advices from influential friends at Washington, sends his nephew, Gerald Morton, an unprincipled rounder, to obtain the secret. Gerald is suspicious of his uncle's interest in Cleo Burke, but fails to learn anything definite before he leaves to see the inventor. On board the submarine the apparatus is being manipulated satisfactorily and Lieut. Hope is much impressed. The party repairs to the salon for lunch, affording opportunity for Satsuma to crawl stealthily from his hiding place. The Jap is examining the mechanism of the invention when he is surprised by Dr. Burke, who gives the alarm. Sailors rush in to overpower the Jap but he is desperate. Shots are fired, one of which disables the Burke apparatus. Satsuma throws over the lever opening the conning tower trap, leaps up the ladder, gains the top and dives off into the sea as the boat quickly sinking is almost lost to view. The water pours down through the open trap. The air machine is broken and with the boat uncontrollable, the inventor and his party battle for life in the watery darkness.—Moving Picture World synopsis
- Episode 2: The boat is filling with water. Cleo, remembering that Hope had shown her the lever controlling the trap door in the conning tower, rushes to it and throwing it over, closes the door and shuts off the rush of water. Burke turns his attention to his invention and just as the party is about to succumb to suffocation he manages to get the machine working and the supply of air is renewed. The boat is rising and the party regains its spirits. In the meantime, Satsuma, the Jap, has reached the shore. Morton, the emissary of Montgomery, has arrived in the city to purchase the submarine secret. Burke tells him the test has been successful and that the United States government is negotiating to buy it. He also tells Morton he will not deal with him. Cleo passing the window gives Morton an idea. He asks Burke: "Is the submarine secret the only one you possess?" Burke is visibly affected by the question and promises to see Morton later. Satsuma, meantime, has reported to Mahlin, and Sextus receives orders from Olga Ivanhoff to obtain the secret at all cost. Thus that night Satsuma and Sextus each gain entrance to the Burke home in search of the secret. In the dim light the two men meet and grapple, each thinking his opponent is a member of the household. The fight is terrific and both are hurt, but manage to escape. The midnight battle puzzles the Burkes, for no attempt had been made to rob the house. It is deemed best not to call in the police. The next morning Hope is apprised of the fight, and Burke tells Cleo of the receipt of an anonymous letter containing a veiled threat on his life if he does not meet the writer and sell him the submarine secret. In the meantime Hope reports favorably upon the discovery to the government and is informed a check will be sent him to make the first payment. Burke in the darkness of that night is known to visit his library, where at a late hour he is depositing small slips of paper in various volumes. He goes to his den and writes, engaged apparently upon a task of vital import. The next morning Cleo calls her father to breakfast, but he does not respond. She goes to his room. His bed has not been slept in. She is alarmed and hurries to his workshop and then to his den, on the floor of which she discovers his dead body.—Moving Picture World synopsis
- Episode 3: When Cleo Burke discovers her father is murdered she gives a scream which is heard by Gerald Morton, who happens to be passing the house. He rushes in and lifts the unconscious Cleo onto a couch. He leans for an instant over Burke's body. The papers on the inventor's desk have been mussed up, indicating that someone had tried to find the secret of the submarine. The books, which Dr. Burke had told Cleo "are worth a fortune," are undisturbed. Mortoff hurries for a doctor as Hope and Barnacle appear. While Hope is trying to comfort Cleo, Barnacle investigates and finds in one hand of the dead man a button tightly clutched. He sees that a button is missing off the lieutenant's coat. His friendship prompts him to pocket the button. When Morton returns with the doctor he says he can easily trace the murderer, as there is a button clutched in the dead man's hand. Consternation reigns when an examination fails to disclose the button. Morton is unable to explain and he looks suspiciously at both Hook and Hope. Naturally Hope must withhold the first payment on the invention which he was authorized to make for the government and Cleo, apprised of the fact, learns she is about penniless. She recalls that the doctor often told her certain books in the library contained a fortune, so she determines to sell them. The books are sent to an auctioneer in a nearby city. But just as they are sold Cleo learns from a note left in the old family Bible that the books contain the secret of the submarine. The foreign spies also learn this, and all make haste to recover the books. Cleo, Hope and Hook start for the auction house but miss the train. They determine to make the race in an auto, for the spies have already got a start of them. Spring freshets have carried out a bridge. Hope, driving the car down a long grade at a high speed, faces death if he stops the car and faces death if he doesn't. His only alternative is to leap the broken bridge by trusting to more speed and this he gives the auto. It is a terrible moment for the trio, but the leap is negotiated and they land safely on the other side. The foreign spies arrive at the auction house ahead of Hope and Cleo. The auctioneer refuses to surrender the original list of purchasers, but permits copies to be made. Satsuma, knowing Hope and Cleo are en route, sets fire to the auction house. Cleo and Hope drive up to find the building in flames.—Moving Picture World synopsis
- Episode 4: This chapter opens with Lieut. Hope and Cleo accosting Dawson, owner of the auction room, standing before his once flourishing business watching the building go up in smoke. As Hope is copying the list of bidders of the books from notes in the hand of Dawson, the auctioneer points out Satsuma to them as one who obtained a copy. Without further delay Satsuma jumps into a waiting taxicab. Hope, Cleo and "Hook" follow in another car, tracing him to the home of Stephansky, a bomb maker. Meanwhile, Olga, the Russian spy, and Gerald Morton, who, like her, seeks the secret of the submarine, are speeding toward Stephansky's home. Satsuma manages to get through the traffic jam while Hope and Cleo are halted by the policeman. However, through "Hook's" strategy, they manage to get away. Olga's intoxicated driver, turning a corner, plunges his machine into the car in which Morton is a passenger. The occupants face each other. Hope and Cleo manage to get away from the traffic policeman. When Satsuma arrives at Stephansky's, he sees Olga and Morton entering. He hides in the shrubbery. Hope and Cleo drive up in a few minutes. Morton sees them through a window. Olga recognizes Stephansky as one of her aides and exchanges signals with him. Morton, begging to be hidden, confesses to Olga he is after the secret and the girl. She secretes him and instructs Stephansky so that when Hope and Cleo knock at the door she is told to return alone that night. She goes alone to the house and is immediately seized and efforts made to make her reveal the secret of the submarine. Morton and Olga, having perused the books purchased by Stephansky, have failed to find the secret therein. They believe Cleo knows, so Morton, masked, enters the room, and he and Stephansky bind Cleo, place her in a cellar and tell her she will remain a captive until she discloses the secret. Hope and "Hook" go to Stephansky's. The lights are extinguished and the lieutenant, his suspicions now confirmed, breaks in the door. Stephansky leaps upon Hope and Morton seizes a bomb. Stephansky grasps Morton's wrist. The bomb falls through the secret door in the floor and into the cellar where Cleo lies bound. There is a terrific explosion and the house is blown up.—Moving Picture World synopsis
- Episode 5: A few seconds before the bomb hurled by Morton, fell into the cellar where Cleo lay bound, she was dragged to safety through a secret passageway by Hook, who had been prowling around on the outside. Cleo and Hook find Lieut. Hope just recovering consciousness. Olga and Gerald escape uninjured. Stephansky is killed. Satsuma witnesses the explosion. Hope, Cleo and Hook make a quick examination of the book which Stephansky had purchased. While it was one of the Burke books, it is not the right book. All the conspirators hear this. The next name on the list is that of Mrs. Del Marr, wife of the British Consul at San Francisco. All make haste to reach her. Mrs. Del Marr bought the books for her nephew, who is out of the city, but expected back that night. Mrs. Del Marr's secretary is Fedor, secret agent in the employ of Olga, who arranges for invitations to Olga and Morton. Lieut. Hope has already received an invitation and Mahlin is among those present disguised as a servant. Olga recognizes the Del Marr home as a former rendezvous of Russian spies. She shows Morton and Fedor various secret passages. One passageway open into the reading den. Hook is prowling around on the outside. Mrs. Del Marr tells Hope and Cleo the books are in her den. The conspirators hear this. Mahlin begins a quick perusal of the books. Olga and Morton from the secret passageway see him and are puzzled by his action. Mrs. Del Marr, Cleo and Hope start to the reading room. Mahlin hears them coming and jumps behind a bookcase dropping, the two much-sought books on the floor. Olga, from the passageway, turns off the lights in the room. Hope turns them on. Francois, who had been reading in the den, is found unconscious on the floor, where Mahlin laid him low. Mahlin, fearing discovery, dons a black mask. Cleo sees Mahlin crouching behind the bookcase. She screams and Mahlin and Hope struggle. They fight desperately through the room and out into the hall. A mysterious hand reaches through the panel and gets the two books on the floor. Hope and Mahlin battle down the long staircase into the guests in the ballroom.—Moving Picture World synopsis
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