Chapter 12. Everything through Electricity

           Amomentafterwewereseatedonadivaninthesaloonsmoking.TheCaptainshowedmeasketchthatgavetheplan,section,andelevationoftheNautilus.Thenhebeganhisdescriptioninthesewords:

           "Here,M.Aronnax,aretheseveraldimensionsoftheboatyouarein.Itisanelongatedcylinderwithconicalends.Itisverylikeacigarinshape,ashapealreadyadoptedinLondoninseveralconstructionsofthesamesort.Thelengthofthiscylinder,fromstemtostern,isexactly232feet,anditsmaximumbreadthistwenty-sixfeet.Itisnotbuiltquitelikeyourlong-voyagesteamers,butitslinesaresufficientlylong,anditscurvesprolongedenough,toallowthewatertoslideoffeasily,andopposenoobstacletoitspassage.ThesetwodimensionsenableyoutoobtainbyasimplecalculationthesurfaceandcubiccontentsoftheNautilus.Itsareameasures6,032feet;anditscontentsabout1,500cubicyards;thatistosay,whencompletelyimmerseditdisplaces50,000feetofwater,orweighs1,500tons.

           "WhenImadetheplansforthissubmarinevessel,Imeantthatnine-tenthsshouldbesubmerged:consequentlyitoughtonlytodisplacenine-tenthsofitsbulk,thatistosay,onlytoweighthatnumberoftons.Ioughtnot,therefore,tohaveexceededthatweight,constructingitontheaforesaiddimensions.

           "TheNautilusiscomposedoftwohulls,oneinside,theotheroutside,joinedbyT-shapedirons,whichrenderitverystrong.Indeed,owingtothiscellulararrangementitresistslikeablock,asifitweresolid.Itssidescannotyield;itcoheresspontaneously,andnotbytheclosenessofitsrivets;anditsperfectunionofthematerialsenablesittodefytheroughestseas.