Gas Tank-Mini Sub Vanishes In Mississippi 'Hole'

     The EWE-101, as Scudding had christened his gleaming white craft, was a 20 foot long one man submersible converted from a large residential propane tank. Thick glass portholes peered from the bow of the craft as well as front the unusual spherical conning tower. As several friend guided Scudding's craft into the waters, he watched from the sandy river bank and fielded questions from the handful of curious reporters.

     Scudding described the EWE-101 as "a brave and sturdy craft" strong enough to handle depths of over 2000 feet. It is equipped with powerful hi-tech communications gear. "I trust her with my life," Scudding quipped.

     The hole in the Mississippi appeared last winter during a sonar survey of the river's navigable channel by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (see: "Hole" Discovered In Mississippi River Bed, February, 1997, vol. 4, Issue #2). Since then, the hole has caused no mishaps to river traffic and the Army Corps of Engineers no longer considers it a hazard to navigation. However, disturbing stories as well as the recent incident of five men coming ashore from the river who claimed to be crew of a schooner that went aground in the Atlantic in 1921 have fueled local imaginations (see: Missing Crewmen Emerge From Hole In Mississippi, April, 1998, vol. 5, Issue #4).

     A few minutes after launching his jaunty little craft, Scudding climbed aboard and doffed his vintage German U-boat officer's cap to the crowd. An instant later, he climbed below and sealed the hatch. It took twenty minutes for the EWE-101 to reach the area directly over the hole. From the EWE-101 support personnel's radio came a message from Scudding announcing that all was well and he was beginning to dive. His dive was monitored by a sonar equipped chase boat supplied by the Boone Springs U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. As minutes crept by, Scudding's voice steadily announced the depth every ten feet until shortly after reaching a depth of 100 feet when the radio operator lost the signal.

     The 1996 United States Geological Service Quad Map lists the depth for the river at that place to be between 18 and 24 feet deep.

     Rescue efforts were soon mounted but no trace or wreckage belonging to the unique submersible was detected and the search was officially ended at 4 PM the next day. Many residents of Boone Springs now feel that Scudding arrogantly invited the same watery fate as the 80 foot long side-wheeler Major Hawking over a century ago.

     Jack Manson, Scudding's chief engineer and personnel friend, say the EWE-101 support team has no plans for a funeral.

     "He'll surface somewhere. He always does."