noon
How vain must such puny efforts prove ! Plunged into ocean depths of three or four miles beneath the surface , subjected to an inconceivable pressure of millions and millions of tons of sea water , their metallic shroud was utterly unassailable from within , and utterly unapproachable from without ! Early on the morning of December 29th , the Captain calculating from his log that they must now be very near the spot where they had witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon , the _ Susquehanna _ hove to . Having to wait till noon to find his exact position , he ordered the steamer to take a short circular course of a few hours ' duration , in hope of sighting the buoy . But though at least a hundred telescopes scanned the calm ocean breast for many miles in all directions , it was nowhere to be seen . Precisely at noon , aided by his officers and in the presence of Marston , Belfast , and the Gun Club Committee , the Captain took his observations . After a moment or two of the most profound interest , it was a great gratification to all to learn that the _ Susquehanna _ was on the right parallel , and only about 15 miles west of the precise spot where the Projectile had disappeared beneath the waves .