Motor Matt's Close Call

In Short

This fast-paced juvenile adventure, originally published in 1909 as a weekly dime novel, follows the exploits of Motor Matt and his crew aboard their submarine, the Grampus. When a Spanish consul named Don Ramon Ortega lures the crew into a treacherous political snare, the boys must rely on their technical ingenuity and the help of a loyal ally to regain control of their ship. It remains a fascinating snapshot of early twentieth-century pulp fiction, capturing the era’s burgeoning obsession with motorized machines and exotic, high-stakes globe-trotting.

The Story

The story begins in Belize, where Carl Pretzel, a cheerful and sturdy German boy, accidentally stumbles upon the Spanish consul, Don Ramon Ortega, bound and gagged in his own home. After releasing the diplomat, Carl and the don discover that the Grampus—a sophisticated submarine operated by Motor Matt and his Canadian shipmate, Dick Ferral—has already departed for the south. The don, appearing as a man of high character, insists that the submarine is needed to prevent a bloody insurrection led by a small, swashbuckling revolutionary named General Pitou.

However, the don’s mission is a ruse. Once at sea, it is revealed that he is working in league with a ruffian named Captain Abner Fingal to seize the Grampus and turn it over to the rebels. The submarine’s crew—Gaines, Clackett, and Speake—are initially misled by the promise of financial reward, only to find themselves effectively prisoners on their own boat, held under the threat of revolvers. The submarine is steered toward the river Izaral, where the rebels hope to utilize its power to consolidate their control over the region.

Matt, ever the resourceful engineer, refuses to be cowed. Locked in the periscope room, the boys are suddenly joined by Ysabel Sixty, the daughter of a captured filibuster. She has infiltrated the vessel to aid them, providing the critical edge needed to turn the tide. When the moment of opportunity arises, Matt and his crew launch a coordinated, brutal counterattack. They disarm the conspirators, physically overpower the massive Captain Fingal, and eventually capture the absurdly attired General Pitou, whose spurs and sword repeatedly trip him during his failed attempt at a coup.

With the villains secured in the hold, Matt attempts to navigate the Grampus past a rebel-held fort. Disaster strikes when enemy fire destroys the submarine’s periscope, causing the vessel to run aground in the treacherous river. Through sheer mechanical grit and the careful operation of the ballast tanks, Matt frees the Grampus and returns to the safety of open water. Ultimately, the crew arrives back in Belize, having successfully navigated a web of betrayal. The book concludes with the liberation of the submarine, the humbling of the revolutionary plotters, and a brief, unrelated sequence involving a charitable visit by a young man named Philip to the city’s poor, followed by a somber essay on the dangers of the orchid-hunting and rubber-gathering trades.

How It Unfolds

A mysterious disappearance Carl Pretzel discovers the Spanish consul bound in a hotel, triggering a search for the missing Grampus. The submarine is already far from the harbor, having been lured away by the promise of a mission to stop a revolution.

The betrayal revealed Once aboard, the crew realizes the don is a fraud working with the pirate-like Captain Fingal. Matt and his friends are confined to the periscope room, realizing they have been hijacked to support a rebel faction.

An inside ally Ysabel Sixty sneaks into the cabin to assist the imprisoned crew, offering essential intelligence about the rebels' strength. Her bravery provides the hope necessary for the boys to plan their desperate reclamation of the vessel.

The reclaimation Matt leads a swift, violent struggle against their captors, quickly disabling Fingal and seizing the weapons. The general is captured in a humiliating fashion, tangled in his own military regalia, and tossed into the hold.

Escaping the river The crew navigates the river under fire, losing their periscope to enemy shots. By using compressed air and quick thinking, Matt frees the submarine from the riverbank, navigating back to Belize to finish the journey.

The People

Motor Matt is the central figure, a lad whose mechanical genius and "never-failing nerve" allow him to solve crises that would paralyze others. He is the moral and technical anchor of the story, consistently prioritizing the safety of his crew over the don’s political machinations.

Carl Pretzel acts as a comedic, loyal companion. His accidental discovery of the bound consul kicks the plot into motion, and his simple, steadfast nature balances the more intense, action-oriented temperament of the sailors.

Dick Ferral is the quintessential "sea dog." While he possesses the sailor’s typical dose of superstition, his loyalty to Matt is absolute. He serves as the primary muscle during the physical confrontations with the mutineers.

Don Ramon Ortega serves as the primary antagonist. Though he presents himself as a cultured gentleman, his "points of polished jet" eyes betray a cruel, duplicitous nature. His failed snare serves as the catalyst for the entire adventure.

General Pitou is a comic-relief villain, a "little swashbuckler" whose vanity and impractical military outfit ensure his eventual downfall. His obsession with his own image makes his ultimate capture—dragged down into the hold by his boots and spurs—both inevitable and satisfying.

Ysabel Sixty is the story's hidden hero. Her willingness to risk her life for Matt and the crew proves her mettle, transforming the prisoners from passive victims into active combatants.

In Its Own Voice

"Dere iss some dricky pitzness here, you bed you!"

Carl realizes something is terribly wrong when he finds the consul bound and gagged on the floor.

"If this matter is aired, it won't sound very well when your government hears of it."

Matt confronts the don with the reality of his criminal actions after a brief scuffle.

"Don't you never think it. She's runnin' a lot o' risks, an' I wouldn't never have thought a girl could have the grit."

Speake reflects on the surprising bravery displayed by Ysabel Sixty in the face of danger.

What It's Really About

The book explores the tension between technological progress and the chaotic, often lawless nature of political ambition. Through the Grampus, it presents the machine as a tool that requires both steady hands and a firm moral compass to operate; without the right leadership, the submarine becomes a dangerous weapon for "trouble-makers" and "swashbucklers." Underlying the adventure is a skepticism toward the stability of foreign political regimes, where "revolutionists" are depicted as opportunistic rogues rather than principled actors. Ultimately, the story argues that true power lies not in political title or military attire, but in the combination of technical competence and personal loyalty.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy fast-paced, turn-of-the-century pulp fiction will find this a charming and brisk experience. It functions as a "techno-thriller" of the 1900s, where the technical specs of a submarine are treated with the same wonder as a modern space flight. The prose is clean and direct, moving from one crisis to the next without lingering on unnecessary descriptions.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the realities of the era's storytelling. The characters, particularly Carl Pretzel, speak in a phonetic "dialect" meant to signify their heritage, which can be jarring and reads as a caricature today. Furthermore, the attitudes toward foreign nations and the "savages" mentioned in the concluding essays reflect the colonial, Eurocentric worldview common to the period. The abrupt inclusion of unrelated stories and essays at the end of the volume is a quirk of the original "weekly" publishing format, which may feel disjointed to those accustomed to modern, self-contained novels. Read it for the historical curiosity of seeing how the "Motor Boys" subgenre imagined the future of warfare and adventure, and for the simple, earnest pluckiness of its heroes. It is a brief window into a time when a boy with a wrench and a submarine could save the day.