Plot

An inventor and his accomplice plan to rob a ship carrying gold bullion by using a submarine. A waiter overhears their plans, buys himself an admiral's uniform, tricks his way into command of the sub and plots to take the ship himself.

A witless waiter working in a hotel restaurant often causes problems for the other staff members of the restaurant, his manager, and the customers. One day, an inventor and his associate dine in the restaurant and is served by the waiter. Gaining access via a submarine moored offshore with its ready crew, the inventor and his associate plan to rob a passenger steamer of a large shipment of gold on board. As they seem so secretive, the waiter devises a system of listening in on their conversation without being detected. As such, the waiter learns their plans to rob the steamer. Using a naval disguise, the waiter plans to take their place first on the submarine so that he can rob the steamer himself. Even with the help of the submarine's crew - or in spite of it - the waiter finds that stealing the gold and getting away scot-free isn't as straightforward as he anticipated.—Huggo

A witless waiter at a hotel restaurant overhears an inventor and his accomplice scheming to use a submarine to commandeer a ship and steal its cargo of gold. The waiter contrives to take the papers that will give him command of the sub, and, once on board, his ineptitude nearly causes a mutiny. Will he and his crew succeed with the robbery?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Glen Cavender, a shrewd inventor, and Wesley Ruggles, his accomplice, plan the destruction of a government battleship. The scene opens along the coast in a high-class hotel. Syd Chaplin is a jolly waiter, who likes to mingle flirtation with pretty guests with the juggling of plates and edibles. He falls down a flight of stairs and covers himself with a leopard skin to hide from the wrath of the landlord. His ruse leads to hysterics on the part of Phyllis Allen, as he is running on fours to avoid the kicks of the infuriated hotel man. When Miss Allen finds out her mistake, she is much peeved and pursues him with an umbrella. Her attempts to hit Syd results in more damage to the bystanders than the waiter-comedian. Finally things become quieted down and Cavender and Ruggles sit down at one table and Miss Allen at another. Syd overhears the two men discussing their nefarious plans by means of a telephone receiver disguised as a floral ornament and placed on their table. Syd takes their bag containing their plans and slips into their rooms. Miss Allen misses her bag and accuses the inventors. They run for their room with her and all the guests in pursuit. They get into their apartment and one of them puts a bomb in the box containing their plans and models and in which Syd has hidden himself. There is a great explosion and Syd and the inventors escape injury. There is a pursuit in which Syd jumps from one building to another. He makes his way to a second-hand store, where he buys an admiral's uniform, goes down to the dock, where he whistles three times, according to the orders he has overheard the inventors talking about. A boat appears and conveys Syd to the submarine. The commander turns over the craft to Syd after perusing his stolen papers. The interior of the submarine with all its levers, keys, cogs and wires is interestingly displayed to Syd. The officer initiates Syd into the mysteries of submerging and then walks off. Syd pulls a lever and starts the boat to dip beneath the service. Another pull at a second lever opens a hole overhead and the crew gets a good dousing until the officer shuts it again. Then there is an attack on a passenger ship, when the captain tricks Syd and the steamer is sunk by a torpedo. Then a U.S. gunboat comes to the rescue and sinks the submarine as Syd has lost the key and cannot send it beneath the waves for protection. The last scene shows Syd's head in the jaws of a rapacious shark.—Moving Picture World synopsis