Allusions and References
(See also: Bennett, Colorado#Kiowa Crossing and train wreck)
The story was inspired by a train wreck that occurred in 1878 in the town of Bennett, Colorado (then known as Kiowa Crossing) in which a Kansas Pacific Railway train was swept away when a rail bridge washed out. Most of the wreck was recovered save for the locomotive. Ironically, in 1989 (the year the novel takes place) it was discovered that the Kansas Pacific Railway had secretly recovered the locomotive and placed it back into service, yet still wrote it off and therefore committed insurance fraud. A further ironic point was that Canada would sever its last legal dependence on the British government in 1982, the year after the book was published, with the passage of the Canada Act.
A unique facet to the Dirk Pitt novels is that they generally feature a prologue set in an earlier period of history than when the primary action is set. This period can be anywhere from a few dozen to a few thousand years in the past and generally sets up some important element of the primary plot that will later be revealed.
In Night Probe the prologue is set in May 1914 just prior to the outbreak of World War I. Several historical figures of the period are referenced fictionally including President Woodrow Wilson, Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden and King George V.
Also a common feature of the Dirk Pitt novels are references and story themes based on maritime and ecological science. In Night Probe! the introduction of advanced Side-scan sonar technology to search for oil and other energy and mineral content below the surface of the sea is a primary plot device.
Read more about this topic: Night Probe!