Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-01-28
THE AWFUL TORPEDO.
WHAT THE NAVAL ENGAGEMENT or
THE FUTURE MAY BE.
Description Of a Battle Between an Lon.
Clad and Torpedo Boat-An
Uncertain Fight Of One
Against "A Hundred.
lTim--p,nocra, Translation from Fi;aro.I

The role % the torIeslc-boat Is terrible;
and those who direct it, movements are ex-
posed 70 the greatest dangers \ single
| heavy shot Eiay shattcr it to ATOMS; and
when At approaches the enemy a hail of balls
] from the iEitrailieuses and rifles will do ter
rible execution on boarI Therefore ths
mere Tact OF efabarkiug on a torpeio-boat is
guarantee Of bravery. Figure 10 yourself
tie situation OF the officer in command of
! sIic.! torp.dO-b8at vino Is ordered to sink
ship 81 thu eiismy's squadron All his sur
| rcuni!nsS con ,tifutc one vast danger The
| very sea tina; hides AMI protects him during
/ TIE trst part Of his expeiition may in another
m IInent toss his corpse hither and thither
up II its waves. HIS adversary Will seek to
II! tie tie bat with a rain o. steel, cast iron
a. lead. The torpedo Itself, which carries
snch terror with it, might be touched by a
missile, and explode, bursting the torpedo
boat into atoms.
The combat commences The vessels of
the heet have opened fire. Shells rain in all
directions. One II cur cruisers, cannonadsd
heavily on the starbaari side by fort
mounting twelve Krupp cannon, is stimuli
teleou " attacked on the larb GARD side by
one ol tho @nemys irUu-clsis. She has
already SUFFERED severely. AMI her position
heru..I-s critical \ mast-signal from the
aiiniTaFs snip Is given; AMI a torpedo-boat
START the watchtGi enemy has Observed
tie signal lie knows the CANCER; and at
once concentrates all his fire upon the little
gray speck which is shooting rapidly toward
hin. Three miles separate them; and the
torpado-ouat must make that three miles In
ten minutes II it Is not sunk before it has
traversed that distance, the iron-clai is lost
h..r-a for l...,, Al.
with the most scrupulous care The first
snells pass wide of the mark; but the aim Is
rectifiei; and soon the shells fall 50 near the
toTpedo-boat that they throw the water over
IL Now one has fallen right at its Prov 4
geyser jet Of water thirty feet high conceels
the turp2Io-boat: tie enemy believes it has
been sunk, and utter a TREMENDOUS cheer.
But the projectile has only ricochetted, and
Pas, d over IL The wafer falls hack in rain,
all the brave little vessel reappears all
streaming with br M rs though it had
emerged from the sea leeps, aud rushing on
at full steam in the face Of death
There are only niEe men on the little res
sci, aud they are going u at ack sort Of
leviathan carrying an immense crew 1t is
not the fight Of one against ten, but Df one
a-5aiiiS, a .uu ir.i
Not single :yori = uttered byond the
neces AIRY orders. Those men whom death |
already touches with h., fin ger are silont and
grave AMI do Not suppose for moment |
taat they DO not think of tho danger. On |
the contrary, they think oi nothing else But |
II Is not ii t-,eir own danger they are think |
ing, but o: the danger o: failure. Ii is not |
question uf their lives but Of the success Of |
the enterprise. Il Is essential tia. me tor
pcdC-bp2t shall reach the cncinvs FAM and 1
rescac our crui-er. After that. if tho tor
p do-bpaJ sinks, 20 much the uorse!
Every nerve is strained, every eye is d. |
rectci t1wlrl TIE obj ct ia view Nov the
boat i only 80 yarIs away from the iron
cad The fir Of the HitraiileuSes minSles
with the shower of shells, AM sweeps the
deck; everything wooden Is Splintcrel to
atoms with grape-siot. IN incessant fire of
rifles from thu mast-jap5 Of the
ir'il-cial plays over TIE Joip,d,-boat; ami
the bIll, ont ring through t. Few open
.s-i IN the decks have already disabled
r.a mon. They lie in a corner t. which
) wore abb. 70 drag themselves; for
,.lci- j. Hp ttme now - attend to them
iaey u.ay H. thought ot in two minutes
In -r,.-a.,cr the fata OF al shall have been
I.ci.oI
Tee torpsi.-boat has almC.,t reached it,
A-''ial J iat r4h'esn "a A.4f .'-ea-As'fLl !,
low assured; for the she'll batteries are
pOwet-ess % harm tie tOrp. J-b)it a. such
,hor5 rang. The rihe-fre, terrible as it is,
,ann1: sink her; it ean only kill soma Of her
,rrw-hu: t!rtt : @: ~ great Consequence.
NV i jae tim. wen tie a tain needs
Il! ii, surety IF ey, a,.I co,iucss Of will;
Ipw is the ,inc thar his Eeu must execute
orders VITA the rapid.ty "a lgltGias; Tor
the to:prlo lie tirct a second to- soon it
VA FAM b IL a., terrible dg:y; and yet ii
acre b. a .isiay Of IuJmaHt, the torpedo
,oat must ia. >: i.se.f I, pieces against the
i les Of it, mighty aircr a=y.
Now thu boat seems almost ready TO touch
"a en-my's vessel! Hand grenade, Gung :
lln- her iac.z rebound ami burst one man
+ kIicit the captain Ia received Terrible
VIM IA ;hs ;Gse; tut summonInS all his
tr.lILtn he support, himself erect against
a. iron wal ly aGbIms effort OF Will !
s.vil aran,ari wi;n b!oo!, but terrible in
u, calm re=o.yr and bravery, ne keeps his
;. -li.i upon III. enemy.
E-aly, l.; her 60! :"
Iae awful missile Is launched An cnor-
nous surge arp arS N tie water; and
i-gltlul- cracking noise Is heard, followed
y terrible cry Of distress, The pismy has
10 .qGrT1 ID giant.
"iari a stsrboarit7
Ana the Little vessel, Suddenly wheeling
Inuai steam, away at full speed wAi!: the
heang'S Iron-ela sinks 10 the t.ottoni- =
Ten minute, aft inward the tOrle lO-bcat
"a, returned 30 is p'st beside the adnI;rals =.
esso.--;h. admiral nds for tie captain in
IL .rg 10 cosgratuiat' HIM He IS carried ~
in u ,ln a bieE. Meanwhile the fight goes
n \ new expedition may pi owe necessary.
|. pf,vi,pry captain is a. once appointed,
"a! four III IN 20 complete the dccima:cl
r'y, AID Use turpcdo-loat i, ready 10 fulfill i
mother mission. il has another hand Of he