The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-27
THE TERRIBLE TORPEDO.
WHAT TIT NAVAL ENG AGEMuNT OF
IKE TUruRE MAY BE
Battle Between an fran-CIad and n
Torpedo Boat The Fight OF One
Against a Hundred.

Battle Between an tran-CIad and n
Torpedo Beat Tire Fight OF Cine
Against a Hundred.
The role of the torpedo boat is terrible;
and those who direct its movements are
exposed to the greatest dangers. a
single heaye shot may shatter it to atoms
and when it approaches the enemy a hail
OF balls from the mitraileuses and rifles
will do terrible execution on board. There
fore the mere fact of embarking on a
torpedo-boat is guarantee of bravery.
Figure to yourself the situation of the of
fcer in command of such torpedo-boat
VIII o is ordered to sink a ship of the enc
my's squadron. All his surroundings
constitute one vast danger The very
sea that hides and protects him during
the first part of his expedition may in
another moment toss his corpse hither
and thither upon its waves. His adver-
sary will seek to riddle the boat with
rain of steel, cast-iron and lead. The
torpedo itself which carries such terror
with it, might be touched with a missile
and explode, bursting the torpedo boat
into atoms.
The combat commences. The vessels
of the fleet have opened fire. Shells
rain in all directions. One of our crui-
sers, cannonaded heavily on the star
board side by a fort mounting twelve
Krupp cannon, is simultaneously at
tackled on the larboard side by one of the
enemys ironclads. She has already suf-
fered severely, and her position becomes
critical. A mast signal from the ad-
miral's ship is given; and a topedo boat
CT 81 hn t,1c fol II.
served the signal. He knows the danger,
and at once concentrates all his fire upon
the little gray speck which is shooting
rapidly toward him. Three miles scpa-
rate them; and the torpedo boat must
make that three miles in ten minutes. If
it is not sunk before it has traversed that
distance, the ironclad is lost. Therefore,
the cannoniers point their guns with the
most scrupulous care. The first shells
pass wide of the mark; but the aim is
rectifed, and soon the shells fall so near
the torpedo boat that they throw the
water over it. Now ore has fallen right
at its PROV. A gevser jet of water thir-
ty feet high conceals the torpedo boat
the enemy believes it has been sunk, and
utter a tremendous cheer. But the pro-
jectilc has only ricochetted and passed
over it. The water falls back in rain,
and the brave little vessel reappears all
streaming with brine, as though it had
emerged from the sea-deeps, and rush
ing on at full steam in tho face Of
death.
There was only nine men on the little
vessel, and they are going to attack a
sort of leviathan carrying an immense
crew. 1t is not the fight Of one against
ten, but OF one against hundred.
Not single word is uttered beyond
the necessary orders. Those men whom
death already touches with his finger are
silent and grave. And do not suppose
for moment that they do not think of
the danger. On the contrary, they think
of nothing else. But it is not of their
own danger they are thinking, but Of
the danger of failure. 1t is not a ques-
ton of their lives but of the success Of
the enterprise. 1t is essential that the
torpedo boats shall reach the enemy 8
flank and rescue our cruiser. After that.
if the torpcdo-boat sinks, so much the
worse
Every nerve is strained, every eye is
directed toward the oh ject in view Now
the boat is only five hundred yards away
from the iron clad. The fire of the mi
traileuses mingles with the showers OF
shells and sweeps the deck; every
thing wooden is splntered to atoms
with grapeshot. An incessant fire
of repeating rifles from the mast
tops of the iron-clad plays
over the torpedo boat; and the balls, en-
tering through the few openings in the
decks, have already disabled three men.
They lie in corner to which they were
able to drag themselves, for there is no
time now to attend to them. They may
be thought of in two minutes more
after the fate of all shall have been de-
cided.
The torpedo boat has almost reached
its enemy. The success of the eXpedi-
tion is now assured. for the small batter
les are powerless to harm the torpedo
boat at such short range. The rifle fire,
terrible as it is, cannot sink her. 1t can
only kill some of her crew; but this l:
of no great consequence Now is the
time when the captain needs all his suret,
of eye and GOODNESS of will; now is the
time that his men must execute orders
with the rapidity of lightning, for if the
torpedo be fred second too soon it will
fail to do its terrible duty, and yet il
there be q delay of a moment the tor
pedo boat must dash itself to pieces
against the sides of its mighty adversary
Now the boat seems Almost ready tC
touch the enemys vessel Hand gre
nades flung upon her deck rebound anG
burst; one man is killed; the captain ha!
received terrible wound in the face
but, summoning all his strength, h,
supports himself erect against the iroI
wall by a sublime effort of will. Livid
drenched with blood, but terrible in hi
calm resolve and bravery, he keeps hi
eye still upon the enemy.
"Ready! Let her gom
The awful missile is launched. Al
enormous surge appears in the water. arg
frightful, cracking NOISE is heard, fol
lowed by a terrible cry of distress. Thu
pigmy has conquered the giant.
Hard a starboarI."
And the little vessel, suddenly wheel
ing around, steams away at full spee(
while the enemy's iron clad sinks to tn
bottom.