The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-03-30

| meant couiu Hot DC Imagined by any
officer of the garrison. II the people on
board the ships were taking advantage
Of the earthquake, and supposed that
they could induce British soldiers to be-
lieve that it had been caused by one of
their bombs then were they idiots in.
deed. They would fire their second shot
at Fort Pitcher! This was impossible,
for they had not yet fired their first shot
These syndicate people were evidently
very tricky. and the defenders of the
port must therefore be very cautious.
Fort Pitcher was a very large and I'M
| finished fertilization, on a bluff on the
opposite side of the harbor. Work had
been discontinued on it as soon as the
syndicate's vessels had appeared off the
port, for 1t was not desired to expose the
builders and workmen to a possible
bombardment The place was now,
therefore, almost deserted; but after the
receipt Of the syndicate's message, the
commandment feared that the enemy
might throw an ordinary shell into the
unfinished works, and he sent a boat
across the bay to order away any work
men or others who might DO lingering
about the place.
A little after 2 o'clock p. m. an instan-
taneous motor bomb was discharged
from Repeller No. into Fort Pitcher.
1t was set to act five seconds after i'm
pact with the object aimed at. 1t struck
In a central portion Of the unfinished
fort, and having described high curve
In the air, descended not only with its
own motive power, but with the force Of
gravitation, and penetrated deep into the
earth.
Five seconds later a vast brown cloud
appeared on the Fort Pitcher promon-
tory. This cloud was nearly spherical
In form, with an apparent diameter of
about thousand yards. At the same
instant shock similar to that accom-
panying the first motor bomb was felt In
the city and surrounding country, but
this was not 80 severe as the other, for
the second bomb did not exert its force
upon the underlying rocks Of the region,
as the first one had done.
The great brown cloud quickly began
to lose Its spherical form, part of it de-
scending heavily to the earth and part
floating away in vast dust clouds borne
inland by the breeze, settling downward
as they moved, and depositing on land,
water, ships, houses, domes and trees an
almost impalpable powder.
When the cloud had cleared away
there were no Notifications, and the bluff
on which they had stood had disappeared.
Part Of this bluff had floated away on
the wind and part Of it lay piled In great
heaps Of sand on the spot where It's rocks
were to have upheld fort.
The effect of the motor bomb was fully |
observed with glasses from the various
Notifications Of the port and from many
points Of the city and harbor; and those
familiar with the effects of explosives
were not long in making up their minds
what had happened. They felt sure that
q mine had been sprung beneath Fort
Pitcher, and they were now equally con-
fident that in the morning a torpedo of
novel and terrible power had been ex-
ploded in the harbor. They now disbe-
lieved in the earthquake and treated
with contempt the pretense that shots
had been fired from the syndicates YES.
gel. This was merely q trick of the
enemy. 1t was not even likely that the
mine or the torpedo had been operated
from the ship. These were in all proba-
oility under the control Of confederates
IN shore, and had been exploded at
lines agreed upon beforehand. All this
was perfectly plain to the military au-
,horities.
But the people Of the city derived no
comfort from the announcement Of these
For all that anybody knew
he whole city might be undermined,
md at any moment might ascend in
loud Of minute particles. They felt that
hey were In region Of hidden traitors
md bombs, and in consequence Of this
belief thousands Of citizens left their
ZONES.
That afternoon truce boat again
vent out from Repeller No. 1 and rowed
o the fort, where letter to the COM
nandant was delivered. This, like the
'ther, demanded no answer, and the boat
Later in the afternoon the
wo repellers, accompanied by the crabs
md leaving the steel net still anchored
n its place, retired few miles seaward,
where they prepared to lay to for the
light.
The letter brought by the truce boat
vas read by the commandment, surrounded
" his officers. 1t stated that in twenty
our hours from time of writing it, which
would be at or about 4 o'clock on the
lext afternoon, q bomb would be thrown
nto the garrisoned fort under the COM
nand of the officer addressed. As this
would result in the entire destruction Of
he fertilization, the commandment was
counseled to evacuate the fort
'efore the hour specified.
Ordinarily the commandment of the
ort was of calm and unexcitable tenn
,erament. During the astounding events
# that day and the day before he had
'ept his head cool; his Judgment, if not
correct, was the result of sober and earn
st consideration. But now he lost his
amper. The unparalleled effrontery and
of this demand of the