Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-05-28

Tho motor bombs which the rcpsllcT
was now discharging were ~ the largcs,
siEc and greatest power. AMI dozen
morc u them wcrc discharged at inter.
walls of few minutes. Tho prumontory
on which the fortincati0ns had stool
was annihilaic,l. and the waters II the
bay swept over IT, foundations Soon
aitcrwarl the head - the hay SEEMED
madly rushing out a. sea, but quickly
surgcd back 20 hll tho chasm which
yawncd at the SPOT whcro the village
had t-cn
The dcnso clouds were now uphcavcd
ai such short intervals that the sccne 81
devastation was completely shut out
from The Observers on the hills. but every
few minutes they felt a sickcning shock.
and heard a momcntary and horrible
crash and hiss which sccmed 90 OH al
tho air. The instantaneous motor bOmhs
wcrc tearing up the scaboard. and grind
ing u to atoms.
II was not yet noon when the BON.
har,lmcnt ceased. No moro pulls of
black smoke came up from the distant
rcpcllcr. and the vast spreading mass of
clouds moved scaward, dropping down
upon -. Georges channel IN a rain oi
stone dust. Then the rcpeller steamed
Shorcward. and when she was within
thrcc or four miles of the coast she ran
up large white fag In token that her
task was ended.
This sign that the bombarument had
ceased vas accepted In good faith. and
~ somc ~ the military and naval men
had carefully noted that each puif from
the repeller was accompanied by a
shock, IL was considered certain that all
the bombs which had becn discharged
hal acted. and that. consequently. no
further danger was 10 L. apprehendcJ
from them. In spite Of this announce
ment many Of the spectators would not
leave their position on the hills. but a
hundred OF more Of curious and courage
Gus men ycnturcd down into the plain.
That part of the SEA coast where Caer'
dali had bcen was n new country. about
which men wandered slowly and eau.
tiously with sudden exclamations Of
aInazement and awe. There were no
longer promontories juiting out into the
sca; there were no Lillocks and rocky
terraces rising inland. In vast plain.
shayen and shorn down 10 q common
level OF scarred and pallid rock, there
lay an immense chasin two miles and a
half long. half a mile wide, and - deep
that shuddcring men could stand and
look down upon the rent and riveB
rocks upon which had rested that Ior-
ton Of the Welsh coast which had now
blown out 10 SEA.
An officer Of the Royal engineers stood
on the scaward edge of this yawning
abyss: then he walked OSer to the almost
circular body of water which occupied
the place where the fshing village had
been, and into which the waters Of the
bay had flowed. When this Oaicer re-
turned To London he wrote a report 20
the effect that ship canal. less than an
eighth Of a mile long. leading from the
newly formed lake at the head Of the
hay would make Of this chssui. when
filed by the sea. tn, finest and most
thoroughly protected inland basin for
ships of all sizes on the British coast
But before this report received due OIL
cial consideration the idea had been sug'
gested and elaborated In n dozen news
papers
Accounts and reports Of all kinds
describing the destruction Of Caerdaif.
and of the place in which 1t had stood,
filed the newspapers Of the world.
Photographs and pictures OF Caerdaff as
II had been and as Il then was were pro-
duced with marvellous rapidity, and the
earthquake bomb Of the American war
syndicate was the subject OF excited con-
versation In every civilized country.
The british ministry was now the
calmest body OF men In Europe The
great opposition storm had died away;
the great war storm had ceased. and the
wisest British statesmen saw the unmis-
takabls path Of national policy lying