Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-15

leve that it had been caused by one of their bombs. then were they idiots in deed. They would fire their second shot at Fort Pilcher! 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 very large and un- finished fortitication. 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 it was not desired to ex pose the builders and workmen to possible bombardment- The place was now. therefore. almost deserted. but after the receip. of the syndicate's message. the comnandant feared that the enemy might throw an ordinary shell into the unfinished works. and he sent a lioat across the bay to order away any work men pr others who might be lingerils, about the place.
 A little after o'clock D, m an instan- taneous motor bomb was discharged from Repeller No into Fort Pitcher It was set to act five seconds after i'm pact with the object aimed at. 1t struck in central portion of the unfinished fort, and having described high curve in tho air, descended not only with it's own motive power, but with the force oi 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 form with r} ~f about a thousand yards. A, 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 SO severe as the other, for the second bomb did not exert it's force upon the underlying rocks of the region. as the first one had done.
 The great brown cloud quickly began to lose it's spherical form, part of it de- scendins heavily to the earth and part floating away ill vast dust clouds borne inland by the breeze, settling downward as they moved. and depositing on land, l 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 tloated away op 1he 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 Nf lnpry in tl,o;r what had happened. They felt sure that mine had been sprung beneath Fort Pitcher, and they were now equally con- tident 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 syndicate's yes. sel. This was merely trick of the enemy. It was not even likely that the mine or the torpedo had been operated from the ship. These were in all proba- bility under the control of confederates OH shore, and had been exploded at times agreed upon beforehand. All this was perfectly plain to the military au- l thorities.
 But the people of the city derived no comfort iron, the announcement of these conclusions. For all that anybody knew the whole city might be undermined. and at any moment might ascend in cloud of minute particles. They felt that , they were in q region of hidden traitors ! and bombs. and in consequence of this belief thousands of citizens left their 1 homes
 0i,, went out from Repeller No. 1 and rowed to the fort, where letter to the con- mandant was delivered. This. like the other. demanded no answer, apd the boat returned. Later in the afternoon the 1 two repellers. accompanied by the crabs and leaving the steel net still anchored 1 in it's place. retired few miles seaward, where they prepared to lay to for the night.
 The letter brought by the truce boat was read by the conmandant, surrounded by his officers. It stated that in twenty 1 four hours from time of writing it, which would be at or about o'clock on the next afternoon. a bomb would be thrown into the garrisoned fort under the con- mand of the officer addressed. As this would result in the entire destruction of the fortiiication, the conmandant was earnestly counseled to evacuate the fort before the hour specified.
 1 Ordinarily the commandant of the fort was of a calm and unavoidable tenn perament. During the astounding events of that day and the day before he had kept his head cool; his judgment, if not correct, was the result of sober and earn est consideration. But now he lost his temper. The unparalleled effrontery and impertinence of this demand of the American syndicate was too much for his self possession. He stormed in an- ger.
 Here was the continuation of the knav- ish trickery of these constituencies pi-
 rates who had attacked the port. A tor pedo had been exploded in the harbor.
 an unfinished fort had been mined and
 blown up. and all this had been done to
 frighten him-a British soldier-in com-
 mand of a strong fort, well garrisoned and fully supplied with all the muni-
 tions of war. In the fear that his fort