Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-20

OtCH Fcl WSAI cO OOG OuC ship at u time was a very different lhng from steanling into the midst of a hun dred ships. On board the repeller there was now an additional reason for fears and misgivings. The unlucky character of the vessel when it had been the Talla- poosa was known. and not few of the men imagined that it must now be time for some new disaster to this i'll starred craft. and if her evil genius had desired fresh disaster for her. it was certainly sending her into good place to look for it.
 But the syndicate neither doubted nor hesitated, nor paid any attention to the doubts and condemnations which they heard from every quarter Four days after the news of the destruction of the Craglevin had been telegraphed from Canada to London. the syndicate's fleet entered the English channel. Owing to the power and speed of the crabs, Repel- Ter No. II had made passage of the At lantic which in her old naval career would have been considered miraculous
 Craft of various kinds were now passed. but none of them carried the British flag. In the expectation of the arrival of the enemy, British merchant men and fishing vessels had been ad- vised to keep in the background until the British navy had concluded its business with the vessels of the American syndi- cate.
 AS has been said before, the British admiralty had adopted a new method of defense for the rudders and screw pro- pellers of naval vessels against the at tacks of submerged craft. The work of constructing the new appliances had been pushed forward as fast as possible, but so far only one of these had been finished and attached to a man-of-war
 The Llangaron was q recently built ironclad of the same size and class as the Adamant: and to her had been att tached the new stern defense. This was an immense steel cylinder, entirely closed. and rounded at the ends. It was about ten feet in diameter. and strongly braced inside. It was suspended by chains from two davits which projected over the stern of the vessel When sail ing this cylinder was hoisted up to the davits, but when the ship was prepared for action it was lowered until it lay, nearly submerged. abaft of the rudder. In this position it's ends projected about fifteen feet on either side of the propeller blades.
 It was believed that this cylinder would effectually prevent crab from getting near enough to the propeller or the rud- der to do any damage. It could not be torn away as the stern jacket had been, for the rounded and smooth sides and ends of the massive cylinder would offer no hold to the forceps of the crabs: and, approaching from any quarter, it would be impossible for these forceps to reach rudder or screw.
 The syndicate's little fleet arrived in British waters late in the day; and early the next morning it appeared about twenty miles to the south of the Isle of Wight. and headed to the northeast as if it were making for Portsmouth The course of these vessels greatly surprised the English government and naval au- thorities. It was expected that an at- tack would probably be made upon some comparatively unprotected spot on the British seaboard, and therefore on the west coast of Ireland and in St. Georges channel preparations of the most for midable character had been made to de- fend British ports against Repeller No. II and her attendant crabs. Particularly was this the case i'll Bristol channel, where large number of ironclads were stationed, and which was to have been the destination of the Llangaron if the syndicate's vessels had delayed their coming long enough to allow her to get around there. That this little fleet should have sailed straight for England's great naval stronghold was something that the British admiralty could not understand. The fact was not appreciated that it was the object of the syndicate to measure it's strength with the greatest strength of tho enemy. Anything less than this would not avail it's purpose.
 Notwithstanding that so many vessels had been sent to different parts of the coast, there was still in Portsmouth har- bor a large number of war vessels of va rious classes, all in commission and ready for action. The greater part of these had received orders to cruise that day in the channel. Consequently it was still early in the morning when around the eastern end of the Isle of Wight there appeared British fleet con- posed of fifteen of the finest ironclads, "AIli ocNCioA Su4AOOdlS d1u CIulSeTS, ana number of torpedo boats.
 It was noble sight, for besides the war ships there was another fleet hang ing upon the outskirts of the first, and composed of craft. large and small, and from both sides of the channel, filled with those who were anxious to witness from afar the sea fight which was to take place under such novel conditions. Many of these observers were reporters and special correspondents for great news papers. On some of the vessels which came up from the French coast were men with marine glasses of extraordi- nary power, whose business it was to send an early and accurate report of the affair to the office of the war syndicate in New York
 As soon as the British ships came in sight, the four crabs cast off from Repel- Ter No. II. Then with the other two they prepared for action, moving con- siderably in advance of the repeller, which now steamed forward very slowly The wind was strong from the north-