The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-04-05


had started from northern part of the
United States, before tho repellers and
tho crabs, and it had been engaged in
laying private submarine cable, which
should put the Office of tho syndicate in
New York in direct communication with
its naval forces engaged with the enemy.
Telegraph;c connection between the
cable boat and Repeller No. I having
been established, the syndicate coon re-
ceived from its director-in-cllief full and
comprehensive accounts of what had
been done, and what it was proposed to
do. Great was the satisfaction among
the members Of the syndicate when
these direct and official reports came in.
Up to this time they had been obliged to
depend upon very unsatisfactory intelli-
genco communicated from Europe,
which had been supplemented by wild
statements and rumors struggled across
the Canadian border.
To counterfeit the effect Of these full
report was Immediately made by the
syndicate To the government of the
United States. and u bulleNn distinctly
describing what had happened was is
sued to the people Of the country. These
reports, which received world wide
circulation in the newspapers, created u
popular citation in the United States. and
gave rise To serious approximations and
concern in many other countries. But
under both citation and concern there
was certain doubtfuness. So far the
syndicate had been successful. but its
style of warfare was decidedly expert
mental, and its forces, in numerical
strength at least, were weak. What
would happen when the great naval
power of Great Britain should he
brought to bear upon the syndicate, was
q question whose probable answer was
likely to cause apprehension and concern
in the United States and citation in many
other countries.
The commencement of active hostil
itieS had been precipitated by this syndi-
cate. In England preparations were
making by day and by night to send
upon the coast lines of the United States,
q fleet which, in numbers and power.
would be greater than that OF any naval
expedition in the history of the world.
sober judgment in America looked upon
the affair Of the crabs and the repellers
as but an incident in the beginning of
great and disastrous war.
On the morning of tho destruction Of
Fort Pitcher the syndicatc's vessels
moved toward the port. and the steel net
was taken up by the two crabs. and
moved nearer the mouth of the harbor.
at point from which the fort, now in
process of evacuation, was in full view.
When this had been done. Repellcr No
3 took up her position at moderate dis
lance behind the net. and the other YES.
sells stationed themselves near by.
The protection of tho net was consid-
cred necessary, for although there could
be no reasonable doubt that all the tor.
pedoes in the harbor and river had been
exploded, others might he sent out
against the syndicate's vessels, and a
torpedo under a crab or n repeller. was
the enemy most feared by the syndicate.
About O'Clock the signals between
the repellers became very frequent, and
soon afterwards II truce boat went out
from Repeller No. /. This was rowed
with great rapidity, but it was obliged to-
30 much farther up the harbor than on
previous occasions, in order to deliver its
message to an officer of the garrison.
This was to the effect that the eyacua-
ton of the fort had been Observed from
the syndicate's vessels, and although il
had been apparently complete, one OF
the scientific corps, with powerful
glass. had discovered man in one of the
outer redoubts, whose presence there
was probably unknown to the officers of
the garrison. 1t was, therefore, earn.
estly urged that this man might be in
stantly removed, and in order that this
might be done, the discharge Of the mo-
tor bomb would be postponed half an
hour.
Tho officer received this message and
was disposed TO look upon it Us new
trick, but as no time was to be lost he
sent a corporal's guard to the fort, and
there discovered an Irish sergeant by the
name Of Kelsey, who had sworn an oath
that IL every other man In the fort ran
away like lot Of addle pated sheep he
would not run with them; he would
stand to his post to the last, and when
the couple of ships outside had got
through bombarding the stout walls Of
the fort, the world would see that there
was ut least one British soldier who was
not afraid Of q bomb, be it little or big.
Therefore he had managed to clude OBJ
servation, and to remain behind,
The sergeant was so hot headed in his
determination to stand by the fort that
it required violence to remove him; and
it was not until twenty minutes past
that the syndicate observers perceived
that he had been taken to tho hill behind
which the garrison was encamped.
AS it had been decided that Repeiler
No. should discharge the next instan-
taneouo motor bomb, there was an
anxious desire on the part OF the opera
tors on that vessel that in this, their first
experience, they might do their duty as
well as their comrades on board the other
sebpeller had done theirs. The most ac-
curato observations, the most careful cal
culations, were made and remade, the
point to be aimed ut being about the
confer OF the fort.