The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1889-07-26

tAEEnAFF HEFoREgl!E EoIBAEDMENT.
II the torpedo beat FltJtto 0no side in
order 20 '-ct tile crab OFT oN line, rAec craG,
its lack sometimes hidden Is the tus&iM.4
waves, apel also tolhe salnn si,!o. Mlhga
tli2tofp2lo nottt ca}ll aim q gum al the
crab and not at tho @!n5o4t, Il deadly
torpedo ilrw into tie sGa, but Il tossing
seq. t.!l~i Z shifting; target var, uufavor-
aI!e 10 tlit gllI.nel':5 aim: 1t was not
loag, E.@1.pynr. ycl0:e TIN c}G,A had r%a
tic chase wlich might so reality lGsve
hucn fatal 70 l. and was 50 McAr theGNIn-
boat that 10 moro tGll}ct!o,5 could l5e
fired at it. #.@S-t 55.. .os=5-0@ 5.
OF course tho officers and crew Of the
gunbcat had watched with most anxious
interest the chase Of the crab. The rcasc!
was one which had been fitted out for
service with dynamite guns, of which
she carried some of very long range for
this class Of artillery, and She had been
ordered to get astcru Of the repeliCr s,nl
to do her best to put 4 few dynamite
bombs on board Of her.
The dynamite gunboat, therefore, lad
kept ahead at full speed, determined 10
carry out her instructions if she should
be allowed to do SO, but her speed was
not as great as that Of 4 crab, and when
the torpedo boat had given up the chase,
and the dreaded crab was drawing
swiftly near, the captain thought it time
for bravery to give place to prudence.
With the large amount Of explosive ma
terial Of the most tremendous and ter
rifle character which he had on board, it
would be the insanity Of courage for him
to allow his comparatively small vessel
to Le racled, shaken and partially shv-
cred by the powerful jaws of the oncom-
ing foe. As he could neither fly nor
fight, he hauled down his flag in token
Of surrender, the first instance Of the
kind which had occurred in this war.
When the director Of Crab @, through
his lookout glass, bcheld this action on
the part Of the gunboat, he was d little
I perpleXcd as to what he should next do.
| To accept the surrender of the British
vessel and to assume control Of her, it
was necessary to communicate with her.
| The communications of the crabs were
made entirely BY black smoke signals,
and these the captain Of tho gunboat
could not understand. The heavy matches
in the mailed roof, which could be put
i'll use when the crab was cruising, could
not bo opened when she was at her fight
| ing depth and III q tossing sea.
a means was soon devised OF conf
nlulicating with the guDboat a speak
ing tube was run up through one Of the air
! pipes Of the crab, which pipe was then
elevated some distance above the sur
| face. Through this tho director hailed
the other vessel, and as the air pipe was
ncA- the stern OF the crab and therefore
at distance from the only visible por-
tion of the turtle back roof, his voice
seemed to come out of the depths of the
ocean.
The surrender was accepted, and the
captain of the gunboat was ordered tc
stop his engines and prepare to be towcd
When this order had been given the cral
moved round to the bow of the gunboat
and grasping tho cutwntcr with itt
forceps, reversed its engines and begar
to back rapidly toward tho British fleet
taking with it the captured vessel as ;
protection against torpedoes while il
transit.
The crab slowed up not far from on'
of the foremost of tho British ships, ant
coming round to the quarter Of the gun
boat, the astonishcd captain of that YES
sci was informed. through the speaking
tube, that il he would give his parole t.
keep out of this fight, he would b.
allowed to proceed to his anchorage il
Portsmouth larbor The parole wa
given, and tho dynamite gunboat, aftc
reporting to the flag ship, steamed ava,
to Portsmouth.
The situation now became one whicl
was unparalleled in the history of nava
warfare On the side of the British sevel
war ships were disabled and drifting
! slowly to the southeast. For half a