The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-04-25
SECTION SEVEN.

Even among the men on board the syn
dicate's fleet there were signs of doubt
and apprehensions of evil. It had all
been very well SO far, but fighting one
ship at . time was a very different thing
from steaning 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 q 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 geni,:s 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
Craglevin had been telegrapked from
Canada to London, the syndcate's fleet
entered the English channel. Owing to
the power and speed of the crabs, Repel-
ler No. II had made q 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 new method Of
defense for the rudders and screw pro-
pellcrs 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 man-of-war.
The Llangarcn was recently built
ironclad of the same size and class as
the Adamant; and to her had been at
tached the new stern defense. This was
an immense steel cylinder, entirely
closed, and rounded at the ends. 1t 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 its ends projected about
fifteen feet on either side of the propeller
blades.
1t was believed that this cylinder would
effectually prevent crab from getting
near enough to the propeller or the rud-
der to do any damage. 1t 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 carly
! the next morning it appeared about
twenty miles to the south Cf the Isle OF
I Wight, and headed to the northeast as ii
/ it were making for Portsmouth. The
course of these vessels greatly surprised
/ tho English government and naval au-
! thorities. 1t was expected that an at
| tack would probably be made upon some
comparatively unprotected spot Oh the
| British seaboard, and therefore on thc
( 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
Mas. this the case in Bristol channel
where large number OF ironclads Were
! stationed. and which was to have been
the destination of the Llangaron if tho
syndicate's vessels had delayed theil
coming long enough to allow her to get
around there. That this little fleet shCull
have sailed straight for EnGl&nd's great
naval stronghold was something that t}A<
British admiralty could not understand
i The fact was not appreciated that it was
the object OF the syndicate to measure
its strength with. the greatest strength