The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-05-18
CATRDAFF BEFORE THE COMMANDMENT.

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CAERDAFF BEFORE THE BoMBARDMENT.
If the torpedo boat shot to one side in
order to get the crab out of line the crab,
its back sometimes hidden by the tossing
waves, sped also TO the same side. When
the torpedo boat could aim a gun at the
crab and not at the gunboat a deadly
torpedo flew into the sea, but n tossing
sea and n shifting target were unfavor-
able to tho gunncr's aim. IT was not
long, however, before the crab had run
the chase which might so readily have
been fatal to it, and was so near the gun
boat that no more torpedoes could be
fired at it.
OF course the officers and crew Of the
gunboat had watched with most anxious
interest the chase of the crab. The vessel
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 asten Of the repeller and
TO do her best TO put a few dynamite
bombs on board of her.
The dynamite gunboat, therefore, had
kept ahead at full speed, determined to
carry out her instructions if she should
be allowed to do so, but her speed was
not as great as that of n 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
| tcrial Of the most tremendous and ter
rife character which he had on beard, it
would be the insanity of courage for him
to allow his comparatively small vessel
TO be rached, shaken and partially shiv-
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 Q. through
his lookout glass, beheld this action on
the part Of the gunboat, he was a little
perplexed 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 the gunboat
could not understand. The heavy matches
in the mailed roof, which could be put
in use when the crab was cruising, could
not be opened when she was at her fight
ing depth and in tossing sea.
A means was soon devised of COM
municating with the gunboat A speak
ing tube was run up through one of the air
pipes d the crab, which pipe was then
elevated sone distance above the sur
face. Through this tho director hailed
the other vessel, and as the air pipe was
near the stern of the crab, and therefore
at a distance from tho only visible por-
ton 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 to
stop his engines and prepare to be lowed.
When this order had been given the crab
moved round to the bow of the gunboat,
and grasping the cutwater with its
forceps, reversed its engines and began
to back rapidly toward the British fleet,
taking with it the captured vessel as q
protection against torpedoes while in
| transit.
The crab slowed up not far from one
of the foremost of the British ships, and
coming round to the quarter of the gum
boat, the astonished captain of that YES
sci was informed, through the speaking
tube, that if he would give his parole to
keep out of this fight, he would be
allowed to proceed to his anchorage in
Portsmouth harbor The parole was
given, and the dynamite gunboat, after
reporting to the flag ship, steamed away
to Portsmouth.
The situation now became one which
was unparalleled in the history of naval
warfare. On the side of the British seven
war ships were disabled and drifting
slowly to the southeast. For half an
hour no advance had been made by the
British fleet, for whenever one of the
largo vessels had steamed ahead, such
vessel khad become the victim of a crab,
and the vice admiral commanding the
fleet had signaled not to advance until
further orders.
The crabs were also lying to, each to
the windward of and not far from one
OF the British ships. They had ceased to
make any attacks, and were resting
quietly under protection of the enemy.
| This, with the fact that the reDellnr still
lay four miles away without any apparent
intention of taking part in the battle,
gave the situation its peculiar character.
ITO b COntinued.1