The Press., 1889-05-09

wished that in her former state of ex- istence she had been some other vessel than the Tallapoosa.
 But every spring sprang back to its place as the great mass of iron glanced off into the sea. The dynamite bombs flew over the tops of the crabs, whose rapid motions and slightly exposed surfaces gave little chance for accurate aim, and in short time they were too close to the Langaron for this class of gun to be used upon them.
 AS the crabs came nearer, the Llan- garon lowered the great steel cylinder which hung across her stern, until it lay almost entirely under water, and abaft of her rudder and propeller blades. She now moved slowly through the water, and her men greeted the advanc- ing crabs with yells of defiance, and a shower of shot from machine guns.
 The character of the new defense which had been fitted to the Llangaron was known to the syndicate, and the directors of the two new crabs under stood the heavy piece of work which lay before them. But their plans of ac- tion had been well considered, and they made straight for the stern of the British ship.
 It was, of course, impossible to en- deavor to grasp that great cylinder with It's rounded ends; their forceps would slip from any portion of its smooth sur face on which they should endeavor to lay hold, and no such attempt was made. Keeping near the cylinder, one at each end of it, the two moved slowly after the Llangaron, apparently discouraged.
 In short time, however, it was per ceived by those on board the ship, that a change had taken place in the appear ance of the crabs: the visible portion of their backs was growing larger and larger; they were rising in the water. Their mailed roofs became visible from end to end, and the crowd of observers looking down from the ship were amazed to see what large vessels they were.
 Higher and higher the crabs arose, their powerful air pumps working at their greatest capacity, until their pom derous pincers became visible above the water. Then into the minds of the off, cers of the Llangaron flashed the true object of this uprising, which to the crew had seemed an intention on the part of the sea devils to chamber on board.
 If the cylinder were left in its present position the crab might seize the chains by which it was suspended, while if it were raised it would cease to be a de- fense. Notwithstanding this latter con- tingeney, the order was quickly given to raise the cylinder, but before the hoist hod s,, Q thrust forward her forceps over the top Eof the cylinder and held 1t down. Another thrust. and the iron jaws had grasped one of the two ponderous chains by which the cylinder was suspended.
 The other end of the cylinder began to rise, but at this moment Crab R, appar- ently by a single effort, lifted herself a foot higher ou- of the sea; her pincers flashed forward, and the other chain was grasped. :s
 The two crabs were now placed in the most extraordinary position. The over- hang of their roofs prevented an attack on their hulls by the Llangaron, but their unmailed hulls were SO greatly ex- posed that a few shot from another ship could easily have destroyed them. But eS <sAAJ AAAl6 db tA,SAA WOlllu D6 very likely to hit the Llangaron, their direc- tors felt safe on this point.
 Three of the foremost ironclads, less than two miles away, were heading di- rectly for them, and their rams might be used with but little danger to the Llan- garon, but, on the other hand, three swift crabs were heading directly for these ironclads.
 It was impossible for Crabs Q and R to operate in the usual way. Their mas- sive forceps, lying flat against the top of the cylinder, could not be twisted. The enormous chains they held could not be severed by the greatest pressure, and if both crabs backed at once they would probably do no more than tow the Llan- garon stern foremost. There was, more- over, no time to waste in experiments, for other rams would be coming on, and there were not crabs enough to attend to them all.
 No time was wasted. Q signaled to R and K back again, and instantly the two crabs, each still grasping a chain of the cylinder, began to sink. On board the Llangaron an order was shouted to let out the cylinder chains, but as these chains had only been made long enough to allow the top of the cylinder to hang at, or little below, the surface of the water, foot or two of length was all that could be gained.
 . The davits from which the cylinder hung were thick and strong, and the iron windlasses to which the chains were attached were large and ponderous, but these were not strong enough to with stand the weight of two crabs with steel armored roofs, enormous engines and iron hull. In less than minute one davit snapped like pipe stem under the tremendous strain, and immediately afterward the windlass to which the chain was attached was torn from it's bolts and went crashing overheard, tear ing away a portion of the stern rail in it's descent. ..-..
 Crab Q instantly released the chain it had held, and in a moment the great cylinder hung almost perpendicularly from one chain. But only for mo- ment. The nippers of Crab R still firmly held the chain, and the tremendous lev craze exerted by the falling of one end of the cylinder wrenched it from the rigidly held end of its chain; and in flash, the enormous stern guard of the Llangeron sunk, end foremost, to the bottom of the channel.
 In ten minutes afterward the Llanga- ron, rudderless, and with the blades of her propellers shivered and crushed, was slowly turning her starboard to the wind and the sea and beginning to roll like a