The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-03-21

from the shore, was anchored
at each end. two very small buoys indi.
eating its position. The crabs then fall
ing sstem. lepeller No. lay to. with
tho sunken net between her and the
shore. end prepared to project the Grst
instantaneous motor bomb ever used in
warfare.
The great gun in the bow Of tho vessel
was loaded with one of tho largest and
most powerful motor bombs; and the
spot to be aimed ut was selected. This
was \ point in the water Just inside OF
tho mouth of the harbor, and nearly
mile from the land on either side. The
distance of this point from the vessel be-
ing calculated. the cannon was adjusted
ut the angle called for by the scale Of
distances and levels. and the instrument
indicating rise, fall and direction was
then put in connection with it.
Now the director-in-chief stepped for
ward to the button. by pressing which
the r.owcr Of the motor was developed.
The chief OF the scientific corps then
showed him the exact point upon the
scale, which would be indicated when
tie gun was in its proper position, and
the piece was then moved III = its tear-
ings SO as to approximate as nearly a.
possible this direction.
The bow Of tho vessel now rose upon
the swell of the sea, and the instant that
the index upon the scale reached the de-
sired point, the director-in-chief touched
the button.
There was no report. no smoke. no
visible sign that the motor had left
the cannon; but at that instant
there appeared, to those who werc
on the lookout, from q fort about
a mile away, vast aperture in
the waters of tie bay, which was
variously described as from 100 yards to
500 yards in diameter. At that same in
slant, in the neighboring hcadlands and
islands far up the shores Of the bay. and
i'll every street and building of the city.
there was felt sharp shock as if the
underlying rocks had been struck by q
gigantic trip hammer.
At the same instant the sky above the
spot where the motor had descended was
darkencd by wide spreading cloud.
This was formed Of that portion of the
water of the bay which had been in
Simultaneous raised to the height of about
q thousand feet. The sudden appear
ance of this cloud was even more terri
BILE than the yawning chasm in the
waters of the bay, or tho startling shock,
bit it did rot remain long in view. It
had no sooner reached its highest eleva-
ton than it began to descend. There
was strong sea breeze blowing. and in
its descent this vast mass Of water was
impellcd toward the land.
1t came down, not as rain, but as tho
waters Of q vast cataract, as though q
mountain lake, by an earthquake shock,
had been precipitated in body upon o
valley. Only one edge Of It reached the
land. and here the seething food tore
away earth, trees and rocks, leaving be-
hind it great chasms and gullies as ii
descended to the sea.
The bay itself, into which this vast
body Of the water fell, became scene
of surginS madness. The towering walls
of water which had stood up oil around
the suddenly created aperture hurled
themselves back into the abyss. and down
into tho great chasm at the bottom of
the bay. which had been made when the
motor sent its shock along the great rock
beds Down upon. and into. this roar
ing. boiling tumult fell the tremendous
cataract from above, and tho harbor be-
came one wild expanse of leaping. mad
dered waves, missing their whirling
spray high into the uir.
During these few terrific moments
other things happened which passed un-
noticed in the general CONSERVATION.
All along the shores of tho bay and in
front of the city the waters seemed to
be sucked away. slowly returning as tho
sea forced them to their level, and Mt
many points up and down tho harbor
there were submarine detonations aMd
upheavals Of the water.
These were caused by the explosion. by
conclusion of every torpedo and subma-
rine battery in the harbor; and it was
with this object in view that the instan-
taneous motor bomb had been shot into
the mouth of the bay.
The effects Of the discharge Of the mo-
tor bomb astonished and even startled
those on board the repellcrs and the
the crabs. At the instant Of touching
the button q hydraulic shock was felt on
Repeller No. 1. This was supposed to be
Occasioned by the discharge of the mo-
tor. but it was also felt on the other YES
sells. 1t was the same shock that had
been felt on shore, but less in degree.
A few moments after there wns o great
heaving swell Of the sea. which tossed
and rolled the four vessels and lifted
the steel protecting net so high that for
an instant parts of it showed themselves
above the surface like glistening sea
ghosts.
Experiments with motor bombs had
been made in unsettled mountainous dis
tricts, but this was tho first one which
had ever exerted its power under water.
On shore. in the forts, and in the city,
no one for an instant supposed that the
terrific phenomenon which had just 90
Cured was in any way due to the YES
sels Of the syndicate. Tho repellers
were in plain view. and 1t was evident
that neither of them had fired q gun.
Besides. the firing Of cannon did not pro
duce such effects. 1t was the general
opinion that there had been an earth
quake shock accompanied by a cloud
burst. and extraordinary convulsions Of
the sea- Such a combination Of elemen-
tary disturbances had never been known
in these parts. and a great many persons
were much more frightened than u they
had understood what had really hap
pcncd-
(TO BE CONTINUED