The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-05-04

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and shot ahead, aud. turning, presented
her port side to the enemy. Instant cX
animation of the armur on her othe
side showed that the blanks of SPRING
were uniniurcd, and that not an All
buffer bad exploded or failed to sprint
| back to it, normal length.
Firing from the Adamant now came
thick and fast. the crab in obedience Il
Signals turning her about So rs to admit
the firing of some heavy guns MOUNTED
amidships. Three enormous solid shot
struck the rcpcllcr at different points on
her starboard armor without inlilctlng
damage, while the explosion Of sevcra
shells which hit her had no more effect
upon her elastic armor than the impact
of the solid shot
1t was the desire Of the syndicate moi
only to demonstrate TO its own satlslac
ton the efficiency of its spring armor
but to convince Great Britain that hel
heaviest guns on her mighticst battle
ships could have no effect upon its ar
morod vessels. To prove the absolute
superiority of their means Of otiCEsc and
defense was the supreme object of the
syndicate. For this its members studied
and worked by day and by night; for
this they poured out their millions; for
this they wagcd war. To prove what
they claimed would be victory.
When Rcpcllor No Z had sustained
the heavy fire of the Adamant for about
half an hour, il was considered that the
strength OF her armor had been suili-
cicntly demonstrated; and, with much
lightor heart than when he had turned
her broadsidc to the Adamant, her dircc-
tor gave orders that she should steam out
of the range of the guns of the British
ship During the cannomadc Crab j had
quietly slipped away from the vicinity
of the Adamant, and now joined the re-
pellcr.
The great iro1clad battle ship, with
her lofty sides plated with nearly two
feet of solid steel, with her six great
guns, each weighing more than hun
drcd tons. with her armament Of other
guns. machine cannon, and almost every
appliance of naval warfare, with a small
army of officers and men on board, was
left in charge of Crab X, Of which only
n few square yards Of arnorcd roof could
be seen above the water. This little yes
sci now proceeded to tow southwark her
vast prize, uninjured, except that her
rudder and propeller blades were broken
and useless.
Although the engines of the crab were
of enormous power, the progress made
was slow, for the Adamant was being
lowed stern foremost. 1t would have
been easier TO tow the great vessel had
the crab been attached to her bow, but
ram which extended many feet under
water rendered it dangerous for a sub
merged vessel to attach itself in its
vicinity.
During the night the repeller kept
company, although at a considerable dis
lance, with the captured vessel; and
early the next morning her director pre-
pared to send to the Adamant boat
with a flag of truce and a letter demand
ing the surrender and subsequent cyacu-
alton Of the British ship. 1t was sup
posed that now, when the officers Of the
Adamant had had time TO appreciate the
fact that they had no control over the
movements OF their vessel; that their
armament was powcrless against their
enemies; that the Adamant could be
towed wherever the syndicate chose to
order, or left helpless in mid-occan, they
would be obliged toadmit that there was
nothing for them to do but to surrender.
But events proved that no such ideas
had entered the minds Of the Adamant's
officers, and their action totally pre-
vented sending Il flag of truce boat. AS
soon as it was light enough to see the
rcpcller the Adamant began firing great
guns at her. She was too far away for
the shot to strike her. but to launch and
send boat of any kind into a storm of
shot and shell was of course impossible.
The cannon suspended over the stern
of the Adamaut was also again brought
into play, and shot after shot was driven
down upon the towing crab. Every
ball rcboundcd from the spring armor,
but the officer in charge of the crab be-
camc convinced that after a time this
constant pounding, almost in the Same
place would injuro his vessel, and he
signalcd the repoller to that effect.
The director Of Ropeller No 7 had been
considering the situation. There was
only one gun on the Adamant which
could be brought to bear upon Crab Is,
and it would he the part of wisdom to
interfere with the persistent use of this
gun. Accordingly the bow of the re-
pg%ar was brought to bear upon the
AGamaut and her motor gun was aimed
at the boom from which the cannon was
suspended.
The projcctilc with which the cannon
was loaded was not an instantaneous
motor bomb. 1t was simply a heavy
solid shot, driven by an instantaneous
motor attachment, and was thus impclled
by the Same power and in the same man
ncr as the motor bombs. The instantane-
GUS motor power had not yet been used
at so great distance as that between the
repeller and the Adamant, and the occa-
sion was one of intense interest to the
small body of scientific men having
charge of the aiming and firing.