The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-04-11

superiority of their means of offense 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 waged war. To prove what |
they claimed would be victory.
When Repeller No. had sustained |
the heavy fire of the Adamant for about
half an hour, it was considered that the
strength Of her arn1or had been sufi-
ciently demonstrated; and, with much
lighter heart than when he had turned
her broadside to the Adamant, her direc-
tcr gave orders that she should steam out
OF the range of the guns of the British
ship. During the cannonade Crab j had
quietly slipped away from the vicinity
of the Adamant, and now joined the re-
peller.
The great iro2clad battle ship, with
her lofty sides plated with nearly two
feet OF solid steel, with her six great
gins, each weighing more than a hum
dred tons, with her armament OF other
guns, machine cannon, and almost every
appliance Of naval warfare, with small
army Of Office 4 men on board, was
LETT in charge Of Grab K, of which only
a few square yards Of arnored roof could
be seen above the water This little YES.
sci now proceeded to tow southwark hef
vast prize, uninjured, except that her
rudder and propeller blades were broken
and useless.
Although the engines of the crab were
OF e-l0rmous power, the progress made
was slow, for the Adamant was being
tcwed 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 sub
merged vessel to attach itself in its
vicinity
During the night the repeller kept
company, although at considerable dis
tance, with the captured vessel and
early the next morning her director pre-
pared to send to the Adan1ant boat
with flag Of truce and letter demand
ing the surrender and subsequent evacu-
alton Of the British ship. It 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; tn at their
armament was powerless against their
enemies; that the Adamant could be
t0wcd wherever the syndicate chose to
order, o. left helpless in mid-ocean, they
would bc obliged to admit that there-was
nothing for them to do but to surrender.
But events proved that no such ideas
had entered the minds of the Adanlants
officers, and their action totally pre-
vented sending a flag Of truce boat. AS
soon as it was light enough to see tho
repeller the Adanant 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 storm of
shot and shell was of course impossible.
The cannon suspended over the stern
Of the Adamant was also again brought
into play, and shot after shot was driven
down upon the towing crab. Every
bali :ebounded from the spring armor,
but the officer in charge of the crab be-
came convinced that after q time this
constant pounding, almost in the same
place, would injure his vessel, and he
signaled the repeller to that effect.
Tie director of Repeller No. had been
considering the situation. There was
only one gun on the Adamant which
could be brought to bear upon Crab K,
ard it would be the part of wisdom to
Interfere with the persistent use of this
gun. Accordingly the bow of the re-
peiler was brought to bear upon the
AdanlGDt, and her motor gun was aimed
at tie boom from which the cannon was
suspended.
The proiectile with which the cannon
was loaded was not an instantaneous
motor bomb. It was simply q heavy
solid shot, driven by an instantaneous
motor attachment, and was thus impelled
by the same power and in the same man
ner as the motor bombs. The instantane-
Gus motor power had not yet been used
at 50 great q 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 CT the aiming and firing.
The calculations Of the distance, Of the
necessary elevation and direction, and
Of the degree Of motor power required,
were made with careful exactness, and
when the proper instant arrived the but
ton was touched. and the shot with
which The cannon was charged was
instant tancousiF removed to a point in
the ocean about mile beyond the Ada
1nant, accompanied By large portion Of
the heavy boom at which the gun had
been aimed.
The cannon which, lad been suspended
from the cad CT this boom fell into the
sea, and would have crashed down upon
the rcof Of Crab L, had not that vessel,
in obedience to q signal from the repel-
Ter, loosened its hold upon the Adamant
and retired short distance astern. tIa-
terial injury might not have resulted
.trq1n The fall OF tllis great mass Of metal
ypo2 the cab. bIt il was considered pru-
dent not t. fcLe' ;.z,e!cs> risks.
The officers &. tic AdaInant wcTe
greatly surprise a:scl cllaeriH@d h. The
fall Of their gun, with which they had
expected ultimately to pound in the roos
of the crab No damage had been done
To the vessel except the removal OF q
portion Of the boom, with some Of the
chains and blocks attached, and no one
on board the British ship imagined for Il
( nonezt that this injury had been occa-
/ stoned by the distant repeller II was
/ supposed that the constant firing of the
! cannot had cracked the boom, and that
| it had suddenly snapped.
| Even if there had been On board the
| Adamant the means for rigging up an
+ ~. l..