The Florida agriculturist., 1889-04-24

on the other the bolt itself was drawn
out of the side of the vessel. The nippers
then opened, and the stern Jacket fell
from their grasp into the sea, swapping
in its fall the chain by which it had been
raised and lowered
This disaster occurred so quickly that
few persons on board the Adamant knew
what had happened. But the captain,
who had seen everything, gave instant
orders to go ahead at full speed The
first thing to be done was to get at dis
tance from those crabs, keep we'll away
from them, and pound them to pieces
with his heavy guns.
But the iron screw propellers had
scarcely begun to move in the opposite
direction before the two crabs each now
lying at right angles with the length of
the ship, but neither of them directly
astern of her. made a dash with open
nippers, and Crab J fastened upon one
propeller, while Crab K laid hold of the
other. There was din and crash of
breaking metal, two shocks which were
felt throughout the vessel, and the shat
tered and crushed blades of the propel-
=
less to move her.
The captain of the Adamant, pallid
with fury, stood upon the poop. In a
moment the crabs would be at his rud-
derl The great gun, double shotted and
ready to fire, was hanging from its boom
over the stern. Crab K, whose roof had
the additional protection of spring
armor. now moved round SO as to be
directly astern of the Adamant. Before
she could reach the rudder her forward
part came under the suspended cannon,
and two massive steel shot were driven
down upon her with force sufficient to
send them through masses of solid rock,
but from the surface of elastic steel
springs and air buffers they bounced up
ward, one of them almost falling ON the
deck of the Adamant
The gunners of this piece had been
well trained. In a moment the boom
was swung around, the cannon reloaded,
and when Crab K fixed her nippers on
the rudder of the Adamant two more
shot came down upon her. AS in the
first instance she dipped and rolled, but
the ribs of her uninjured armor had
scarcely sprung back into their places
before her nippers turned and the
rudder of the Adamant was broken in
two and the upper portion dragged from
it's fastenings then quick backward
jerk snapped its chains and it was
dropped into the sea.
signal was now sent from Grab j to
Repeller No. Z, to the effect that the Ada
mant had been rendered incapable of
steaming or sailing; and that she lay sub
ject to order.
Subject to order or not, the Adamant
did not remain passive. Every gun on
board which could be sufficiently de-
pressed was made ready to fire upon the
crabs should they attempt to get away.
Four large boats, furnished with machine
guns, grapnels, and with various appi-
ances which might be brought into use
on a steel plated roof were lowered from
their davits, and Immediately began fir
ing upon the exposed portions of the
crabs Their machine guns were loaded
with small shells, and if these penetrated
under the horizontal plates of a crab,
and through the heavy glass which was
supposed to be in these interstices, the
crew of the submerged craft would be
soon destroyed.
The quick eye of the captain of the
Adamant had observed through his glass,
,l,;Io +ho ,ra he ware still at a consider