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

mant had been rendered Incapable of
steaming or sailing. land tllatshe lay sub
ject to order. r.a-4A aszzsaszesass1---zsaaaz-zes
Subject to order or not, the Adanlant
did not remain passive. Every gun on
board which couid be sufficiently de-
pressed was made ready to fire upon the
crabs should they :.stempt to get away
Four large boats, furnished with machine
guns, grapnels, an>rwith pariot-s aDp1i-
ances which might be brought into use
or steel plated l'eoI 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 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,
while the crabs were still at q consider
able distance, their protruIing air pipes,
and he had instructed the officers in
charge Of the boats to make an especial
attacI: upon these. IF the air pipes OF a
|
must inevitably be snothered.
But the brave captain did not know
that the condensed air chambers Of the
crabs would supply their inmates for an
hour or more without recourse to the
outer air, and that the air pipes, fur
nishcd with valves at the top, were
always Withdrawn under water during
action with an enemy. Nor did he knew
that the glass blocks under the, armor
plates Of tic crabs, which were placed
il rubber frames to protect them from
| conclusion above, were also guarded by
steel netting from injury by small balls.
VaIian5Iy the boats beset the crabs,
| keeping up {. constant fusilIado and en-
deavoring to throw grapnels over them.
# one Of these should catch under an
overlapping arIaor plate it could he con
nected with the steam windlass cf the
Adamant and c plate might be ripped OF
OF q crab overturned.
But the crabs proved to be much more
lively fish than their enemies had sup
posed. Turning, as if On q pivot, and
darting from side to side, they seemed
to be playing with the boats, and not
trying to gct away from them. The
spring arTa0r OF Crab 4 interferad some
what with It's movements and also put 1t
in danger from attacks by grapneis, and
it therefore left most OF the work to its
! cOnsOrt.
! Crab j, after clartti31,5- Witty in and
out among her a1t29 29onist8 fer some time,
suddenly made o turn, and dashing at
one Of the boats, ran under it, and rails
ing it on It's glistening back, rolled it,
bottom upward, into the sea. In o mo-
nent the crew Of the boat were swim
ming for their lives. They were quickly
picked up by two Of the other boats.
which then deemed it prudent to return
to the ship.
But the second officer OF the Adamant,
who commanded the fourth boat, did
not give up the fight. Having noted the
spring arnor Of Crab K, he believed that
if he could get q grapnel between its
steel ribs he yet might capture the sea
monster. For some minutes Crab Z con
tented itself with eluding him; but, tired
of this, it turned, and raising its huge
nippers almost out Of the water, it seized
the bow Of the boat and gave it a gentle
crunch, after which it released its hold
and retired. The boat, leaking rapidly
through two ragged holes, was rowed
back to the ship, which it reached half
full Of water.
The great battle ship, totally bereft of
the power Of moving herself, was now
rolling in the trough Of the sea, and a
signal came from the repelleg for Crab
< to make fast to her and put her head
to the wind. This was Quickly done. the
crab attaching itself to the stern post Of
the Adaman5 by pair Of towing nip
pers. These were projected from the
stern Of the crab, and were SO constructed
that the larger vessel did not co1nnuni-
cate all It's motion to the smaller one,
and could lot run down upon it.
AS soon as the Adanlant was brought
up with her head to the wind she opened
fire upon the repeller. The latter vessel
could easily have sailed out Of the range
of motionless enemy, but her orders
forbade this. Her director had been in
structed by the syndicate to expose his
vessel to the fire Of the Ad21nant's heavy
guns. Accordingly the repeller steamed
nearer, and turned her broadside toward
the British ship.
Scarcely had this been done vixen the
two great bow gun: Of the Adarlant
shook the air with tremendous roars,
each hurting over the sea nearly ton Of
steel. One Of these great shot passed
over the repeller, but the other struck
her arnoTed side fairly anidship. There
was crash and scream Of creaking
steel. and Repeller No. rolled over to
windward as if she had been struck by a
heavy sea. La a moment she righted,
and shot ahead, and, turning, presented
her port side to the enemy. Instant ex-
animation Of the armor On her other
side showed that the two banks Of springs
were uninjured, and that not an air
buffer had exploded OF failed to spring
back to is normal length.
Firing from the Adamant now came
thich and fast, the crab in obedience to
signals turning her about 50 as to admit
tie firing C some heavy guns mounted
amilslips. Three enormous solid shot
struck the rcreiler at different points on
her starboard armor ve.Lout inGictine
damage, while the explosion Of several
shells which hit her had no more effect
upon her elastic arGnor than the impact
OF the solid shot.
II was the desire Of the syndicate not
only 10 demonstrate to its own satisfac.
ton the efficiency OF It's spring armor
but to convince Great Britain that hel
heaviest Guns ON her mi ghfiaSt IeaftIC