The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-07

a
CThis story commenced in THE SUNDAY
HERALD of March 10th. Back numbers can be
obtained at this ofice)
line director Of RepeIIer No. had been
considering the situation. There was
only one gun on the Adamant which
could be brought to bear upon Grab &,
and it would be the part of wisdom to
interfere with the persistent use of this
gun. Accordingly the bow Of the re-
peller was brought to bear upon the
Adamant, and her motor gun was aimed
at the boom from which the cannon was
suspended.
The proiectile with which the cannon
was loaded was not an instantaneous
motor bomb. It was simply a 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
st 50 great q distance as that between the
repeher ana Une Adamant, and the occa-
sion was one of intense interest to the
snSl body of scientific men having
charge Of 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
instantaneously removed to point in
the ocean about q mile beyond the Ada
mant, accompanied by large portion of
the heavy boom at which the gun had
been aimed.
The cannon which had been suspended
from the end of this boom fell into the
sea, and would have crashed d. wn upon
the roof of Crab K, had not that vessel,
in obedience to q signal from the repel-
Ter, Noosened its hold upon the Adamant
and retired a short distance astern. Ma
terial injury might not have resulted
from the fall of this great mass of metal
upon the crab, but it was considered pru-
dent not to take useless risks.
The officers of the Adamant were
greatly surprised and chagrined by the
fall of their gun, with which they had
expected ultimately to pound in the roof
of Il crab. No damage had been done
TO the vessel except the removal of a
portion of the boom, with some of the
chains and blocks attached, and no one
on board the British ship imagined for a
moment that this injury had been occa-
stoned by the distant repeller. 1t was
supposed that the constant firing of the
kannot had cracked the boom, and that
ii had suddenly snapped.
Even if there had been on board the
Adamant the means for rigging up an
other arrangement of the kind for per-
pSndicular artillery practice, it would
HFe required long time to get it into
working order, and the director of Re
peller No. hoped that now the British
captain would see the uselessness Of con-
tinued resistance.
But the British captain saw nothing of
the kind, and shot after shot from his
guns were hurled high into the air, in
hopes that the great curves described
would bring some of them down on the
deck of the repeller. If this beastly
store ship, which could stand fire but
never returned it, could be sunk, the Ad
amant's captain would be happy. With
the exception of the loss of her motive
power, his vessel was intact, and if the
stupid crab would only continue to keep
the Adamant's head to the sea until the
noise of her cannonade should attract
some other British vessel to the scene,
the condition Of affairs might be altered.
All that day the great guns of the Ada
mant continued to roar. The next morn
ing, however, the firing was not resumed,
and the officers of the repeller were
greatly surprised to see approaching
from the British ship boat carrying a
white flag. This was a very welcome
sight, and the arrival of the boat was
awaited with eager interest.
During the night a council had been
held on board the Adamant. Her can
%S1onading had had no effect, either in
bringing assistance or in injuring the
enemy; she was being lowed steadily
southwark farther and farther from the
probable neighborhood of British man
of-war; and it was agreed that it would
be the part of wisdom to come to terms
with the syndicate's vessels.
Therefore the captain of the Adamant
sent a letter to the repeller, in which he
stated to the persons in charge Of that
sb7s that although his vessel had been
40 5! ssGIGred in a manner totally at variance
with the rules Of naval warfare, he would
overlook this fact and would agree TO
cease firing upon the syndicate's vessels,
provided that the submerged craft which
was now made fast to his vessel should
attach itself to the Adamant's bow, and
by means Of a suitable cable which she
would furnish, would tow her into Brit
ish waters. If this were done he would
guarantee that the towing craft should
have six hours in which to get away.
When this letter was read on board
the repeller it created considerable mer-
riment, and an answer was sent back
that no conditions but those of absolute
surrender could be received from the
British ship.
Z In three minutes after this answer had
been received by the captain of the Ada
mant two shells went whirring and
shrieking through the air toward Repel-
4
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