Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-03-20

no reasonable doubt that they were suf- ! ficient to sink an ordinary mail steamer | His own vessel was entirely out Of his control. and even if he chose to try his guns o,l the spring armor of the ropelier. it would probably result in the repeller turning her fire upon the transport. | With q disabled ship, and tle lives of l so rc,any men in his charge. the captain of the Craslevin saw that i: would be wrong for him to attempt to fight, and he dld not fire a gun. With as much calmness as the circumstances would permit lie awaited the progress of I events.
 In q very short time q message came to him from Repellcr No. II. which stated that in two hours his ship would be destroyed by instantaneous motor bombs. Every opportunity, however, would be given for the transfer to the 1 mail steamer of all the officers and men on board the Craglevin, together with such of their possessions as they could l take with them in that time. When this i had been done the transport would be allowed to proceed on her way To this demand nothing but acquies-
 
 there was such thing as an instantane- ous motor bomb the Craglevin's officers ! did not know; but they knew that if left to herself their ship would soon attend 1 to her own sinking. for there was terri ble rent in her stern. owing to pitch of 1 the vessel while one of the propeller shafts was being extracted.
 Preparations for leaving the ship were therefore immediately begun. The crab was ordered to release the mail steamer, which. in obedience to signals from the Craglevin, steamed as near that vessel as safety would permit. Boats were lowered from both ships. and the work of transfer went on with great activity.
 There was no lowering of flags on board the Craglevin, for the syndicate ! attached no importance to such outward signs and formalities. If the captain of the British ship chose to haul down his colors he could do so. but if he preferred to leave them still bravely floating above his vessel. he was equally welcome to do that.
 When nearly every one had left the peller, which lay near by, with a note requesting the captain and first officer of the British ship to come or board Re- peller No. 1 1 and witness tho method of discharging the instantaneous motor bomb, after which they would be put on board the transport. This invitation struck the captain of the Craglevin with surprise, but little reflection showed him that it would be wise to accept it. In the first place. it was in tho nature of q command. which in the presence of six crabs and q repeller it would be ridiculous to disobey, and, moreover, he was moved by desire to know some thing about the syndicate's mysterious engine of destruction, if, indeed, such thing really existed.
 Accordingly, when all the others had left the ship, the captain of the Crag- levin and his first officer came on board the repcller, curiously observing the spring armor over which they passed by means of a light gangboard with hand rail. They were received by the director at one of the matches of tho steel deck, which were now all open, and conducted by him to tho bombproof compartment in the bow. There was no reason why the nature of the repeller's defenses should not be known to the world nor adopted by other nations. They were intended as a protection against ordi- nary shot and she'll they would avail nothing against the instantaneous motor bomb.
 The British officers were shown the motor bomb to be discharged. which, externally, was very much like an ordi- nary shell. except that it was nearly as long as the bore of the cannon; and the director stated that although, of course, the principle of the motor bomb was the syndicate's secret, it was highly desira- ble that its effects and its methods of operation should be generally known.
 The repeller, accompanied by the mail steamer and all the crabs, now moved to about two miles to the leeward of the Craglevin, and lay to. The motor bomb was then placed in one of the great guns, while the scientific corps attended to the necessary calculations of distance, etc.
 The director now turned to the British captain, who had been observing every thing with the greatest interest, and, with a smile, asked him if he would like to commit harikari?
 As this remark was somewhat enig- nautical, the director went on to say that if it would be any qualification to the captain to destroy his vessel with his own hands, instead of allowing this to be done by an enemy, he was at liberty to do so. This offer was immediately ac- cepted, for if his ship were really to be destroyed. the captain felt that he would like to do it himself.
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