The Florida agriculturist., 1889-04-24

furnished with a great number or I'M
proved air buffers and the arrangement
of spring armor extended five or six feet
beyond the massive steel plates with
which the vessel was originally armored.
She carried one motor cannon of large
size.
One of the crabs was of the ordinary
pattern, but Crab K was furnished with
spring armor above the heavy plates
of her roof This had been placed upon
her after the news had been received by
the syndicate that the Adamant would
carry a perpendicular cannon over her
stern, but there had not been time
enough to fit out another crab in the
same way.
When the director in charge Of repeller
No. first caught sight of the Adamant,
and scanned through his glass the vast
proportions Of the mighty ship which
was rapidly steaming toward the coast,
he felt that responsibility rested upon
him heavier than any which had yet
been borne by an officer of the syndicate,
but he did not hesitate in the duty which
he had been sent to perform, and imme-
diately ordered the two crabs to advance
to meet the Adamant, and to proceed to
action according to the instructions
which they had previously received.
His own ship was kept, in pursuance of
orders, several miles distant from the
British ship.
AS soon as the repeller had been
sighted from the Adamant a strict look
out had been kept for the approach Of
crabs, and when the small exposed por-
tions of the backs of two of these were
perceived glistening in, the sunlight the
speed of the great ship was slackened.
The ability of the syndicate's submerged
vessels to move suddenly and quickly in
any direction had been clearly demon
strated, and although great ironclad
with a ram could run down and sink a
crab without feeling the conclusion, it
was known that it would be perfectly
easy for the smaller craft to keep out Of
the way of its bulky antagonist. There
fore the Adamant did try to ram the
crabs, nor to get away from them. Her
commander intended, if possible, to run
down one or both of them, but he did
not propose to do this in the usual way.
AS the crabs approached, the stern
jacket of the Adamant was let down and
the engines were slowed This stern
jacket, when protecting the rudder and
propellers, looked very much like the
cow catcher of a locomotive, and was ca
pable of being put to somewhat similar
use. 1t was the intention of the captain
OF the Adamant, should the crabs at
tempt to attach themselves to his stern.
to suddenly put on all steam, reverse his
engines and back upon them, the stern
Jacket answering as ram.
The commander of the Adamant had
no doubt that in this way he could run
into a crab, roll it over in the water. and
when it was lying bottom upward, like
floating cask, he could move his shin
to distance and make target of it. So
desirous was this brave and somewhat
tacetlous captain to try his new plan
upon crab that he forebore to fire upon
the two vessels of that class which were
approaching him. Some of his guns were
SO mounted that their muzzles could ba
greatly depressed and aimed at an object
In the water not far from the ship But
these were not discharged, and, indeed.
the crabs, which were new ones of I'M
usual swiftness, were alongside the Ada
mant in an incredibly short time and OUT
OF, the range of these guns.
Crab was on the starboard side of tba
Adamant, Crab K was on the port side,
md oev~ Ia