Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-05-07

NttkNfs 10" 'ttN " Vfhs st'
Christine. wwsk." The Lady sr the
Iig.r.- The late Mr. Suil." The
uundrcith Man" The Casting Away
of Mr.. Lssl. sad Nr.- AI..hins.'' ''rhe
Dussnte.." .io
lcopytghlei ~ T. q couisf. q Coulsfs obos
. wesk. Ani Istlishci ~ spcCiAl arrangement
With him through The American rrc~s AssoSia
ten Al rights rser'ei
SECTION VI.
When Rcrcllcr No had sustained
the heavy frc of the Adamant for about
half an hour. u was considered that the
strength ~ her arnor had been mfll.
cicntly demonstrated. and. with n much
lighter heart than when be had turned
her bruadsilc to the Adamnni. her dirc.
tor gave orders that fhc should steam out
q the range of the guns ~ The Ilritish
ship. During the cannonadc Crab j had
quietly slipped away from the vicinity
- the Adamani. and now joined the ~
pcllcr.
Tho grcat iro1chd hntilc ship. with
her lofty sides plated with nearly two
fcci II solid steel. with her elk grrat
lrina. each weighing more than hun.
drrl tons. with her armament ~ other
guns. machine cannol, and almost every
appliance ~ naval warfare. with n small
army q ofliccr and men on boarl. was
lcit IN chargc u Crab X, of which only
a Few squarc yar,ls 90 armorcl roof could
h. s"cn aboyo the water. This little vcs-
~ now PROCEEDED 10 tow southwark her
vast prifc. uniniurc,l. except that her
ruddcr and propeller blades were broken
and u-clcss.
Although the engines 90 the crab wcrc
II enormous power, the progress made
was slow. for tho Adamant was l,ing
towel stem foremost. II would have
bccn easier 60 tow tho great vessel had
tho crab bccn attached 10 her bow, but a
ram which extended many feet under
water rendered 1, dangerous Tor sub
merged vessel 90 attach itself In its
vicinity.
During tho nigh, tho rcpcllcr KEEP,
company. although at a considerable dis
tancc. with tho captured vessel; aud
early tho next morning her director pre-
parcl o. send to tho Adamant n boat
with iiag % truce AMI a letter demand.
ing the surrender and subsequent cyacu.
alton ~ tho British ship IL was sup
posed that now. when the officers ~ tho
Adamani had had timo 60 appreciate the
fact that thcy had no control over the
movement. of their vessel. that their
armament was powcrlC.s against their
cncmics. that the Adamant could L.
tOwcd wherever the syndicate chose to
order. or left helpless In mid.occan. they
would b. obliged 20 admit that thcro was
nothing Tor them 90 DO bat 90 surrender.
Bu, events proved that no such ideas
had entered tho minds - the Adamani's
officers, and their action totally pre-.
vented sending Tag u truce boat As
soon az u was light enough 90 $50 tho
rcpcllcr the Adamant began firing great
guns at her. Sho was too Ear away for
tho sho, 90 s,riko her. bat 90 launch and
send boat % any Kind into a storm u
shot and shell was ~ courso impossible.
The cannon suspended over the stern
Of tho Adamant was also again brought
into play, aud shot after shot was driven
down upon tho towing crab. Every
ball rcboundcl from tho spring armor.
but tho officer In charge Of the crab H.
came convinced that after time this
constant pounding. almost In the samo
place. would injuro his vessel. and ho
signalcd tho rcpcllcr 90 that effect.
The dircctor Of Rcpcller No. : had been
considering tho situation. There was
only ono gun on tho Adamant which
could b. brought 90 bear upon Crab X,
and IL would L. the part % wisdom 90
interfere with tho persistent uso % this
gun. Accordingly the bow % tho TO
pcller was brought O. bear upon tho
AdAmani. aud her motor gun WIS aimed
n, tho boom from which tho cannon was
suspended
Tho projcciilc with which tho cannon
was loaded was not an instantaneous
motor bomb II was simply "a heavy
solid sho,. driven by an instantaneous
motor attachment. and was thus imIcllcd
boy the saine power and In the same man
ncr as the motor bombs- Tho instantano-
Gus motor power had not yet been uscd
st 80 great a distance ~ that between tho
rcpcllcr and tho Adamant. and the occa-
sion was ono 81 intense interest 10 the
small body Of scientific men having
charge q the aiming and firing.
The calculations Of the distance. of the
necessary elevaiioa and direction, and
Of the degree % motor power required.
were rnado with careful oxactncss. and
when tho prVper instant arrived the but
ton vs3 touched. and tho shot with
which the cannon was charged was
ins;anisneously removed 20 n point In
tho ocean about mile beyond the Ada.
nan,. accompanied by q largo portion of
the heavy boom ai which tho gun had
been aimed.
The cannon which had bccn suspended
from the end of this boom fell into tho
sca. and would have crashed down upon
the roof u Crab X. had not that vessel.
In obedience 10 signal from the repel.
Ter. loosoned its hold upon the Adamant
and retired n short distance astern. Ma
tcrial injury might not have resulted
from the fall Of this great mass Of metal
upon the crab. but twas considered pru'
dent not q take useless risks.
Tho officers Il the Adamant wero
greatly surprised and chagrinel by tho
fall of their gun. with which they had
expected ultimately 20 pound In the roof
OF the crab. No damage had been dono
10 the vessel except the removal Of a
portion 81 the loom, with somo OF the
chains and blocks attached, and no one
on board the British ship imagined for y
moment that this injury had becn occa-
stoned by the distant reTellcr. II was
supposed that the constant firing OF the
cannot had cracked the boom, and that
IL had suddenly snapped.
Even II there had becn on hoard tho
Adamant tho means for rigging up an
other arrangement Of the Kind for per-
pendicular artillery practice. 1t would
have required long time To get II into
working order, and the director Of Re
pcller No. : hoped that now the British
captain would sec the uselessncss Of con-
tinucd 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 tho great curves described
would bring some Of them down ON the
deck Of the repeller. II this bcastly
store ship, which could stand fire but
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