Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-05-14
destroyed. tho captain felt tha, no would
like 10 do u himself.

over the sea ai the Cnglevin. which had
settled little a, tho stern. and was roll
ing heavily. but sho was still q magnifi.
cent hatile ship. with the rel cross of
England floating over her. lie could
not help the thought that " this motor
mystery should amount 10 nothing. there
was no rcason why the CraglevIn should
no, h. towel into port. and 10 made
again the grand war slip tha, she had
been.
Now the director gave the signal. anil
the captain. with his eyes fixed upon hi,
ship. touched the button Aquick shock
nan through thc rcpcllcr. and black
grpy cloud. half a milo high, occupied
the place II the british ship.
Tho cloud mpidly settled down. cover
ing the water with glitioring scum
which sprcad far and wide. and which
had lccn the Craglcyin.
The British captain stool fora moment
mo,ionlcss. and then be picked up a
rammcf and ran IL into the muTIlc 81
the cannon which had bccn discharged
The guai gun was empty. The insian'
tancous motor tomb was not thcrc.
Now be- was convinced that the syndi.
cate had no, mined il,c fortrcsssa which
thcy had destroyed
In twenty minutes ,'Ic two Briiish
officers wcrc on boari tho transport,
which then steamed mpidly westward
Tho culs again took the rcpollcr In tow.
AMI the syndicaio's feet continued its
eastward coursc. passing through tho
wide cSTansc of gli,tcring scum which
hal spr,ad iisclf upon the sca
They were no, two thirds of their way
acruss the Atlantic when the transport
reached 81 Johns. and the cable told tho
world that tho Cmglcsiu had been anni'
hilaicd
This news was received with amaze
mcni. and even CONSERVATION II camo
from an officer IN the ROYAL navy. and
how could Il b. doubted that a great
man-Oi.war had bccn destroyed In a mo
mcni by one shot from the syndicaics
vc-scl' And Set. even now. there wcrc
Trr~ons who did doubt. and who asserted
that the crabs might have placed grca,
tortsrdo under tho Cmglcyin, that wirv
attached a. this iorTs,lo ran out from ihc
rvpcllcr. and that the British captain had
merely flrCd the torpedo but hour 10y
hour. a. fuller news camo across the
ocran. thc numlcr - thcso douh,crs u
came smaller and smaller
In the mldsto - the great public excite
mcui which now existed on both sides -
The Atlantic-in the midst of all the con.
dieting opinions. fears and hopcs-tho
dominant sentiment seemed to b.. In
America as well a. IN Europc. one u
curiosity. Wcrc these slx erals and one
rrfcllcr bound f1r the british lslcs3 And
u ~. what did they intend 90 do when
they got thcrUl
Il vas now generally admitted that
one % the syndicato's erals could disable
a man-of.war; that ono 81 tho syndi.
Gates Upcllcn could Withstand the
heaviest artillery iirc. and that one % tho
yndicaics motor bombs could destroy a
,csssl or fort. hut thcsc things had
hccn pregcl IN Isolated comlais. whcrc
the new methods % attack AMI defense
llad had almost undisiurlsd opportunity
for exhibiting th,ir efficiency. But what
could rrcller and half a dozen cah'
DO against the combined forvo ~ the
ROYAL navy. a navy which had In the
las few years rrgaincd - supremacy
among tic nations. and which had mado
Great lluiain once morv the ilut mari
time power In tho wofldl
Tic Gratis might disable some men-oi.
war. the rcIcllcr might mako her calcu.
laiiona anil discharge hcr bomb at ship
or "a fort. hut What would the main boiy
OF the navy bc doing meanwhile! Over
whclmius. crushing AMI sinking 10 the
bottom erals. ,Icllcr. motor guns and
everything that belonged u them.
ln England there vas feeling II
strong resentment that such little ilcc,
should b. allowed 20 sail with such In.
tent into British waters This resent.
mcnt extended itsclf not only 90 the im.
pulcni fyndicaic. bat toward the GOV.
crumcn,, anil the opposition party gained
daily In strength. The opposition Iapcrs
hal bccn loud and RECKLESS Ia their de
nunciations u the slowncss and made
quacy Of the naval prpantions. AMI
loaded tlc government with the entire
rep0usihiliiy. not only Of tho damage
which hai already tcyn done io the forts.
the shils. and the prestige of Grcai
Britain. bat also for tho threatened
danger ~ "a sudden descent ~ tho syndi.
Gates llcvt upon some unprotected point
upon ihc coast. This fcct should never
have b,,en allowed 10 approach within a
Thousand miles Of England IL should
have lccn sunk in mid-occan. u IL sink.
In. had involved the loss Of q dozen men.
of-war
In Amcricla very strong feeling Of dis
satisfaction showed itself. From the ilri
the syndicate contract had not bccn popu-
lar. but the quick. effective and business
Ike action ~ that body Of men. and the
marscl succcss up a. this time of their
inventions and their Operations. had
caused a great reaction In their favor.
They had. 80 far. successfully defended
the American coast. aud when they had
incrCas.,l the number % their vessels,
they would have been relied upon 10 con-
tinuc that dofense. Even II a British
armada had ~ out 10 cross the Atlantic.
is movements must lave been slow and
cumbrous. AMI the swift and sudden
strokes with which the syndicate wagcd
war could have been given by nigh, and
by day over thousands Of miles of ocean.
Whether or no, these strokes would
have lccn quick enough OF hard enough
to turn hack an armada might IT, ques-
ton. but there could bc no question oi
the suicidal policy of sending seven slips
and two cannon TO conquer England. II
seemed NJ u the success Of the syndicate
hail ~ puiIcl ZAP w. members with pride
and cuniidcncc In their power. that they
had como to bclicyc that they lia,I only
10 chow themselves To conquer. whatever
might H. the conditions OF the contest.
The destruction Of the syrdicate's fleet
would now b. a heavy blow Ia the
Unitc,l States II would produce an utter
want of confidence In the councils and
judgments Of the syndicate. which could
not H. counteractel 10y the strongest
faith In the efficiency Of their engines oi
war. and il was feared that !, might Ia
come ncCcsssry. esen at this critical
iunctun.. a. unnul the contract wi,l' the
syndicate. and to depend upon the
American navy for the defense ~ the
American coast.
Even among the men on boarl the syn
aicat.'s fIc.t Them W.ro signs Of doub,