The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-22
SECTION x.

Each of the disabled ironclads was
now in tow of sister vessel or of tugs,
except the Llangaron. This great ship
had been disabled SO early in the contest,
and her broadside had presented such a
vast surface to the northwest wind, that
she had drifted much farther to the
south than any other vessel. Conse-
quently before the arrival of the tugs
which had been sent for to tow her into
the harbor. the Llangaron was well on
her way across the channel. A foggy
night came on, and the next morning
che was ashore on the coast of France,
with mile of water between her and
dry land. Fast rooted in a great sand
bank she lay week after week. with the
storms that came in f;r>", - tt>,~~ir
and the storms that came in from the
German ocean beating upon her tall side
OF solid iron, with no more effect than If
it had been a precipiceof rock Against
waves and winds she formed massive
breakwater, with a wide stretch of
smooth sea between her and the land.
There she lay, proof against all the artil-
lery of Europe and all the artillery of the
sea and the storm, until feet of small
vessels had taken from her her ponder
GUS armament, her coal and stores, and
she had been lightened enough to float
upon high tide and to follow three tugs
to Portsmouth.
When night came on Repeller No. II
and the crabs dropped down with the
tide and lay to some miles west of the
scene of battle. The fog shut them in
fairly we'll, but. fearful that torpedoes
might be sent out against them, they
showed no lights There was little dan
ger of collision with passing merchant
men, for the English channel at present
was deserted by this class of vessels
The next morning the repeller, preceded
by two crabs, bearing between them
submerged net similar to that used at the
Canadian port, appeared off the eastern
end of the Isle of Wight. The anchors
of the net were dropped, and behind it
the repeller took her place, and shortly
afterward she sent flag of truce boat to
Portsmouth harbor This boat carried
note from the American war syndicate
to the British government.
III CAAAS uOC0 IL Was SGdC0U CIldC IL was
now the intention of the syndicate to
utterly destroy, by means of the instanta-
neous motor, fortified post upon the
British coast AS this would be done
solely for the purpose of demonstrating
the irresistible destructive power of the
motor bombs, it was immaterial to the
syndicate what fortified post should be
destroyed, provided it should answer the
requirements of the proposed demon
stration. Consequently the British gov
ernment was offered the opportunity of
naming the fortified place which should
be destroyed. If said government should
decline to do this or delay the selection
for twenty-four hours, the syndicate
would itself decide upon the place to be
operated upon.
Every one in every branch of the
British government, and, in fact. nearly
every thinking person in the British
islands, had been racking his brains, or
her brains, that night, over the astound-
ing situation; and the note of the syndi-
cate only added to the perturbation of the
government. There was strong feeling
in official circles that the insolent little
enemy must be crushed, if the whole
British navy should have to rush upon it,
and all sink together in common grave.