The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-01


with the armor plate, added nearly fif-
teen feet to the width of the vessel above
water All her superstructures were re-
moved from her deck, which was COW
cred by curved steel roof, and under
bomb proof canopy at the bow were
placed two guns capable Of carrying the
largest sized motor bombs. The Talla-
poosa, thus transformed, was called Re-
peller No. II.
The immense addition to her weight
would of course interfere very much
with the speed of the new repeller, but
this was considered of little importance.
as she would depend on her own engines
only in time of action. She was now
believed to possess more perfect defenses
than any battle ship in the world.
Early on misty morning Repeller No.
IL, towed by four of the swiftest and
most powerful crabs, and followed by
two others, left northern port of the
United States, bound for the coast of
Great Britain. Her course was a very
northerly one, for the reason that the
syndicate had planned work for her to
do while on her way across the Atlantic.
The syndicate had now determined,
without unnecessarily losing an hour, to
plainly demonstrate the power of the in
Simultaneous motor bomb. 1t had been
intended to do this upon the Adamant,
but as it had been found impossible to
induce the captain of that vessel to evac-
uate his ship, the syndicate had declined
to exhibit the efficiency of their new
agent of destruction upon a disabled
craft crowded with human beings.
This course had been highly preiu-
dicial to the claims of the syndicate, for
as Repeller No. had made no use in the
contest with the Adamant of the motor
bombs with which she was said to be
supplied, it was generally believed on
both sides of the Atlantic that she car
ried no such bombs, and the conviction
that the destruction at the Canadian port
had been effected by means of mines con-
tinued as strong as it had ever been. To
correct these false ideas was now the
duty of Repeller No. II.
For some time Great Britain had been
steadily forwarding troops and muni-
tons of war to Canada, without Interrupt
ton from her enemy. Only once had
the syndicate's vessels appeared above
the banks of Newfoundland. and as the
number of these peculiar craft must nee
essarily be small, it was not supposed
that their line of operations would be ex-
tended very far north, and no danger
from them was apprehended, provided
the English vessels laid their courses well
to the north.
Shortly before the sailing of Repeller
No. II, the syndicate had received news
that one of the largest transatlantic mail
steamers, loaded with troops, and with
heavy cannon for Canadian Notifications,
and accompanied by the Craglevin, one
of the largest ironclads in the Royal
navy, had started across the Atlantic
The first business of the repeller and her
attendant crabs concerned these two yes
sells.
Owing to the power and speed of the
crabs which towed her, Repeller No. II
made excellent time; and on the morn
ing of the third day out the two British
vessels were sighted. Somewhat alter
ing their course, the syndicate's vessels
were soon within few miles of the
enemy.
The Craglevin was magnificent war
ship. She was not quite so large as the
Adamant, and she was unprovided with
a stern jacket or other defense of the
kind. In sending her out the admiralty
had designed her to defend the transport