The Press., 1889-04-04
Issued Every Thursday Evening.

and rolled the four vessels and lifted the steel protecting net so high that for an instant parts of it showed themselves above the surface like glistening sea ghosts.
 Experiments with motor bombs had been made in unsettled mountainous dis tricts, but this was the first one which had ever exerted it's power under water.
 On shore, in the forts, and in the city, no one for an instant supposed that the terrific phenomenon which had just oc- cured was in any way due to the ves- sels of the syndicate. The repellers were in plain view, and it was evident that neither of them had fired gun. Besides, the firing of cannon did not pro- duce such effects. It was the general opinion that there had been an earth quake shock accompanied by cloud burst, and extraordinary convulsions of the sea. Such a combination of elemen- tary disturbances had never been known in these parts, and great many persons were much more frightened than if they had understood what had really hap pened. ..
 In about half an hour after the dis charge of the motor bomb, when the sea had resumed it's usual quiet, boat car rying a white flag left Repeller No. i, rowed directly over the submerged net and made for the harbor. When the ap- proach of this flag of truce was perceived from the fort nearest the mouth of the harbor, it occasioned much surmise. Had the earthquake brought these sym dicate knaves to their senses? Or were ! they about to make further absurd and outrageous demands? Some irate officers were of the opinion that enemies like these should be considered no better than pirates, and that their flag of truce should be fired upon. But the com mandant of the fort paid no attention to such .counsels, and sent detachment with white flag down to the beach to meet the approaching boat and learn its | errand. The men in the boat had nothing to do but to deliver letter from the director in-chief to the commandant of the fort and then row back again. No answer | was required.
 When the commandant read the brief l note he made no remark. In fact, he could think of no appropriate remark to make. The missive simply informed him that at ten o'clock and eighteen minutes a. m., of that day, the first l boom from the marine forces of the sym dicate had been discharged into the waters of the harbor. At, or about two o'clock p. m., the second bomb would be discharged at Fort Pitcher. That was all. What this extraordinary message | meant could not be imagined by any officer of the garrison. If the peoNle on board the ships were taking advantage of the earthquake, and supposed that they could induce British soldiers to be- ieve that it had been caused by one of their bombs. then were they idiots in- deed They would fire their second shot at Fort Pilcheri This was impossible, for they had not yet fired their first shot. These syndicate people were evidently very tricky. and the defenders of the port must therefore be very cautious.
 Fort Pitcher was a very large and un- finished fortification, on a bluff on the opposite side of the harbor. Work had been discontinued on it as soon as the syndicate's vessels had appeared off the port. for it was not desired to expose the builders and workmen to a possible bombardment. The place was now, therefore, almost deserted; but after the receipt of the syndicate's message, the commandant feared that the enemy might throw an ordinary shell into the unfinished works, and he sent boat across the bay to order away any work men or others who might be lingering about the place.
 A little after 9 o'clock p. m. an instan- taneous motor bomb was discharged from Repeller No. into Fort Pitcher. It was set to act five seconds after im- pact with the object aimed at. It struck in a central portion of the unfinished fort, and having described high curve in the air, descended not only with its own motive power, but with the force of gravitation, and penetrated deep into the earth.
 Five seconds later vast brown cloud appeared on the Fort Pitcher promon- tory. This cloud was nearly spherical in form, with an apparent diameter of about thousand yards. At the same .I instant shock similar to that accom- panying the first motor bomb was felt in the city and surrounding country, but this was not so severe as the other, for | tAo 5cSOu0 OOAAO oAO uOe SACAe Aoo AOASo upon the underlying rocks of the region, as the first cne had done.
 The great brown cloud quickly began to lose it's spherical form, part of it de- scending heavily to the earth and part floating away in vast dust clouds borne inland by the breeze, settling downward as they moved, and depositing on land, water, ships, houses. domes and trees an almost impalpable powder.
 When the cloud had cleared away there were no Notifications, and the bluff on which they had stood had disappeared. Part of this bluff had foated away on the wind and part of it lay piled in great heaps of sand on the spot where it's rocks were to have upheld fort.
 The effect of the motor bomb was fully observed with glasses from the various Notifications of the port and from many points of the city and harbor; and those familiar with the effects of explosives were not long in making up their minds what had happened. They felt sure that mine had been sprung beneath Fort Pitcher, and they were now equally con- fident that in the morning a torpedo oi novel and terrible power had been ex. ploded in the harbor. They now disbe. ieved in the earthquake and treated with contempt the pretense that shots had been fired from the syndicate's yes sel. This was merely a trick of the enemy, 1t was not even likely that the