Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-05-29


anything which bore tho American flag,
or looked like an American craftgs
Fortunately the coast steamer was not
struck, and ct the top Of her speed re-
tired to a greater distance, whence the
syndicate officer on board communicated
with the crab by smoke signals.
During the time in which Crab G had
had charge of the Adamant no commn-
nication had taken place between the
two vessels. Whenever an air pipe had
been elevated for the purpose OF using
therein speaking tube, volley from
machine gun ON tho Adamant was
poured upon it, and after several pipes
had been shot away the director Of the
crab ceased his efforts to confer with
those on the ironclad. It had been
necessary to place the outlets of the ve1l-
| tilating apparatus Of the crab under the
forward ends of some Of the upper roof
plates.
When Crab G had received her orders
she put abous the PROV of the great war
ship, and proceeded to tow her north
eastward. the commander of tho Ada
mant' taking parting crack with his
heaviest stern gun at the vessel which
had brought the order for his release.
All the way from the American coast to
the Bermuda islands, the great Adamant
blazed, Numbered and roared, not only
because her commander saw, or fancied
he saw, an American vessel, but to no
tify all crabs, repellers and any other
vile invention of the enemy that may
have been recently put forth to blemish
the sacred surface of the sea, that the
Adamant still foated, with the heaviest
coat of mail and the finest and most
complete armament in the world, ready
to sink anything hostile which came
near enough-but not too near.
When the commander found that he
was bound for the Bermudas he did not
understand it, unless, indeed, those ISL
ands had been captured by the enemy.
But he did not stop firing. Indeed,
should he find the Bermudas under the
American flag, he would fire at that flag
and whatever carried it, as long as shot
or a shell or charge OF powder re-
NAMED to him.
But when he reached British waters,
and slowly entering st. Georges harbor,
saw around him the British flag floating
as proudly as it fioated above his own
great ship, he confessed himself utterly
bewildered: but he ordered the men at
every gun to stand by their piece until
he was boarded by boat from the fort
and informed of the true state OF affairs.
But even then, when weary Crab 9
raised herself from her fighting depth
and steamed to dock, the commander
of the Adamant could scarcely refrain
from sending a couple of tons OF iron
into the beastly sea devil which had the
impertinence to tow him about against
his will.
No time was lost by the respective
governments of Great Britain and the
United States in ratifying the peace
made through the syndicate, and In con-
Guiding a military and naval alliance,
the basis of which should be the use by
these two nations, and by no other ma
tons, of the instantaneous motor. The
treaty was made and adopted with much
more dispatch than generally accompa-
MES such agreements between nations,
for both governments felt the Importance
of placing themselves without delay in
that position from which, by means of
their united control of paramount meth
dds of warfare, they might become the
arbiters of peace. .g,..... -
The desire to evolve that power which
long led men from one warlike invention
to another. Every one who had con-
structed new kind Of gun, new kind
of armor or a new explosive thought
that he had solved the problem or was
on his way to do so. The inventor Of the
instantaneous motor had done 1t.
The treaty provides that all subjects
concerning hostilities between either or
both of the contracting powers and other
nations should be referred to joint high
commission, appointed by the two pow.
ers, and if war should be considered
necessary, it should be prosecuted and
conducted by the Anglo-American war
syndicate, within limitations prescribed
by the high commission.
The contract made with the new syndi-
cate was of the most stringent order, and
contained every provision that ingenuity
or foresight of man could invent or sug-
gest to make it impossible for the syndi-
cate to transfer to any other nation the
use of the instantaneous motor.
Throughout all classes in sympathy
with the administrative parties of Great
Britain and the United States there was
a feeling of jIlbilant citation on account
two nations of the means of prohibitive
warfare. The public sentiment acted
even upon the opposition; and the ma
jority of army and navy officers In the,
two countries felt bound to admit that
the arts of war in which they had been
educated were things of the past. OF
course there were members Of the army
and navy in both countries who depre-
Gated the new state of things. But there
were also men still living who deprecated
the abolition of the old wooden seventy
four gun ship.
A British artillery officer, conversing
with member of the American syndi-
cate at London club, said to him:
"Do you know that you made great
mistake in the beginning of your opera
tons with the motor guns? If you had
contrived an attachment to the motor
which should have made an Internal
thunderclap and a storm of smoke at the
moment Of discharge, it would have
saved you lot of money and time and
trouble. The work of the motor on the,
Canadian coast was terrible enough, but
people could see no connection between
that and the guns on your vessel. If you
could have sooner shown that connection.
you might have saved yourselves the
trouble of crossing the Atlantic. And,
to prove this, one of the most satisfac-
tory points connected with your work
on the Welsh coast was the jet Of smoke
which came from the repeller every time
she discharged motor. If it had not
been for those jets believe there would
be people now in the opposition who
would swear that Caerdaf had been
mined, and that the ministry were .
party to it." '>a -
Your point is well taken," said the
American, land should it ever be neces-
sary to discharge any more bombs
which hope it may not be-we shall
take care to show visible and audible
connection between cause and effect"
ssThe devil take it, sirl" cried an old
captain of an English ship of tho line,
who was sitting near by. "What you
are talking about is not war! We might
as well send out Goldfish trust to settle
national disputes. In the next sea fight
we'H save ourselves the trouble Of gnaw-
ing and crunching at the sterns Of the
enemy. Wen simply send o note aboard
requesting the foreigner to be 80 good as
to send us his rudder by bearer, which,
if properly marked and numbered, viii
be returned to him on the conclusion of
peace. This would do just as well as
twisting it off, and save expense. No.
sir, | will not join you in q julep. ].
have made no alliance over new tangled
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