Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-05-29
The Great War Syndicate.
By FRANK r. STOCKTON.

Author of "Rudder Grange" "Amos Kill
bright" "Thr Bee Man of Orn," 'The
christmas Wreck" 1.-THE Lady or the
Tiger" 1.-THE Late Mrs. Null" ''The
Hundrcith Man." ''The Casting Away
OF Mr.. Lecks and MRS. Aleshine," "The
Dusantes." etc.
copyrighted by r. r Collier of Golfers once
| Wnrh AMI published by special arrangement
| with n through tho American Press Associar
| ton All rights reserved.
The next day was one Of supreme i'm
portance to the syndicate. On this day
it must make plain to the world, not only
what the motor bomb could do. but that
the motor bomb did what was done.
Before leaving the English channel the
director of Repeller No. II had received
telegraphic advices from both Europe
and America indicating the general drift
of public opinion in regard to the recent
sea fight; and, besides these, many Eng
lish and continental papers had been
brought to him from the French coast.
From all these tho director perceived
that the cause of the syndicate had in a
certain way suffered from the manner in
which tho battle in tho channel had been
conducted. Every newspaper urged that
if the repeller carried guns capable OF
throwing the bombs which the syndicate
proposed to use there was no reason why
every ship in the British feet should not
have been destroyed. But as the repelle1
| had not fired Il single shot at the fleet, and
as the battle had been fought entirely
by the cra1s. there was every reason to
| believe that if there were such things as
motor guns their range was very short,
not as grca: as that of the ordinary dyna.
mite cannon. The great risk run by one
of the crabs in order to disable a dyna-
mite Gunboat seemed an additional proof
of this.
1t WAS urged that the explosions in the
water might have been produced by tor
pc;!ocs; that the torpedo boat which had
| been destroyed WAS go near the repelleI
that "a ordinary shell was sufficient to
accomplish the damage that had been
done.
To :;aiEsay those assumptions was i'm
| perati;e On the syndicate's forces. To
frnly establish the prestige of the in
Simultaneous motor was the object of the
war. Crabs were of but temporary ser.
vice. Any nation could build vessels
like them, and there were many means
of destroying them. The spring armor
was a complete defense against ordinary
artillery, cut it was not a defense against
submarine torpedoes. The claims Of the
syndicate could be firmly based on moth
ing but the powers of absolute annihila-
ton possessed by the instantaneous mo-
tor bomb.
About o'clock on the appointed morn.
ing Repeller No. II, much to the surprise
of the spectators on the high grounds
with field glasses and telescopes, steamed
away from CacTdaf. What this meant
nobody know, tut the naval military OBJ.
servers Immediately suspected that the
syndicate's vessel had concentrated atten.
ton upon Caerdatf in order to 60 over to
Ireland to do some sort of mischief there.
It was presumed that the crabs accom-.
| panied her, but as they were now at their
fighting depth it was impossible to see
them at SO great distance.
But it was soon perceived that Repel,
Ter No. IL had no intention of running
away, nor of sOing over to Ireland,
| From slowly cruising about four or five
miles off shore she had steamed west
ward until she had reached a point
which, according to the calculations Of
her scientific corps. was nine marine
miles from Caerdaff. There she lay tx
| CD.
It was not yet 1oo'clock when the OH
Ger in charge of the starboard gun re
marked to the director that he supposed
that it would not be necessary to give
the smoke signals, as had been done il
the channel, as now all the crabs were
lying near them. The director reflected
moment, and then ordered that thu
signal should be given at every discharge
of the gun, and that the columns of blacl
smoke should be shot up to their creates
height.
At precisely 10 o'clock, up rose from
Repeller No. II two tall jets Of blacl
smoke. Up rose from the promontorJ
of Caerdaff, heavy gray cloud, like al
immense balloon, and then the people
on the hill tops and highlands felt {
sharp shock of the ground and rocks be
meath them, and heard the sound of {
terrible but momentary grinding crush
AS the cloud began to settle, it wa
borne out to sea by the wind, and then i
was revealed that the Notifications o.
Caerdaff had disappeared.
In ten minutes there was another
smoke signal, and great cloud over ths
castellated structure on the other side O
the bay. The cloud passed away, leav
ing a vacant space on the other side O
the bay. -
The second shock sent panic through
the crowd of spectators. The next earth
quake bomb might strike among them
Down the eastern slopes ran hundreds O
them, leaving only few of the braves
civilians, the reporters of the press, ant
the naval and military men.
The next motor bomb descended intt
the fishing village, the comminuted par
ticles of which, being mostly Of ight
material, hoated far out to sea.
The detachment of artillerists who hat
been deputed to man the guns on the
heights which commanded the bay, ha6
been ordered to fall back to the noun
tains as soon as it had been seen that il
was not the intention of the repeller tx
send boats on shore. The most courage
GUS of the spectators trembled a little
when the fourth bomb was discharged
for it came farther inland, and struck
the height on which the battery ha6
| heen nIacad removing all vestines of t'hf
guns, caissons, and the ledge Of rock or
which they had stood.
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