The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-05-17


sci sent by the syndicate. which was q
fast coast steamer, had scarcely hove in
sight of the objects Of her search when
she was saluted by ten inch shell from
the Adamant, followed almost immedi-
ately by two others. The commander Of
the Adamant had no idea that the war
was at an end, and had never failed,
during his involuntary cruise, to fire at
anything which bore the American flag,
or looked like an American craft.
Fortunately the coast steamer was rot
struck, and at the top of her speed re-
tired to q 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 commu-
nication had taken place between the
two vessels. Whenever an air pipe had
been elevated for the purpose Of using
therein o speaking tube, q volley from o
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. 1t had been
necessary to place the outlets of the ven
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 about tho PROV Of the great war
ship, and proceeded to tow her north.
eastward, the commander of the Ala.
mant taxing pait.ns crack with bus
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 floated, 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 q shell or Il charge OF powder re-
manned 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
he was boarded by u boat from the fort
nd inf IF hn frrr cfa 70 of otto tro
But even then, when weary Crab
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 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.
The desire to evolve that power which
should render opposition useless had
long led men from one warlike invention
to another. Every one who had con-
structed q new kind of gun, new kind
of armor or new explosive thought
that he had solved the problem or was
on his way to do SO. The inventor of the
instantaneous motor mad done it.
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.
Tho 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 Ol Iilo observation-disclosures llOtOI.
Throughout all classes in sympathy
with the administrative parties of Great
Britain and the United States there was
feeling Of jubilant elation on account
Of tho alliance and the adoption b., the
two nations of the means Of prohibitivo
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
tho abolition of the old wooden seventy
four gun ship.
a British artillery officer, conversing
with O member of the American syndi-
cate OF London club, said to him:
"Do you know that you mode great
mistake in the beginning Of your opera
tions with the motor guns? If you had
contrived an attachment to the motor
which should have made an internal
thunderclap and storm of smoke at the
moment OF discharge, it would have
saved you o lot of money and time and
trouble. The work of the motor on the
Canadian coast was terrible enough, but