Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-02-28

auihnr of "Endder Grange" amos XII
bright" The bee Man Of Orn." THE
CHRISTMAS Wreck" The Lady or the
Tiger" THE late Mrs. Null" 1.-THE
Humid edith Man" Tho Casting Away
Of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs Aicshine," THE
Dusantes." etc.
Copyrighted by p F Collier. OF Golfers O;pce
Week. and published by special arrangement
Eith him through the American Press Associ9
so1 All rights reserved.
During this morning there arrived in
the oiiing another syndicate vessel. This
had started from n northern part of the
United States. before the repeliers and
the crabs, and it had been engaged in
laying private submarine cable, which
should put the office Of the syndicate in
New York in direct communication with
its naval forces engaged with the enemy.
TeleGraphic connection between the
cable boat and Repei'er No. having
been established, the indicate soon re-
ceivcd from its direct r-in-chief full and
comprehensive accounts of what had
been done, and what it was proposed to
do. Great w2s the satisfaction among
the members of tho syndicate when
these direct and official reports came in.
Up to this time they had been obliged to
depend upon very unsatisfactory intelli-
gence communicated from Europe,
which had been supplemented by wild
statements and rumors smuggled across
the Canas.i;.:i LCrLer.
10 counteract the effect Of these full
report was Immediately made by the
syndicate to tho government Of the
United States, and bulletin distinctly
describing what had happened was is
sued to the people Of the country. These
reports, which received o world wide
circulation in tho newspapers, created a
popular elation in the United States, and
gave rise to serious apprehensions and
concern in many other countries. But
under both elation and concern there
was certain doubtfulness. So far the
syndicate had been successful, but its
style of warfare was decidedly expert.
mental. and its forces, In numerical
strength at least, wero weak. What
would happen when the great naval
power Of Great Britain should be
brought to bear upon the syndicate, was
question whose probable answer was
likely to cause apprehension and concern
in the United States end citation In many
other countries.
The commencement Of active hostil.
tiles had been precipitated by this syndi-
cate. In England preparations were
making by day and by night to send
upon tile coast lines Of the United States.
. fleet which, in numbers and power.
would be greater than that Of anv naval
expedition in tho history Of tho world.
It is no wonder that many people Of
sober Judgment in America looked upon
the affair Of the crabs and tho repellegs
as but an incident In the beginning Of .
great and disastrous war.
On the morning Of the destruction OF
Fort Pitcher the syndicate's vessels
moved toward the port. and the steel net
vas taken up BY the two crabs. and
moved nearer the mouth Of the iarbor,
ct poin: from which the fort, now in
process Of evacuation. was In full view.
When this had been done, Repellcr No.
2took up her position at a moderate dis
lance behind the net, and the other yes
sells stationed themselves near by.
The protection Of the net was consid-
cred necessary, for although there could
be no reasonable doubt that all the tor
pctoes in the harbor and river had been
exploded. others might DO sent out
against tho syndicate's vessels, end q
torpedo under crab or o repeller. was
the enemy most feared by the syndicate.
About 3 O'Clock the signals between
the fepcllers became very frequent. and
soon afterwards truce boat went out
from Repeller No. !. This was rowed
with great rapidity. but It was Obliged to
60 much farther up the harbor than on
previous occasions. in order to deliver its
message to an officer Of the garrison.
This was to the effect that the cvacua-
ton Of the fort had been Observed from
the syndicate's vessels, and although it
had been apparently complete, one OF
the scientific corps, with a powerful
glass. had discovered q man in orc Of the
outer rcdoubts, whose presence there
was probably unknown to the officers Of
the garrison. It was, therefore, earn
cstly urged that this man might be in
stantly removed, and in order that this
might be done, the discharge Of the mo
tor bomb would be postponed half an
hour.
Tho officer received this message end
was disposed to look upon It as q new
trick. but as no time was to be lost he
rent q corporal's guard to the fort, and
there discovered an Irish sergeant by the
name Of Kilsey, who had sworn an oath
that II every other man in the fort ran
away like lot Of addle pated sheep he
would not run with them: he would
stand to his post to the last, and when
the couple Of ships outside had got
through bombarding the stout walls Of
the fort, the world would see that there
was at least one British soldier who was
not afraid Of bomb, be it little or big.
Therefore he had managed to elude oh
servation. and to remain behind.
The sergeant was SO hot headed in his
determination to stand by the fort that
it required violence to remove him: and
It was not until twenty minutes past
that the syndicate observers perceived
that he had been taken to the hill behind
which the garrison was encampcd.
As It had been decided that Repelle,
No. should discharge the next instan.
taneous motor bomb, there was ar
anxious desire on the part Of the opera
tors on that vessel that in this, their first
experience, they might do their duty a,
well a. their comrades on board the Other
repeller had done theirs. The most &C
cnrate observations, the most careful cal
culations. wefe made and remade, tht
point 10 be aimed at being about tht
center of the fort.
The motor bomb had been in the can.
non for nearly an hour. and everything
had long been ready. when at precisely
thirty minutes past o'clock tho signal
to discharge came from the director-in.
chief. and in four seconds afterward the
index on the scale indicated that the
gun was in the proper position, and the
button was touched.
The motor bomb was set to act the in.
slant il should touch any portion VI the
fort. and the effect was different from
that Of the other bombs. There was q
quick. hard shock. but it was all in the
air Thousands of panes of glass in the
city and III houses for miles around were
cracked CT broken; birds fell dead OF
stunned upon the ground. and people on
e:c:aiinns at considerable distances felt
g, IL l.ey had received q blow; but there