Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-11-04


steel netting from injury by small balls.
Valiantly the boats beset the crabs,
keeping up a constant fusillade and en-
deavoring to throw grapnels over them.
If one of these should catch under an
overlapping arnor plate it could be con-
nected with the steam windlass of the
Adamant and plate might be ripped off
or Il crab overturned.
But the crabs proved to be much more
lively fish than their enemies had sup
posed. Turning, as if ON a pivot, and
dartins from side to side. they seemed
to be playing with the boats, and not
trying to get away from them The
spring armor of Crab K interfered some
what with its movements and also put it
in danger from attacks by grapnels, and
1t therefore left most of the work to its
consort.
Crab j, after darting swiftly in and
out among her antagonists for some time,
suddenly made turn, and dashing at
one of the boats, ran under it. and rails
ing it on its glistening back, rolled it.,
bottom upward, into the sea- In a mo-
ment the crew of the boat were swim
ming for their lives. They were quickly
picked up by two of the other boats,
which then deemed it prudent to return
to the ship.
But the second officer of the Adamant,
who commanded the fourth boat did
not give up the fight. Having noted the
spring armor of Grab K, he believed that
if he could get grapnel between its
steel ribs he yet might capture the sea
monster. For some minutes Grab x con-
tented itself with Guiding him; but. tired
of this, it turned, and raising it's huge
nippers almost out Of the water, il seized
the bow of the boat and gave it q gentle
crunch, after which it released its hold
and retired. The boat, leaking rapidly
through two ragged holes, was rowed
back to the ship, which it reached half
full of water.
The great battle ship, totally bereft Of
the power of moving herself, was now
rolling in the trough of the sea, and a
signal came from the repeller for Grab
K to make fast to her and pat her head
to the wind. This was quickly done. the
crab attaching itself to the stern post Of
the Adamant by q pair of towing nip
pers. These were projected from the
stern of the crab, and were SO constructed
that tho larger vessel did not communi-
cate all its motion to tho smaller one,
and could not run down upon it.
AS soon as the Adamant was brought
up with her head to the wind she opened
fire upon the repeller. The latter vessel
could easily have sailed out of the range
of Il motionles5 enemy, but her orders
forbade this. Her director had been in
structed by the syndicate to expose his
vessel to the fire of the Adamant' heavy
guns. Accordingly the repeller steamed
nearer. and turned her broadside toward
the British ship.
Scarcely had this been done when the
two great bow guns of the Adamant
shook the air with tremendous roars,
each hurting over the sea nearly ton of
steel. One of these great shot passed
over the repeller, but the other struck
her armored side fairly amidship There
was crash and scream of creaking
steel. and Repeller No. rolled over to
windward as if she had been struck by a
heavy sea. In a moment she righted
and shot ahead, and, turning, presented
her port side to the enemy. Instant OK
animation of the armor on her other
side showed that the two banks of springs
were uninjured, and that not an air
buffer had exploded or failed to spring
back to its normal length
Firing from the Adamant now came
thick and fast, the crab in obedience to
signals turning her about so as to admit
the firing of some heavy guns mounted
amidships. Three enormous solid shot
struck the repeller at different points on
her starboard armor without inflicting
damage, while the explosion of several
shells which hit her had no more effect
upon her elastic armor than the impact
of the solid shot.
1t was the desire of the syndicate not
only to demonstrate to its own satisfac-
ton the efficiency of its spring armor,
but to convince Great Britain that her
heaviest guns on her mightiest battle
ships could have no effect upon its ar
mored vessels. To prove the absolute
superiority of their means Of oifense and
defense was the supreme object of the
syndicate. For this its members studied
and worked by day and by night; for
this they poured out their millions; for
this they waged war To prove what
they claimed would be victory.
When Repeller No. { had sustained
the heavy fire of the Adamant for about
half an hour, it was considered that the
strength of her armor had been sufii-
GENTLY demonstrated; and with much
lighter heart than when he had turned
her broadside to the Adamant, her direc-
tor gave orders that she should steam out
of the range of the guns of the British
ship. During the cannonade Crab had
quietly slipped away from the vicinity
of the Adamant, and now joined the re-
peller.
The great iro1clad battle ship. with
her lofty sides plated with nearly two
feet of solid steel, with her six great
guns, each weighing more than a hun
dred tons, with her armament of other
guns, machine cannon, and almost every
appliance of naval warfare, with a small
army of officers and men on board, was
left in charge of Crab K, of which only
few square yards Of armored roof could
be seen above the water. This little yes
sci now proceeded to tow southwark her
vast prize, uninjured, except that her
rudder and propeller blades were broken
and useless.
Although the engines of the crab were
of enormous power, the progress made
was slow, for the Adamant was being
towed stern foremost. 1t would have
been easier to tow the great vessel had
the crab been attached to her bow, but a
ram which extended many feet under
water rendered it dangerous for sub
merged vessel to attach itself in its
vicinity.
During the night the repeller Kept
company, although at considerable dis
lance, with the captured vessel; and
early the next morning her director pre-
pared to send to the Adamant boat
with flag of truce and letter demand
ing the surrender and subsequent evacu-
alton of the British ship. It was sup
posed that now, when the officers of the
Adamant had had time TO appreciate the
fact that they had no control over the
movements of their vessel: tn at their
armament was powerless against their
enemies; that the Adamant could he
towed wherever the syndicate chose to
order, or left helpless in mid-ocean. they
would be Obliged to admit that there was
nothing for them to do but to surrender.
TO BE CONTINUED.
just the opposi;s-
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