Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-12-02
THE
Great War Syndicate.
By FRANK B. STOCKTON.

By FRANK B. STOCKTON.
Author Of "Rudder Grange" amos XII.
bright" 1.-THE Bee Man Of Orn," 1.-THE
Christmas Wreck" 1.-THE Lady or the
Tiger" 1.-THE Late Mrs. NULL "The
Huntredth Man." "The Casting Away
OF Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aieshihe," "'Ths
Dusantes," etc.
! Copyrighted by p r. Collier. of Golfers oncs
| q Week. and published by special arrangements
wAh him through the American Press Associar
doa All rights reservedl
[ooNTINUED.
| Each of the disabled ironclads was
row in tow of sister vessel or of tugs.
except the Llangaron. This great ship
had been disabled SO early in the contest,
and her broadside had presented such a
vast surface to the northwest wind. that
she had drifted much farther to the
south than any other vessel. Conse-
guently before the arrival of the tugs
which had been sent for to tow her into
the harbor, tie Llangaron was well on
her way across the channel. A foggy
night came on, and tho next morning
she was ashore on the coast of France,
with mile of water between her and
Try land. Fast rooted in a great sand
bank she lay week after week. with the
storms that came in from the Atlantic
ana the storms that came in from the
German ocean beating upon her tall side
OF solid iron. with no more effect than if
it had been precipice of rock. Against
waves and winds she formed massive
breakxater, with wide stretch of
smooth sea between her and the land.
There she lay, proof against all the artil-
lery of Europe and all the artillery of the
sea and the storm, until fleet of small
vessels had taken from her her ponder
GUS armament, her coal and stores, and
she had been lightened enough to float
upon high tide and to follow three tugs
to Portsmouth.
When night came on Repeller No. II
and the crabs dropped down with the
tide and lay to some miles west of the
scene of battle. The fog shut them in
fairly well, but. fearful that torpedoes
might be sent out against them, they
showed no lights. There was little dan
ger of collision with passing merchant
men, for the English channel at present
was deserted by this class of vessels.
The next morning the rcpeller. preceded
by two crabs, bearing between them a
submerged net similar to that used at the
Canadian port, appeared off the eastern
end of the Isle of Wight The anchors
of the net were dropped, and behind it
the repeller took her place, and shortly
afterward she sent flag of truce boat to
Portsmouth harbor. This boat carried
note from the American war syndicate
to the British government.
In this note it was stated that it was
now the intention of the syndicate to
utterly destroy, by means of the instanta-
neous motor, a fortified post upon the
British coast. AS this would be done
solely for the purpose of demonstrating
the irresistible destructive power of the
motor bombs, it was immaterial to the
syndicate what fortified post should be
destroyed, provided it should answer the
requirements of the proposed demon
stration. Consequently the British gov
eminent was offered the opportunity of
naming the fortified place which should
be destroyed If said government should
decline to do this or delay the selection
for twenty-four hours, the syndicate
would itself decide upon the place to be
operated upon.
Every one in every branch of the
British government, and, in fact. nearly
every thinking person in the British
islands, had been racking his brains, or
her brains, that night, over the astound-
ing situation; and the note of the syndi-
cate only added to the perturbation of the
government. There was strong feeling
in official circles that the insolent little
enemy must he crushed, if the whole
British navy should have to rush upon it,
and all sink together in a common grave.
But there were cooler and more prudent
brains at the head of affairs; and these
had already decided that the contest be-
tween the old engines of war and the
new was entirely one sidSd. The in
stincts of good government dictated to
them that they should be extremely wary
and circumspect during the further con
tinuance of this unexampled war. There.
fore, when the note of the syndicate was
considered, it was agreed that the time
had come when good craftsmanship and
wise diplomacy would be more valuable
10 the nation than torpedoes, armored
ships or heavy guns.
There was not the slightest doubt that
the country would disagree with the
government, but on the latter lay the re-
sponsibility of the country's safety
There was nothing, in the opinion of the
ablcst naval officers, to prevent the syn
dicate's fleet from coming up the Thames.
Instantaneous motor bombs could sweep
away all forts and citadels and explode
and destroy all torpedo defenses, and
London might lie under the guns of the
repeller.
In consequence of this view of the
state of affairs an answer was sent to the
syndicate's note asking that further time
be given for the consideration of the sit
uation, and suggesting that an exhibition
of the power of the motor bomb was not
necessary, as sufficient proof of this had
been given in the destruction of the Cana
dian forts, the humiliation of the Crag-
levin, and the extraordinary results of
the discharge of said bombs on the pre-
ceding day.
To this reply was sent from the Office
of the syndicate in New York Gy means
of cable boat from the French coast,
that on no account could their purpose
be altered or their propositions modified.
Although the British government might
be convinced of the power of the syndi-
Gates motor bombs, it was not the case
with the British people, for it was Jet
popularity disbelieved that motor bombs
existed. This disbelief the syndicate
was determined to overcome, not only for
the furtherance of its own purposes,
but to prevent the downfall of the present
British ministry, and probable radical
change in the government. That such a
political revolution, as undesirable to the
syndicate as to cool headed and sensible
Englishmen, was imminent, there could
be no doubt. The growing feeling of
disaffection, almost amounting to dis
loyalty, not only in the opposition party,
but among those who had hitherto been
firm adherents of the government, was
mainly based upon the idea that the
/ present British rulers had allowed them
selves to be frightened by mines and
torpedoes, artfully placed and exploded.
Therefore the syndicate intended to set
right the public mind upon this subject.
The note concluded by earnestly urging
the designation, without loss of time, of
o place of operations.
This answer was received in London in
the evening, and all night it was the