The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-03-27
IN NJ OF WAR.
&c To
BE CAPTURED BY AlCOMMERCE
DESTROYER. f
The New Columbia After. the Cam
Danfa-An Exciting Race for Life
The "GreyhOunds" Can Not Escape
the Pirates" lis oc


''commerce-destroyer' to the contractors,
Mr.. Charles H. Cramp, che '~ship-builder,
christened the craft The Pirate. because
her mission was to capture the merchant
vessels of an enemy and Destroy them. In
cidentally, she would fight if she had to.
but the destruction of unarmed ships would
be her chief duty. When The Pirate was
baptized the Columbia her nickname fell
into disuse, out at the Cramps ship yard
she is best remembered under ner old title.
1t is one of the peculiar eccentricitieS of
modern civilization that private property
on the sea is treated in a different way
from private property on land. The troops
of civilized nations are not permitted to
despoil the inhabitants of an enemy's coun-
try; but nothing afloat is exempt from con-
or destruction, at the captor's
will. Consequently, among the needs of a
modern navy are teamers fast enough to
overtake all other vessels.
Up to date the Columbia and her twin,
the Minneapolis, are the only warships in
the world which could run down the fastest
ocean liners in a stern chase if war She uld
make their capture desirable. Great Britain
has designed two enormous craft-the Pow
erful and the Terrible-which are expected
to have the speed necessary to hunt down
the Columbia and the Minneapolis and the
battery to destroy them; but at the pres
ent time the American triple-screw com
merce destroyers have the heels of all sea-
going warships afloat.
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
Now, suppose that the Columbia should
be called upon to capture one Of the first
class ocean liners. What would be her plan
of action?
1t may be assumed that if the United
States were at war with Great Britain the
liners would not be running into our ports,
but might, perhaps, make Halifax their
western destination. Knowing, then, in
general, the route of the merchant steam
ers-say the Campania-the Columbia
would leave New York with her bunkars
full and with as large an additional SUPPLY
of coal as could be slowed on deck. Reach
ing a spot in mid-ocean, approximately en-
the track of the ships she sought, the Co.
would steam back and forth on a
meridian of longitude, covering a range of
perhaps 80 knots on each course, at a 10
knot speed, keeping the sharpest kind of a
lookout all the time. Having a range OF
vision in clear weather of at least ID miles,
she would be almost sure to sight the enc
my, if the latter passed in the day time.
Assume, then, that the Campan1a IS
sighted in the forenoon, at a distance OF 10
miles, and thai the Campania is equally
quick to spy the Columbia. Probably,
will be able to recognize the other
accurately beyond a greater distance than
10 miles. The Columbia. having the heels
of everything, will run straight toward the
stranger, but the Campania will not change
her course until she suspects the Columbia
to be a foe. d"
At the first glimpse 81 another steamer
the Columbia will spread the banked fires
under all the reserve boilers, will put on
the forced draught and start all three en-
gines at work. By the time the Campania
takes alarm and changes her course in
diOht the Co1Dmhia'S three screws will be
revolving at their highest speed, the ship
will be stripped for action, and the long,
stern chase will have begun. Let us assume
that 10 miles separate the two ships, and
that each is in a condition capable of do
ing her best.
On board the Columbia there is no excite
ment, save such as naturally accompanies
the exertion to it's full capacity of enormous
Furnaces are at white heat, while
half naked firemen methodically shovel in
fuel, and the great fans whirr
as the air is driven into the
glowing crate bars. AS the steam pressure
touches 10 pounds in one set of boilers, the
safety valve lifts, and on deck a roar is
heard like the rage of an imprisoned and
tortured giant. From end to end the
mighty hull rattles and quivers with the
throbs of the propellers, sharper and more
like as the bow plunges and the
stern lifts to the moderate surface swell.
1t matters not what may be the directions
of the breeze, the ship makes her own
wind as her speed rises above q knots, and
the showers of hot cinders sweep the decks
abaft the smokestacks.
A STERN CHASE is A LONG ONE.
Every eye on deck is leveled at the dis
tant steamer now in full flight, dead ahead.
There is no question as to her identity, for
no other craft likely to be in that neigh
borhood could hold such tremendous speed.
distant though she is, the Campania's
~ ~ an 0o1o,v 1oE% LoryN Lo4p oh1o f0
recognize her distinguishing features of rig,
hull and smoke stacks. The occasional
CLEAN of foam glancing from her tow as
she plunges into a wave shows that she,
too, is going at no ordinary speed.
Steadily the registers on the Columbia's
engines click off the revolutions. A weird
voice is heard in the engine rooms: "What
number of revolutions are you making?'
And the replies presently explode in the
silence of the coming tower: "One hun lred
and thirty-six a minute, starboard engines,
sir; lone hundred and thirty-ive, port en-
engines, sir"
That means % knots" says the captain,
an anxious look ahead. eff we can
hold this gait six hours, we shall have her
easy range"
What do you give the Campania ?" asks
the executive officer.
"Well, she is probably making between
Fl and 21.4," replied the captain. "She has
a start of 10 knots. 1t is now 10 o'clock,
and if we can gain a knot and a half an
hour, we shall be within a mile of her at
o'clock, and can take her before dark, but
if we gain less than that, it will be an even
chance that she gets away after night
4
Thenceforward there wa no change until
noon, except that the revolutions fell off
five or six turns per minute, and then pick
again a little. But there is evidently
an equal decrease in the Companies speed,
for the gain apparently increases slightly,
and the steamers are now little more than
six miles apart. The Campania's people
aware that they must do something if
they wish to escape, and presently they
drop overheard their boats and all unneces-
gear about decks.
They are breaking cargo out of their
matches, SIR says the keen-eyed
cadet at the masthead.
About l o'clock he reports that the Cam
pania has jettisonedi her life raft.
That's odd" says the. Columbia's cap
tain. II should have thought that would
have gone before the boats" And he levels
his glasses on the floating mass tossing in
the C~amparia's wake.
A TRICK THAT DOESN'T WORK.
Presently he shrugs his shoulders and or
ders the helm a-starboafd. AS the bow
swings a half point to port every one looks
with establishment at the captain, but he
PAGES the bridge without appearing to no
tice the blank looks The change of course
Is trifiing, but it is an evident loss to the
pursuer for which no one can account. Five
miles from where the course was changed
the helm is ported land the direct chase
Meanwhile " the
cropped from the Campania's quarter is
just abeam; but instead of passing it close
QC wa tn -~oa x-s%l A. o.