The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-05

get any further. for ut tnat point mo
timed meats man and the sieepihs-
coach man broke In TO say that IL was
the South Side and not the Noru Que
where the happy and prin;ely Tonnes
were and that the damage mat Wohlu oe
done by bombarding the North SIDE wouid
be a mere trihe in comparison. The no
tel-keeper grew very angry. ana came
10 the rescue OF the SPOKESMAN, VINO
seemed TO be n banker, white the Odu
man tried 10 say something about inc
West Size but was howled down py All
four OF the others. While they were
squabb!ing. Sir John stood like "a craven
image. and as soon as there was iuii
pulled out his watch and said, quito
quietly. gentlemen. you are wasting your
time. NV orders leave me 4 o discretion. 1
shall open fire at IL o'clocH.
Then follows tho account OF the bonn
bardment. thus:
We mad just made 1t eight bells when
we were called 10 quarters. IN ave min
utes the magazine had been opened, the
guns were loaded, and our nrst sheii gave
the signal 10 commence firing. IL was
the easiest sort OF ta!.Get practice. 4he
day had come off trein endOUsiy hot ana a
fiat cain, so that the lake was as smooth
as a mirror. We knew the distance 10
foot OF every conspicuous object OIL shore,
and they were az pIo' on cnarl that
was sent Oh deck u,r the gunner. All
the same, he muffied the FIRST shot. We
don't know where 1t went. though proba-
bly, somebody in TIA back part or Chi
cago could tell US. al ID. as we were using
only percussion fuse 5. we did not even
hear II burst. But I've saw one effect OF
1t. Until IL was fire these people could
not believe that war was war. The Lake
Front was still black with people, not such
crowd that OF the day before, but
stu there must ha We been some thou
sands OF them. VIII IN the first gun was
fired they began TO cater like ants In an
ant-hill. In five mi lutes not soul was
to be seen on shore. The gunner lowered
the other piece a tr1he for the second
shot. As soon as the smoke lifted, We
saw that one corner OF the tower OF the
Auditorium, which rises four or five
stories above the main building, was
gone-a piece OF w ali live or six yards
wide, perhaps, and TWO or three stories
high. The gunner rinned, and The guns
crew cheered. Mea! while, our neighbors
had got 10 work on both sides. We kept
up a steady practice about four shots 10
tho minute for ead h OF US, ana ia ali
hours time you would scarcely have
known Chicago Tor the same town that
We had sighted the day before. There
was not one Of the buildings LEFT Uuin-
get. Some had IN iappeared altogether,
others had their upper walls knocked
away, aud only cage Of metal bars left
sticking up in The air and you could soc
daylight through OF hers which had some
Of the walls left. IT was rather slcken-
ing work, / must say, 10 be knocking
down the houses OF eople who had done
US no harm, in this cold-blooded way.
If they had fought US il would have been
az -ltr tf11 cot NM
excitement out of It. But not a gun was
fired from shore, and we were banging
away without anything TO keep up our
spirits, except that we were turning
town into a Junk-Shor.
1t was not until about five bells that
we succeeded IN setting fire 10 the town.
At that time we saw thick smoke rising
half a mile TO the southwark Of us and
well back from the water. Within
quarter of an hour after that we made
another dead ahead, and directly after
wards two more-one 10 the northward
and another between the first two. IL
was only for few minutes that we could
tell them apart. Then the three smudges
rolled into one and became a great brown
cloud, and the smoke to the northward
spread until il seemed that all that part
must be on fire.
When Il was clear that nothing more
part the admiral signaBed 10 the ships
10 starboard to go 10 the northward, and
TO those to port to 90 southwark. We
had all got our anchors at the beginning
of the faction" and kept our positions
under steam-a very easy thing, Tor there
is no tide In the lakes. and the DRIFT IS a
trlfe. on they steamed, and twenty
minutes afterwards we henrd their guns
going The odd man in the deputauon
L.. 20. h.
have got the better of the other orators.
In less than three hours the other ships
we're back again and in their old posi-
tons and we fired half a dozen rounds
more. BY this time the smoke had spread
over the whole town and down 70 the
Lake Front and though it was still quite
light one could see flames breaking
through here and there. our work was
done. When the admiral gave the order
TO signal cease firing" l heard break
in his voice. and as / looked up l caught
his eye The tears were running down
the dear old mans face, and he spoke
with kind OF gulp:
ITS a perfect shame. / was here in
1872, and l never met with more Kindness
in my life. Some OF the incest fellows In
the world, and some Of the loveliest wo-
men. But, dear me. what fools they
are."
This is no more than an uncommonly
clever fancy sketch. but an that II de-
tails is possible, and it illustrates what
war would be when undertaken by per-
fectly unprepared power against the first
naval power Of the earth. standing al
ways ready for war at a moments no
tice.
Let us leave foreign complications to
themselves, fortify for ports, and attend
to our own business.