The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-02-11
SALTWATER, MINNESOTA THURSDAY FEBRUARY IL, 1897

lik and Alexander The end had come
and the Bear and the Negus sat in the
upper cafe of the Eifel Tower drinking
to their manyvictories in deep draughts
of POmery Sec. when suddenly AleXan-
der bowed his head upon the table and
wept. TO inquiries from Menelik, AL
exander replied that like his great
namesake, Alexander of old, he wept
because there were no more worlds to
conquer. But Menelik assured him
that beyond the briny Atlantic there
were people whose king and god was
gold and whose law was the Monroe
Doctrine, (whatever. that meant
Whereupon the Bear ceased to weep
and called for more Sec and his chief
of staff, and ten, days thereafter Alex
ander and Menelik sailed out of the
English Channel attended by the ma
vies of all Asia and Europe with
Greater New York as their objective
point.
But here my story begins. America
had watched with wonder and surprise
the events transpiring on the other side
of the ocean, the crushing of empires
and the fall of monarchies and, needing
we'll her own interests, had gone about
preparing for defense in case of an at
tempted invasion. The wonderful and
mysterious air-ship that had so often
hovered over the Pacific slope, had
been caught mapping in Golden Gate
Park, one foggy day and it's secrets be-
came known to the government. A
great fleet of these aerial navigators
was hastily constructed after the plan.
of this pioneer ir-ship. Each ship was
fitted out with search-lights, signaling
apparatus, nitro-glycerine bombs and a
crew of ten men. About the time Eu-
rope had succumbed to overwhelming
hordes of heathens, the American fleet
of air-shipS was put in commission.
Like pilot boats that hover off shore
watching for incoming vessels, these
air ships stood far out to sea forming
line of battle that covered all possi-
BILE approach Of all enemy. Signals
all along the line gave to the admiral
in command news of the entire fleet.
Swift dispatch cruisers soon brought
news of the launching.sof second fleet
which stood in the rearI as a reserve
line. Days passed and week had gone,
but on the morning of the tenth day
the lookout of the ship Vulture sang
out from the crows nest ga SAIL"
Through his glass, the Captain made
out great fleet rising upon the hori-
zon. Then there was hurry and hustle,
signals flying, orders shouted, bomb
cases being opened and put in readi,
ness, the crew going through the man.
ual of the service, while ships Of the
line north and south arriving, took
their respective positions to await the
coming of the enemy. More air-ships
arrived; they fly through the air like
an arrow and then droplinto their as
signed positions like living things. All
is in readiness, every one of the aerial
fighting craft is in it's position; all is
expectation.
Onward comes that prodigious fleet
of steel, compared with which the Span
ish Armada would seem but cookie
shell. The great English ship, Cham
perdown is flagship of the. fleet and
from the masthead float the colors of
Menelik and Alexander. There was no
hesitancy on the part of the; iron-clads
and if their commanders were alarmed
by the appearance of so strange sight
as the Yankee air-ships presented there
was no sign of retreating. The: Y ankee
admiral now ran up signal never
seen before on land or sea and the air.
ships began to move; they go through
their maneuvers in beautiful circles
and then careening about, hover like
so many hawks far above the iron
clads; each cloud chaser poising'over a
particular ironclad. Then, again, the
commander displays a signal and al
most Immediately, there falls upon the
decks of hundred battleshipsa deluge
of nitro glycerine and almost before the
report of the explosions has died away,
one hundred great ships sink beneath