Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-04-23

rival at the other would not be appre-
ciahle. The difference in concussionary
force between train moving at the rate
of q mile in two minutes, or even one
minute, and another train which moves
mile in an instant, can easily be iinag-
| incd.
In these bombs those tubes which
might direct their powers downward or
literally upon the earth were capable OF
instantaneouslE propelling every portion
Of solid ground or rock to distance OF
two or three hundred yards, while the
PARTICLES of objects on the surface of the
earth were instantaneously removed to a
far greater distance. The tube which
| propelled the bomb was of force grad
uatcd according to circumstances and it
would carry bomb to as great dis
| tance as accurate observation for plr-
| poses Of aim could be made. Its force
was brought into action while in the
cannon by means Of electricity. while
the same effect was produced in the
other tubes by the conclusion Of the steel
head against the object aimed at.
What gave the tubes their power was
the jealously guarded secret.
| The method Of aiming was as novel as
the bomb itself. IN this process nothing
| depended Oh the cyesight OF the gunner;
| the personal equation was entirely eIimi-
mated. The gun was so mounted that lis
! direction was accurately indicated bv
| graduated scales; there was an instru-
ment which was acted upon by the dip
rise or roll OF the vessel, and which
| showed at any moment the position Of
| the gun with reference to the plane of
! The sea surface.
! Before the discharge Of the cannon an
| observ@tion was taken by one Of the sci
| ontitc men which accurately determined
/ the distance 10 the object 90 be aimed at,
| and reference to a carefully prepared
1 mathematical table showed to what
| points On the graduated scales the gun
| should be adjQNcd; and the instant that
| the nuzzle Of The cannon was III the 10
siiion that it was when the observation
| was taken q button was touched, and the
| bomb was instautaneously placed On
4 the spot aimed Id. The cXactness with
which the propcling force Of the bomb
could hc determined was an important
fas,or III tl,;1 ,co,bll IF Amino
Az soon as three Of the spring armored
vcss4ls ana liee ..crab5, were COMPLETED.
t,:a syndicate felt itself ready 70 begin
oueeations. Ii Wa indeed time. The tca.,
/ h..d loea covorcI with American and
British merchantmen fastening homie
ward. or IL f.iclGl, ports. before the
actual commemorate of ha,1i}ities. But
! All had NOT bee. fortunate crouyh T.
| reach safety vitliu the limits Of time
allowed, and several American 1,er-
| ch.ut.nou had bcea already cauturad Lv
fat nyj.j !. .rl.iser7.
The members O.. the syndicate well
understood tliaJ II a war was to lie car
ri.l On Is t,.ey desired, tlav must strike
/ lAa first real Blow. Coripar.tivelv s4eal:-
ing. very short time had cIaDscd since
tue declaration of war, ana tl.e oDnortu
! tItitv t3take Tie initiative wa still Oman
ii was ii u.01rto take this initiative
/ th.t, il the carly hours of !: July morn
/ iag, two of the svndicates armored
vessels, each accompanied by crab,
I StG,i4I4t u tttL R4 u New 4-H54uHI liCEI anu
! headed lcr the point o. th4 Canadian
/ coast whore il had bccn decided to open
/ tAa campaign.
4..2 vessels Of the syndicate haI no in
/ diFilual names. The spring armorcd
/ ships We're termed 'rapoilors," and were
numbered, aAI the crabs were known by
/ the letters ct the alphabet Each rapellor
1 was i'll charge Of q director of naval
/ operations; and the whole naval force Of
the syndicate was under the command
oi 4 diIector-in-chiei. On this momen-
toa5 occasion this officer was on board Ct
/ Repclior No. /, and commanded the little
/ fleet.
The repCllcrs had never been vessels Of
/ great speed, and their present armor of
steel strips, thc lower portion Of which
, was frequently Under water, considerably
retarded their progress, but each Of them
was taken in tow by enc of the swift and
powerful crabs, and Wlli this assistance
they made very gQQd time, reaching their
destination Oh the morning q thoaccond