Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-28

INV 0y iiui|dtc Hdu HOW determined,
without unnecessarily losing an hour. to
! plainly demonstrate the power of the in
Simultaneous motor bomb. 1t had been
intended to do this upon the Adamant,
but as it had been found impossible to
induce the captain of that vessel to cvac-
uate his ship, the syndicate had declined
to exhibit the efficiency of their new
agent of destruction upon q disabled
craft crowded with human beings.
This course had been highly preiu-
dlcial to the claims Of the syndicate, for
as Repeller No. had made no use in the
contest With the Adamant of the motor
bombs with which she was said to be
supplied, it was generally believed On
both sides Of the Atlantic that she car
ned no such bombs, and the conviction
that the destruction at the Canadian port
had been effected by means of mines con
ilnued as strong us it had ever been. To
correct these false ideas was now the
duty OF kepcllcr No. H.
For some time Great Britain had been
steadily forwarding troops and NUM-
tons of war TO Canada. without intcrrup-
ton from her enemy. Only once had
the syndicatu's vessels appeared above
the banks OF Newfoundland. and as the
number Of these peculiar craft must nee
essaFily be small, it WAS not supposed
that their line Of operations would be OK
tended very far north, and no danger
from them was apprehended, provided
the English vessels laid their courses well
10 the north.
Shortly before the sailing Of Rcpeller
No. II, TIE syndicate hadreceived news
that one OF the largest transatantic mail
steamers, loaded with troops. ana with
heavy cannon FOR Canadian Notifications,
and accompanied by the Cragieyin, one
OF the largest ironciads IN the ROYAL
navy, had started across the Atlantic.
lAe first business Of the repcl!er ana her
attendant erals concerned these two YES
6els.
Owing to The power ana speed Of the
crabs which lowed her, EopelIcr 10. II
made excellent t;me; aud on the morn
Ing q the third day cut the two British
vessels were sighted. Soucwhat alter
Ing their course, the sYndicata's vessels
were soon within few miles Of tie
cuomy.
The Cragle1in was magnificent war
ship. She WIS not quite 81 large u5 the
Adamant, and She WAS uEprovided with
q a,ora jacket or other defense ii the
kind. IL sending her ont The admiralty
had designed her t. defend the transport
against The regular vessels Of the United
States navy; lor although the n&t}mo OF
the contract with the syndicate was we'll
understood n England, it was not sup
posed that the American government
would long consent to allow their war
vessels to remain entirely idle.
When The captain 81 tic Craglovin
perceived the approach Of the repoller,
he was much surprised, bat Eo dil not
hesitate for q moment as to his course.
lie signalcd to tie transport, then about
d mile to the north, 70 keep on the way
while lie sS4crcI to meet the enemy. It
had been decided IL British naval circles
that the proper thing 70 do in regard to
q repeller ~as to ram her as quickly as
possible. These vessels were necessarily
slow and unwie.dy, and i q heavy iron
clad could keep clear Of crabs long
enough to rush down upon one, there was
every reason to believe that the ball
bouncor," rs the rcpelIers were called by
British sailors, could bo crushed in be-
low the water line and sunk. So, full Of
courage and determination, the captain
Of the G1a5lovin bo2o down upon the re-
pelIc~.
1t is not necessary to enter into details
Of tn ensuing action. Before the Crag-
levin w,s within half q mile Of her enc
ny sAo was seized h. two crabs, al CT
which had cast loose from the repeller,
and ii less than twenty minutes both OF
her screws We're extracted and her rud-
der shattered. In the meantime two of
the swiflest crabs hal pursued the trans
port; and coming UP with her, ore OF
them had fastened to her RAIDER with
out, however, making any attempt to IN
jure it. When the captain Of the steamer
raw that one Of the sea devils had him
by the stern, while another was near by
ready to attack him, he prudentiy
stopped his engines and lay to, tho crab
keeping his ships head to the sea.
The captain Of the Craglevin was a
very different man from the captain Of
The AdQman,. lie WAS quite as brave,
bat he was Wiser and more prudent He
aaw that the transport HAD been cap
tured and lceced 70 lay to; he saw that
the repcllol counted two heavy guns at
her bow, AID whatever might be the
character OF those guns. there could be
no reasonable !oubt that they were SUI
lcitnt to sink an ordinary mail steamer.
His own vessel was entirely out Of his
control, and even il he chose to try his
guns on the spring armor Of The rcpeller,
it would probably result in the rcpeller
turning her fire upon the transport.
With disabled ship, and the lives Of
so many men in his charge. the captain
of the Craglevin saw that it would be
wrong for him to attempt to fight, and
he did not fire gun With IS much
caImness as the circumstances would
permit he awaited the progress OF
events.
In very Short time message came
to him from Repellcr No Ii, which
stated that in two hours his ship would