Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-10-27
iIARTLEYo GREAT NERVE,
i Historical Incident of the Siege of
Gibraltar.

Gibraltar.
Tho most memorable siege of Gibraltar,
indeed ono of the most memorable of all
segcs was that which the fortrCsr sus.
tancd from the combined sea fo.~es Of
Franco and Spain during tho years 1879
to 1888. Tho great attack on the place
was made on tho 18th Of september, 1882,
and all tho resources of power and science
wcro exhausted by tho assailants In the
fruitlcss attempt.
1t was on this day that n humble pri-
vatc performed an act which history has
handed down to us, Tho business of tho
sicgo progressed The rock by the batteries
sent forth its splinters to deal destruction
around at every impact Of tho Spanish
shot, but the return fire was of the most
telling description and most steadily kept
up by tho British.
But removed from tho smoke md din,
in tho laboratory of tho garrison, sur
rounded by the chemistry of war, sat ono
man, a humble private His 1t was,
while his comrades worked tho guns in
tho suffocating classmates Of the covered
batteries, to prepare tho shells for tho uso
of the mortars, dangerous task-so
dangerous In fact that even tho examinn-
ton of tho deadly missiles Is considered
sufficiently pcrilous on board ship to war
rant stage being slung over the side to
bo occupied by only one or two men, tho
others being kept Mt distance. But
familiarity with peril robs men of their
fear. and Hartley sat busily making ready
shell after shell, filing them with the ex-
plosive composition, and afterward fitting
in the fuses, driving them homo and rang
ing the prepared shells In cases till they
should be fetched to be sent In fiery arcs
to deal death and destruction among the
enemy.
Tho laboratory was Mt that time full of
explosive material, every grain of which
was Of incstinablc value to the bclcagucr-
cd garrison, and 1t had been accordingly
placed in position which rendered it i'm
possible for the shot or shell Of the enemy
to reach It. But now the danger guarded
against from without threatened II pos
siblo moro terrible from within-thrcat.
ened to destroy at one blow the whole of
the explosive compounds stored for do.
fenso and this at time when such a loss
would have been irrcparablo.
Shell after shell had been filled, the
grim black spheres as they lay ready, Civ
ing but small signs of their deadly power
the force that should rend them into in.
Vulnerable shrcds of cast iron. each to
| MAIN or Stay
Suddenly, while calmly proceeding with
his work and driving fuse into "a fresh
filled shell, the fuse took fire, kissing
loudly as it discharged its rain of sparks
and burning rapidly away There seem
cd hardly time for thought, much less FOL
action, and the first feelings of Hartley
| were those of blank dismay
He had seen the discharge and flight OF
shells so often that he knew he could only
reckon upon its burning for few sec
onds, and then would come dire explo
sion that would act upon the part Of the
| fortress whore he was like an earthquake
| the bursting of tho shell being, as 1t were
but the flash in the pan that would prelude
| the blowing up of the laboratory But
with the calmness OF the man whose trade
was one which brought him daily face tC
face with death, Hartley seized the shell
! In both hands, hurried out into the oper
air and then with tremendous eifor
hurled the deadly globe far into space
where couple of seconds after 1t harm
lessly burst. 1t was not until some tint
after that the performer of this daring nc
could thoroughly realize the great DANCE
that had threatened him with destruction
and though tho peril was past it wa
| some time after, and then only with un
| trung nerves, that he returned to hi
| Jerilous task. London Chronicle.