The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-04-19

| the IsracIites Of old must have ar
cne,d when they saw the giant g.
hao ring down upon their youthfr.
MON But this modern David hnE
: sources that were not ov"rma..
those of h:s antagonist. ana MAJ.
crowd Turned to leave rather -
main Ia view Il spectacle which --..
! not the heart 10 look upou-tha- ...
own downfall and humiliatiou.
A few of the more observing. n.-
including most Of those famt...
the harbor. had turned their ga.
the approaching fleet TO view
wonder. Throughout the day M
: breeze had churncd the waters r.
bay into foam-fiecked. choppy
but now n line of calm appcarrI. -
ming a little within the NarroR~
haps a quarter OF a mile aheal
spot where the American fleet WAS
ing and spreading across almu-t
shore 10 shore. 1t was as thou.
giant hand had smoothcd o tG.
rows Of the angry deep ana Som,...
potent voice had said: Peace. DC ~
But what did it all mean: W.
omen of good for the defenders cor Cd
parat:on for the triumphal entry u.
, foe? No man could answer thar ,
rIDll. Out i'll tilpiI ntCltS a Ntltlt..- -
strange PHENOMENON many Of ill.,,
lockers forgot that the destiny Of "a l...
was likely 10 be decided within the ...-
few moments.
The line of calm crept OH, turu,u- 49,.
surface of the waves into n -.t.-.
green. and borne outward toward r..
auDroachin@ fleet by the tide. N.
had begun to flow seaward again. FIR.
49,, .--a1 H.
the foreign admirals saw and wonder.
at it. but no thought Of staying ta.
course crossed their mind. And still t#.
lips of those frowning guns that loas..
from the bulwarks of the American Hu-
sells were sealed. y murmer that dy..
cned into Il roar went up from tN
watchers on the heights. 1T WAS ola.
same sound that had been heard fr..
the crowd before on that day-a grow. u0
,isapproval at the inaction of their 49,
Tenders. As though in answer to- u
here came the first hostile demon~'r.
ton from the American fleet. \ IHn
O. white smoke rose from the Dcstruynr
one of the dynamite cruisers. which wa,
lying inSlorc across the bay. close o.
the huge black oil tanks on Coastal.
t1ook. From out this white cloud >pM.
Il black prOjectilc. rising swiftly. bat u0.
too swiftly for the eye to follow. i'm
graceful curve high above the waters obi
G bay. From ;n almost pcrpcHdIca.
lar hight it fell upon the forefront o..
that line of advancing calm. midway
between the two grim forts which stulO
the silent guardians of the harbor, am.
III the very face Of the advancing squad
ron. -A> it touched the CLASSY surface
of the water there came Il blindU-
flash, and IL column of daShing spray
arose Il hundred feet into the air.
And here the last and greatest WON.
der Of this cvcntfnl day WAS unfoldr.
10 the onlookers. As the column o
foam hcsitated for Il momcnt poised u
mid air. it turned suddenly to IL gigauti.
pillar Of flame. An instant it trcmhin.
there and then descended in myriad jet
of fire which We're caught UP on ever
side and rose as though famed from
some inferno, Il wall of flame 30 feet
high. extending from shore to shore I'm,
sweeping down Ike an ~avcnging demo-
on the hostile fleet which but Il momcu.
before had been secure in its eAncctp,
triumph. At the same instant. when tho
terrified spectators We're drawing bacl
from the awful heat which pressed rpof
them from the waters edge. the opera.
tor stationed at the instruments in tn,
room at Washington i'll which the cab
met had assembled. checked off tn,
message hlch flashed from the It'll,
ONCE hidden among the oil tanks at
tideWafer: "Harbor aflamc: success rs.
sUred.'
IN an instant it was clear alike +.
TREND and foe. The trap had be-.
sprung, and the god Of fire had becopp
the arpi!cr OF the unequal contest. Thcu
men understood what meant the s.
renee OF the guns at Sandy Hook. I'm,
lloldlnS back OF the alien fleet until n.
outgoing tide should aid in hurrvipu
down upon the invading force he retb
iiS Miss OF burning oil. carried from Tin.
Nelis OF pennsylvania through the er.af
pip"> OF the company which controlled
'ic supply of the world to Il point und.r
we waters Of the harbor. At The touch
o. me engineer who controlled tIf-
i"lShtE mood OF petroleum. the daay,r-
ou' lIduld lad asserted its aScaudauct
Tyr water, and poured in II torrent IL,
~ Snrlacc' to be ignited by the shcr.
nicd from the Il Of the little cruiSr..
49, i"E III readiness for the sigma
ni rom he Jersey shore. Tho
80 OF the meaning Of the WISH
10 a~shlngton Of the cap:talist md fl.
- 4 liz strange 1InrDnHHrg
that marked the dpmeanor of 49, l,s
'iais u me government.
:" 'h instant the triumphal advaur.
VI 'he alien feet had been tI,,ncl
onsurha'Ion. Swept onward bv fla.
of 4tns ou'so.hg tide, the mighty shcc-
name, hotter and more fcrcc III,
thousand gigantic furnaces. hora dn,,u
me lronclad vessels Of France and
'.l'"ih' 70 press onward in the face ar
- ' aelhon meant death: no shins ar
,nd 81 courage could withstand the
goa OF IRE. In another 10 mint. g..
neat Of The burning oil vo,Id rnanL 49,.
and the ships would H.,
jio"h TO atoms by their own ammuur
-Not ~sullenly now, but as ono who.
paiilc-strickcn before n supnruaf
~ po"er, inc great cruisers turned r.,
"ut me very of In.
curse brought destruction UnllL.r
~ each striving to gain the ~hol
!, - . 'he open sea beyond the might.
Ihhf 49,