Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-25

submarine rorpesoes wmcn ~mpnr ne
directed from the shore, was anchored
at each end, two very small buovs indi-
eating its position. The crabs then fall
ing astern, Repeller No. lay to. with
the sunken net between her and the
shore, and prepared to project the first
instantaneous motor bomb ever used in
warfare.
The great gun in the bow of the vessel
was loaded with one of the largest and
most powerful motor bombs; and the
spot to be aimed at was selected. This
was point in the water just inside Of
the mouth Of the harbor, and nearly a
mile from the land on either side. the
distance of this point from the vessel be-
ing calculated, the cannon was adjusted
at the angle called for by the scale of
distances and levels, and the instrument
indicating rise, fall and direction was
then put in connection with it.
Now the director-in-chief stepued for
ward to the button, by pressing which
the power of the motor was developed.
The chief of the scientific corps then
showed him the exact point upon the
scale, which would be indicated when
the gun was in its proper position, and
the piece was then moved upon its bear
ings SO as to approximate as nearly as
possible this direction.
The bow of the vessel now rose upon
the swell Of the sea. and the instant that
the index upon the scale reached the de-
sired point, the dircctor-in-chief touched
the button.
There was no report, no smoke, no
visible sign that the motor had left
the cannon; but at that instant
there appeared, to those who were
on the lookout, from fort about
mile away, vast aperture in
the waters of the bay, which was
variously described as from 100 yards to
zoo yards in diameter At that same in
slant, in the neighboring headlands and
islands far up the shores of the bay, and
in every street and building of the city,
there was felt sharp shock as if the
gigantic trip hammer.
AT the same instant the sky above the
spot where the motor had descended was
darkened by a wide spreading cloud.
This was formed of that portion of the
water of the bay which had been in
Simultaneous raised to the height of about
thousand feet. The SUDDEN appear
ance Of this cloud was even more terri
BILE than the yawning chasm in the
waters of the bay, or the startling shock,
but it did not remain long in view. 1t
had no sooner reached its highest eleva-
ton than it began to descend. There
was strong sea breeze blowing, and in
its descent this vast mass of water was
impelled toward the land.
1t came down, not as rain, but as the
waters of vast cataract, as though a
mountain lake, by an earthquake shock,
had been precipitated in body upon a
valley. Only one edge of it reached the
land. and here the seething flood tore
away earth, trees and rocks, leaving be-
hind it great chasms and gullies as it
descended to the sea.
The bay itself, into which this vast
body Of the water fell, became scene
Of sllrging madness. The towering walls
Of water which had stood up all around
the suddenly created aperture hurled
themselves back into the abyss, and down
| into the great chasm at the bottom of
the bay, which had been made when the
motor sent its shock along the great rock
beds. Down upon, and into, this roar
ing, boiling tumult fell the tremendous
cataract from above, and the harbor be-
came one wild expanse of leaping, mad
dened waves, kissing their whirling
spray high into the air.
During these few terrific moments
other things happened which passed I'M
noticed in the general CONSERVATION.
All along the shores of the bay and in
front of the city the waters seemed to
be sucked away, slowly returning as the
sea forced them to their level, and at
many points up and down the harbor
there were submarine detonations and
upheavals of the water.
These were caused by the explosion, by
conclusion of every torpedo and subma-
rine battery in the harbor; and it was
with this object in view that the instan-
taneous motor bomb had been shot into
the mouth of the bay.
The effects of the discharge of the mo-
tor bomb astonished and even startled
those on board the repellers and the
the crabs. At the instant of touching
the button hydraulic shock was felt on
Repeller No. /. This was supposed to be
occasioned by the discharge of the mo-
tor, but it was also felt on the other YES
sells. 1t was the same shock that had
been felt on shore, but less in degree.
A few moments after there was a great
heaving swell of the sea, which tossed
and rolled the four vessels and lifted
the steel protecting net SO high that for
an instant parts of it showed themselves
above the surface like glistening sea
ghosts.
Experiments with motor bombs had
been made in unsettled mountainous dis
tricts, but this was the first one which
had ever exerted its power under water.
On shore, in the forts, and in the city,
no one for an instant supposed that the
terrific phenomenon which had just &C.