Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-30
The GREAT
WAR
SYNDICATE.
yy FRANK r. STOCKTON.


Author of "f,ut,icr Grange" "Amos XII.
bright" THE Zee Man of Orn" "The
Christmas Wreck "The Lady or tho
Tiger" The Late Mrs. Null" '"The
Hundrettli Man. 'Thc Castin. Away
OF Mrs. Lccks and Mrs. Alcshine," .The
Dusantcs." etc.
copyrighted by P. z. Collier, of Golfers Once
q Week. and published by special arrangement
with him through the American Press Associar
ton All right, reserved.
CONTINUED from yesterday
Five minutes afterwsrd Il small but
carefully aimed motor bomb struck the
nearly swamped vessel. and with the
roar of all hor own tornodocs she passed
INTO nothing
The British vice admiral had carefully
watched the repcller through his glass,
and he noticed that simultaneously with
the appearance Of tha cloud III the cir,
produced by the ao+-s0n Of the motor
bombs, there were two puifs of black
smoke from the repeller. These were
signals to the crabs 10 notify them that
motor gun had been discharged, and
thus to provide against accidents in case
a bomb should fail to act One puff sig
nified that bomb had been discharged
to the north; two, that it had gone east
ward, and SO on. If, therefore, a crab
should see signal of this kind, and per
ceive no signs of the action Of a bomb it
would be careful not to approach the re-
l.
true that in case of the failure of n bomb
to act, another bomb would be dropped
upon the same spot, but the instructions
of the war syndicate provided that every
possible precauton should be taken
against accidents.
Of course the vice admiral did not I'M
derstand these signals, nor did he know
that they were signals, but lie knew that
they accompanied the discharge Of a
motor gun. Once he noticed that there
was a short cessation in the hitherto con-
slant succession Of water avalanches and
during this lull he had seen two puffs
from the repeller, and the destruction, at
the same moment, Of the deserted TORPEDO
boat. 1t WIS, therefore, plain enough to
him that ii d motor bomb could be placed
So accurately upon one torpedo boat, and
with such terrible result, other bombs
could quite as easily be discharged upon
the other torpedo boats which formed
the advanced line Of the fleet When
the barrier Of storm and cataract again
began to stretch itself in front of the
repeller. be knew that not only was it
impossible for the torpedo boats 70 send
their missiyes through this raging tur-
mol, hut that each OF these vessels was
itself i'll danger OF instantaneous destruc-
ton.
Unwilling, therefore. to expose his
vessels to prohtless danger, the Vice
admiral ordered the torpedo boats 10 re-
tire from the front, and the whole line
of them proceeded to a point north of the
fleet, where they lay 10.
When this had been done the repaller
ceased the discharge OF bombs. but the
sea was still heavin9 and tossing after
the storm, when a dispatch boat brought
orders from the British admiralty to the
flag ship. Communication between the
British fleet and the shore, and con-
sequently London, had been constant,
and all that had occurred had been
quickly made known to the admiralty
and the government. The orders now
received by the vice admiral were to The
effect that it was considered judieious to
discontinue the conflict for the dav, and
that he and his whole fleet should return
to Portsmouth to receive further orders.
In issuing these commands the British
Ia,
tives of humanity and commolf@Sense
The British fleet was thorougfN PEE
pared for ordinary naval war 4, hut
an enemy had inaugurated apGlr kE1d
of naval warfare for which 16pt
prepared. 1t was therefore 2acid to
Withdraw the ships until they bIiotIld he
prepared for the new kind of warfare. To
allow ironclad after irollr1ail TO be. disa-
bled and set adrift, to subject every ship
~ 1.-THE feet to the danger IT INSTANTANEOUS
= destruction, and all This without the
possibility Of intlicting Injury npon the
enemy, would not be bfavery:i it would
be stupidity It. was surely possible to
devise means FOR destroying the seven
hostile ships now in. British waters.
Until action for this end could be taken,
it WIS the part of wisdom for the British
navy toconfine itselfto the protection of
British ports.
When the fleet beeanfo move toward
the Isle of Wight the six crabs, which
had been lying quietly among and under
the protection of their enemies. with
drew southwark, and making Il slight
circuit, joined the rcpeller.
r } )