Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-26

AND THE SUN sHoNE INTO A GREAT HOLE
WHERE FORT PITCHER HAD BEEN.
veyed the place where their fort had
been, there was not one Of them who had
sufficient command Of himself to write a
report of what had happened. They
gazed at the bare, staring fatness of the
shorn bluff, and they looked at each otl er.
This was not war. 1t was something
supernatural, awful! They were net
frightened; they were oppressed and ap-
pallcd. But the military discipline Of
their minds soon exerted its force, and a
transmitted to the authorities, and Sergt.
kilsey was sentenced to month in the
guard house.
No ono approached the vicinity of the
bluff where the fort had stood, for danger
might not be over; but every possible
point of observation within safe dis
tance was soon crowded with anxious
and terrified observers. A feeling of awe
was noticeable everywhere If people
could have had a tangible idea of what
had occurred, it would have been differ
cnt. If the sea had ragged; if a vast body
of water had been thrown into the air; if
dense cloud had been suddenly elected
from the surface of the earth, they might
have formed some opinion aboutit. But
the instantaneous disappearance of a
great fertilization with little more APP
preciable accompaniment than the sud
den tap, as of a little hammer, upon
thousands of window panes, was some
thing which their intelects could not
grasp. 1t was not to be expected that
the ordinary mind could appreciate the
difference between the action of an in
Simultaneous motor when imbedded in
rocks and earth, and its effect, when OPP
posed by nothing but stone walls, upon
or near the surface of the earth.
Early the next morning the little fleet
of the syndicate prepared to carry out
its further orders. The waters of the
lower bay were now entirely deserted,
craft of every description having taken
refuge in the upper part OF the haTbor
near and above the city. Therefore as
soon as it was light enough to make OBJ
servations RepelIer No. did not hesitate
to discharge motor bomb into the
harbor, mile or more above where the
first one had fallen. This was done in
order to explode any torpedoes which
might have been put into position since
the discharge of the first bomb.
There were very few people in the city
and suburbs who were at that hour out
of doors, where they could see the great
cloud of water rise toward the sky, and
behold it descend like mighty cataract
upon the harbor and adjacent shores;
but the quick, sharp shock which ran
under the town made people spring from
their beds, and although nothing was
then to be seen, nearly everybody felt
sure that the syndicate's forces had be-
gun their days work by exploding ap-
other mine.
A lighthouse, the occupants of which
had been ordered to leave when the fort
was evacuated. as they might be in dan
shaken by the explosion of this motor
bomb that it fell in ruins on the rocks
upon which it had stood.
The two crabs now took the steel net
from it's moorings and carried it up 1.-THE
harbor. This was rather difficult on ac-
count ofsthe islands. rocks and sandbars;
but the leading crab had on board pilot
acquainted with those waters. With the
net hanging between them, the two sub
merged vessels, one carefully following
the other, reached point about two
miles below the city, where the net was
anchored across the harbor. 1t did not
reach from shore to shore, but in the
course of the morning two other nets,
designed for shallower waters, We're
brought from the repellers and anchored
at each end of the main net, thus form
ing line Of complete protection against
submarine torpedoes which might be
sent down from the upper harbor.
Repeller No. 1 now steamed into the
harbor, accompanied by Crab A, and
anchored about quarter of a mile sea-
ward of the net. The other repeller,
with her attendant crab, cruised about