Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-22

fact that such an exhibition was projected
for a certain date got into the newspapers.
and on the morning set hundreds of peo-
pie made their way to the shores of the
sound, seeking advantageous positions from
which to observe the spectacle. For sew
eral miles on either side of the mine zone
every point and projection was occupied by
interested spectators. on the waters of
the sound were many small craft, both sail
and row boats. All the large craft had
been warned away from the vicinity for a
space of two hours, covering the time set
for the explosions. Government launches
were hand to intercept such vessels as
had not learned of the orders, and to chase
back the lowering small craft that persist
ed in edging in upon the forbidden space
These operations occupied so much time
that the performance was long delayed,
and the eXpectant audience was beginning
to get impatient and to suspect that it had
been made the victim OF a hoax, when.
without the slightest warning. there arose
out of the heart of the calm waters a gil
Gantic apparitiOn. huge bulk of wrthing
foam. pearly gray. seething into white at
its summit 1t looked like some vast, II is
shapen body. SOrely COntOrted, and as the
eye strOve to encompass it there was
thrust forth from its mass mighty arm.
Upward and upward and upward stretched
the arm until it seemed that the sun must
be blotted out by it. Then at the top it
brOadened and spread into mushroom shape
and the next instant came tumblng and
rushing down. a ruin of water. This sight
lllt writer saw from Il point TWO miles as
tant. and seen from there the stranSast
thing about il seemed the absolute silence
which accompanied so prodigiOus an up
heaVal.
The Sicieninc: Thud.
So long afterward as to seem almost I'M
related. came the shock of the explosion a
duh, shuddering concussion that shook the
leaves overhead like stir of wind. Almost
at the same moment two of the small
boats that 70 : no of
the explosion, tossed their prows in the air
and proceeded to buck jump like enfrcnZied
brOnChOS. The waves stirred up by the
submarine volcano had reached them. AS
soon as their occupants could get settled in
their seats they set to with their oars and
rOwed very hard and long for far distant
spot toward the further shore of the sound,
some miles away. Meantime the explosion
waves Were widening and Iessenng. BY
the time the first one came opposite to the
spot where the writer stood it seemed to
be little more than a foot high, and was
much like any other swell except for the
singular fact that It's progress was accom-
panied by a peculiar, kissing sound, not
unlike the seething of broken ice in a surf
Two or three minutes later the water
foamed and leaped in another spot few
hundred feet away from the scene of the
first spectacle. Then there was a double
uprising, followed by a striking effect as
one gigantic water-sprite subsidized Just as
another was leaping up. What seemed to
be mine of a somewhat different nature
convulsed much broader area, but did
not drive the water so far upward. After
the last of the explosions the government
launches and few other boats put out and
collected hundreds of fish, the only victims
of the formidable war machines Some of
the fish were killed outright, while many
others had suffered the loss of navigatory
powers to such an extent that they were
unable to dive. and Topped feebly on their
sides within a few inches of the surface.
where they fell an easy prey to the I'M
sportsmanlike fisherman