The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-15
Story of the Battle for the Pacific

jectile fly over its lofty trajectory only
to drop ar astern Of the chase.
"A mile short" said the navigator
Easily answered the Captain. Tell
the engineer to pile on steam; that fell
low sha'n't escaped"
But it was soon evident that the Flu
jiyama was not thinking of ''esca pe."
She slowed down perceptibly, and from
a spot just abaft her military mast a
small, dark, elliptical object scared
aloft. Another and another followed
at intervals of ten seconds. The first
one moved rapidly TO the south, the
second to the north, the third headed
directly toward the cruiser. Soon the
others turned and approached from
either hand.
"Aloft there!" called the Captain.
'fWhat do you make out?''
Balloons, SIR came the bass from
the upper top.
with wings and tails" called the
tenor.
AN men in 'em!" Numbered the
bass.
The Captain looked perplexed. and
grieved- Get all the elevation you can
on the machine-guns," he ordered.
"Dismount 'em if necessary, and fire at
will
From the sides and superstructure of
the. cruiser came a steady cracking
blaze as Hotchkiss and Nordenfeldt
spouted their streams of fire. The ma
rines in the tops had dismounted their
light weapons, and by clever arrange
ment of tackle could point them almost
perpendicularly. But the air-ships had
now reached an elevation of more than
a mile, and every shot fell short.
Cease firing" ordered the skipper,
sharply. ''Mr. Keelson," to the exec
utive, crowd the tops with small
arms
Eight thousand yards" signalled the
range-1nder.
May try her again, s:r?" asked
Bowers.
DO So" nodded the Captain.
By this time the first of the air-sh'os
had reached a point almost directly
overhead, and the Fujiyama was APP
parently moving under one bell, await
ing developments. Her curiosity cost
her dear, however, for while the pro-
jectile from Bowers port gun whizzed
harmlessly over her trucks, the sister
shot went straight to its mark, and a
red flame, cloud of smoke, and a duh
report near her ove rhanging stern
showed that the shell had landed fair.
The small torpedo-launch abaft her
superstructure flew shattered from it's
crane, and a bright blaze crept for a
moment along her starboard rail-
Well done, Number Two!" called
the Captain, as a cheer burst from his
men.
Look aloft! Look aloft!" cried the
signal-officer
The air-ships were gathering in, and
the first one was directly overhead.
She stopped, poised herself for mo-
ment, and round, black object drop
ped from her side. It fell Kissing
the air, and struck the water
thirty yards on the starboard beam.
There was terrible rending roar, and
a great smoking gulf opened in the
water. The officers on the bridge were
covered with hot spray dashed violent
~ against them The cruiser staggered
for moment and 1urched violently
over on her beam ends. She hung so
long that it seemed as if she would
never right herself; but at length she
shook the water ,ponderously from her
sides and returned to an even keel
1t was more than humanity could !
endure, and numbers of the men rush |
ed up from between-decks, thinking |
that the magazine had exploded and |
the ship was sinking. They had hardly |
below, under the sharp orders |
from the BRIDGE when the second air. |
ship took position and let fall her |
bomb. This fell too far away to do
but the third came closer, and |