Evening star., 1915-04-04

a q EVER, even IN alter Soa'S'
lMl il determined whence the news
UNI of the enemy ships came nrs'.
y " Almost as easily might lana
invaded by locusts have oee'u or ~
We first saw the coiiiihs
- Nat precise spot in
,,I,," n came from the keeper OIL
t.s,l.ed Hill bar life-saving station.
,he far end Of Cape Gods sweeping
rd-.rm From the crest of the Nave
.In,, highlands, standing steep out Oh
~ Atlantic at New York's harbor en-
trance. men saw ships On the high
n,ace their eyes commanded a we"
Eighteen miles out to sea- AL thae
extreme distance were the tops OF nsh'-
ing craft, lying safely outside OF the
zone of fire from the big guns In SANDY
Hooks harbor defenses.
From hi. lantern 1853 feet high the
lighthouse keeper at Barnegat. on the
New Jersey coast forty miles south
Of the Navesink. saw tops above his
horizon. ships standing off here,
came the word from Cape Ann, north
Of Boston.
Philadelphia heard from Absecon
light and cried to Washington that
1he enemy was preparing to land on
its coast. Boston cried to Washington
for ships and men. New York tele-
Eraphed and telegraphed again and
sent delegations on a special train.
xS
Washington faced the clamor. the
appeals aif-beseeching and half-fu-
r!ous, with q great stern aspect, new
In Q republic wherein the rulers are
the servants who must heed public de-
enands This coming invasion was un-
provoked The administration needed
no party behind it now: for it knew
that this was to be a fight for life, and
that only the sword could decide. And
IL had given the sword to the army and
navy without conditions.
1T Is the least we can do. the Presi-
dent had said Long ago they warned
fhe nation. The nation would not give
them the tools they needed. Now that
there is nothing left except to do their
best. they shall be left to do it in their
own way.
So the word went abroad among the
politicians: THE army and navy have
the bit in their teeth" And the poll
ticians. once so powerful. went help
1essly to the departments, to ask what
they might tell their people"
Tell Them, said the admiral. that
there is nothing to say-yet Here. We
are sending out :. bulletin" He passed
II over"
The enemy feet said the bulletin,
has expanded it's line enormously to
threaten many far separated points
simultaneously, and thus mask its
actual design for landing. Our ships
and air scouts. and the army air
scouts. are trying to penetrate the
enemy aircraft to find the real fleet
with the conveys.
But is this not a chance for the
navy to attack the scattered enemy
shps?' asked one.
Opportunities may occur" answered
the admiral. But the business of our
feet is to keep itself in battle forma-
sion."i
=
Tho seacoast cities read the bulletin
and held their breath. Through their
streets thundered their traffic, as in
peace. But the exchanges were closed
had closed half an hour after open
.ng. in panic Even in that short
time a thousand fortunes had been
destroyed. and men passing outside
mad heard from within a vast noise Of
cries and shrieks as of animals.
The banks were closing The streets
ieading to the railroad stations from
The financial centers were clogeed by
slowly moving but madly crowding &
automobiles and cabs and trucks
Everything on wheels had been press
ed into service. On one open truck
guarded by half dozen men who
showed automatic pistols ostentatious-
IS. were bags of gold. The United
states subtreasuries were being
emptied. Men tore at securities in their
safe deposit vaults and stuffed them
into valises, and ran. The treasure of
the cities was being sent inland.
In front of the newspaper Offices
stood the citizens. They stood SO
passage through those parts Of the
towns. Their thronss were SO great
that from their outskirts only those
could read the announcements who
fortunate ones told the news as it ap-
peared. and it was repeated to the
crowds in the side streets. who
packed the roads from house edge
All these great crowds were utterly
silent. There was no sound from
them. except for the voices of those
Who passed the news on. A man look
paper office suddenly stepped back
with a choking in his throat. "It is
" is" he said. and cheked again, "a.
= they were waiting for the end ol
the world
Incessantly the bulletins spoke
Lighthouses. coast guards. patrols
harbor defenses, ships, air scouts. wire
lessed their reports to Washington ant
Washington flung it swiftly through
the land.
Nantucket had seen ships. Ther,
were ships moving toward the Lont
Island coast as IL to threaten New
l.. A tactical necessity for outu1mbers