Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-11-28

mans bow. A coil of cloud followed |
it. A few seconds later the boom of |
the discharge echoed across the water,
and pillar of spray shot up near the
Beotia's bow. The battleship turned
toward her prey.
And Donald's chance had come.
The Beotia had no intention of sur
rendering. The German, following
her, perceived the lurking danger, and
at once his guns were trained on the
| submarine.
The F55 dipped at the bow. A shell
hooted over her, and second, falling
shorter, deluged the submersible with
water. But the F55 was stern down
and sinking. Her periscope shot
through the waves, the only target,
and in the coming tower Donald sat
with his eyes fast on the mirror.
Ten feet below the surface the F55
plunged on toward the monarch Of the
sea.
The sound of the guns was vastly
louder under the waves. A single shot,
sent home, would smash through the
thin plates as if they were of paper.
But Donald knew that it was the SUI
preme moment when danger must be
ignored. He seemed to sense the ship,
the crew, as a single entity, devoted
to a single purpose. He aimed his
bow directly into his enemy's port
flank. Sc was less than mile away.
At that distance it seemed miracle
that her shells failed to strike home.
Down in the torpedo room three
men bore a torpedo from the rack and
= placed it in the sings. They swung
il forward into the breech OF the TUBE
:, One man at the pump rapidly filled the
= breech chamber with the compressed
- air that was to send the missile upon
n it's course.
Donald. in the coming tower, Still
held the cruiser within the mirror. Tie
saw the smoke coil from her guns, III
, heard their sull reverberation, an'
= knew that at any moment the b1nde'
u FED might be sent staggering to hel
. death through the wake of her WASH
u Rut he was animated by the single
= minded purpose which inspired all AM
made the steel and human mecnanisn
bolt forged for death.
+ Clouts at the wheel, did not ALLOW
- the little craft to deviate nalr
'. breadth from her course.
- "Stand by!"
e The hiss of the oxygen apparatu
&c dominated all other SOUNDS. AT ne
t5-knot speed the missile leIt u
lie launching tube with heavy thuu' an
Id tho shin ouiyered as she shook nersel
: free. o+ ho
gone home. ,,.+o,o
d. The whir grew less but all hstene
lie until the end of the mile-long Jourhe
Is On board the enemy ship eVeryol
's' could see the air bubbles that came
es- from the speeding missile anu
es, 1rbi+a foaming wake. There was
time to maneuver the giant snip in'
IN. nraved-they could do no more-tn
ne tbo +ornedo might not have been sn
re rrua. that it might deviate 1ron
imminent path.
II came on inexorably. The nrii
it .ooor,o wilder. The gunners, d
an sorbed as they were In theii .a
-as seemed permeated with the coh.as,o
ter terror caused by that wnite' rippii
yht nanc;l line that was extending iowa
their ship. .,o or,,is
ser The missile struck inc o".el .+,on
nd ,;dcbins blowing out section
IF 80. hull q single water-tight compa
hip ment. The cruiser haiui'
in from the blow. u,ono;,
iAT The torpedo had struck glancll
din ond missed the full force OF It's ee.
4ob 80 The wound was In ltseL
au m sink or even badly cripple
,a arao+ shin: a triumph of shipDuiiui.
nc, sie" Io,,a+ed TO withstand just 81
an impact. Tho maxim1
vas Of the shock YVES received pe nr
I'm. powder room, adjacent TO tne an =,
- rition chs mber, whose ooors :"
81 81 ION at that moment for the reno
uu tha 1o.inch shells by the alnin'
iU n,sn sbocx was followed by an
my. nense. Perhaps 1t lasted
ule mite suspense Tho cruiser DIR
s s,,e through the waves like some sea ;, - :
uue s+er that had received a deaai' 'ni
al unscathee. o.;on that ,
Hue fro,n Sumburgh to Sutneiia
l n.;a rha went sky-high in tumplins
Qua sue -.;t;,in the coming tower
med Donald Win. 49, mirror of the p
leys. a blur iio'
Ger scope.