his vessel was beginning to movebackward, he gave instant orders to put on all steam. But this wasfound to be useless, for when the dynamite gun was about to be fired,the engines had been ordered stopped, and the moment that thepropeller-blades ceased moving the nippers of the crab had beenreleased from their hold upon the stern-post, and the propeller-bladesof the Lenox were gently but firmly seized in a grasp which includedthe rudder. It was therefore impossible for the engines of the vesselto revolve the propeller, and, unresistingly, the Lenox was towed,stern foremost, to the Breakwater.
The news of this incident created the wildest indignation in the UnitedStates navy, and throughout the country the condemnation of what wasconsidered the insulting action of the Syndicate was general. Inforeign countries the affair was the subject of a good deal of comment,but it was also the occasion of much serious consideration, for itproved that one of the Syndicate's submerged vessels could, withoutfiring a gun, and without fear of injury to itself, capture aman-of-war and tow it whither it pleased.
The authorities at Washington took instant action on the affair, and asit was quite evident that the contract between the United States andthe Syndicate had been violated by the Lenox, the commander of thatvessel was reprimanded by the Secretary of the Navy, and enjoined thatthere should be no repetitions of his offence. But as the commander ofthe Lenox knew that the Secretary of the Navy was as angry as he was atwhat had happened, he did not feel his reprimand to be in any way adisgrace.
It may be stated that the Stockbridge, which had steamed for the opensea as soon as the business which had detained her was completed, didnot go outside the Cape. When her officers perceived with theirglasses that the Lenox was returning to port stern foremost, theyopined what had happened, and desiring that their ship should do allher sailing in the natural way, the Stockbridge was put about andsteamed, bow foremost, to her anchorage behind the Breakwater, thecommander thanking his stars that for once the Lenox had got ahead ofhim.
The members of the Syndicate were very anxious to remove theunfavorable impression regarding what was called in many quarters theirattack upon a United States vessel, and a circular to the public wasissued, in which they expressed their deep regret at being obliged tointerfere with so many brave officers and men in a moment of patrioticenthusiasm, and explaining how absolutely necessary it was that theLenox should be removed from a position where a conflict with Englishline-of-battle ships would be probable. There were many thinkingpersons who saw the weight of the Syndicate's statements, but theeffect of the circular upon the popular mind was not great.
The Syndicate was now hard at work making preparations for the grandstroke which had been determined upon. In the whole country there wasscarcely a man whose ability could be made available in their work, whowas not engaged in their service; and everywhere, in foundries,workshops, and shipyards, the construction of their engines of war wasbeing carried on by day and by night. No contracts were made for thedelivery of work at certain times; everything was done under the directsupervision of the Syndicate and its subordinates, and the work went onwith a definiteness and rapidity hitherto unknown in naval construction.
In the midst of the Syndicate's labours there arrived off the coast ofCanada the first result of Great Britain's preparations for her warwith the American Syndicate, in the shape of the Adamant, the largestand finest ironclad which had ever crossed the Atlantic, and which hadbeen sent to raise the blockade of the Canadian port by the Syndicate'svessels.
This great ship had been especially fitted out to engage in combat withrepellers and crabs. As far as was possible the peculiar constructionof the Syndicate's vessels had been carefully studied, and Englishspecialists in the line of naval construction and ordnance had givenmost earnest consideration to methods of attack and defence most likelyto succeed with these novel ships of war. The Adamant was the onlyvessel which it had been possible to send out in so short a time, andher cruise was somewhat of an experiment. If she should be successfulin raising the blockade of the Canadian port, the British Admiraltywould have but little difficulty in dealing with the American Syndicate.
The most important object was to provide a defence against thescrew-extracting and rudder-breaking crabs; and to this end the Adamanthad been fitted with what was termed a "stern-jacket." This was agreat cage of heavy steel bars, which was attached to the stern of thevessel in such a way that it could be raised high above the water, soas to offer no impediment while under way, and which, in time ofaction, could be let down so as to surround and protect the rudder andscrew-propellers, of which the Adamant had two.
This was considered an adequate defence against the nippers of aSyndicate crab; but as a means of offence against these almostsubmerged vessels a novel contrivance had been adopted. From a greatboom projecting over the stern, a large ship's cannon was suspendedperpendicularly, muzzle downward. This gun could be swung around tothe deck, hoisted into a horizontal position, loaded with a heavycharge, a wooden plug keeping the load in position when the gun hungperpendicularly.
If the crab should come under the stern, this cannon could be fireddirectly downward upon her back, and it was not believed that anyvessel of the kind could stand many such tremendous shocks. It was notknown exactly how ventilation was supplied to the submarine vessels ofthe Syndicate, nor how the occupants were enabled to make the necessaryobservations during action. When under way the crabs sailed somewhatelevated above the water, but when engaged with an enemy only a smallportion of their covering armour could be seen.
It was surmised that under and between some of the scales of thisarmour there was some arrangement of thick glasses, through which thenecessary observation could be made; and it was believed that, even ifthe heavy perpendicular shots did not crush in the roof of a crab,these glasses would be shattered by concussion. Although this mightappear a matter of slight importance, it was thought among navalofficers it would necessitate the withdrawal of a crab from action.
In consequence of the idea that the crabs were vulnerable between theiroverlapping plates, some of the Adamant's boats were fitted out withGatling and machine guns, by which a shower of balls might be sentunder the scales, through the glasses, and into the body of the crab.In addition to their guns, these boats would be supplied with othermeans of attack upon the crab.
Of course it would be impossible to destroy these submerged enemies bymeans of dynamite or torpedoes; for with two vessels in closeproximity, the explosion of a torpedo would be as dangerous to the hullof one as to the other. The British Admiralty would not allow even theAdamant to explode torpedoes or dynamite under her own stern.
With regard to a repeller, or spring-armoured vessel, the Adamant wouldrely upon her exceptionally powerful armament, and upon her greatweight and speed. She was fitted with twin screws and engines of thehighest power, and it was believed that she would be able to overhaul,ram, and crush the largest vessel armoured or unarmoured which theSyndicate would be able to bring against her. Some of her guns were ofimmense calibre, firing shot weighing nearly two thousand pounds, andrequiring half a ton of powder for each charge. Besides these shecarried an unusually large number of large cannon and two dynamiteguns. She was so heavily plated and armoured as to be proof againstany known artillery in the world.
She was a floating fortress, with men enough to make up the populationof a town, and with stores, ammunition, and coal sufficient to last fora long term of active service. Such was the mighty English battleshipwhich had come forward to raise the siege of the Canadian port.
The officers of the Syndicate were well aware of the character of theAdamant, her armament and her defences, and had been informed by cableof her time of sailing and probable destination. They sent outRepeller No. 7, with Crabs J and K, to meet her off the Banks ofNewfoundland.
This repeller was the largest and strongest vessel that the Syndicatehad ready for service. In addition to the spring armour with whichthese vessels were supplied, this one was furnished with a second coatof armour
outside the first, the elastic steel ribs of which ranlongitudinally and at right angles to those of the inner set. Bothcoats were furnished with a great number of improved air-buffers, andthe arrangement of spring armour extended five or six feet beyond themassive steel plates with which the vessel was originally armoured.She carried one motor-cannon of large size.
One of the crabs was of the ordinary pattern, but Crab K was furnishedwith a spring armour above the heavy plates of her roof. This had beenplaced upon her after the news had been received by the Syndicate thatthe Adamant would carry a perpendicular cannon over her stern, butthere had not been time enough to fit out another crab in the same way.
When the director in charge of Repeller No. 7 first caught sight of theAdamant, and scanned through his glass the vast proportions of themighty ship which was rapidly steaming towards the coast, he felt thata responsibility rested upon him heavier than any which had yet beenborne by an officer of the
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