Show TIlE AWFUL TORPEDO What the Naval Engagement of the 1nture May BeAn Uncertain Fight of One Against a Hundred The role of the torpedoboat reads a translation from Figaro in the New Orleans Or-leans TimesDemocrat is terrible and those who direct its movements are exposed ex-posed to the greatest danger A single heavy shot may scatter it to atoms and when it approaches the enemy a hail of balls from the mitrailleuses and rifles will do terrible execution on board Therefore There-fore the mere fact of embarking on a tor pedoboat is a guaranty of bravery Figure Fig-ure to yourself the situation of the officer in command of such a torpedoboat who is ordered to sink a ship of the enemys squadron All his surroundings constitute consti-tute one vast danger The very sea that hides and protects him during the first part of his expedition may in another moment toss his corpse hither and thither thith-er upon its waves His adversary will seek to riddle the boat with a rain of steel castiron and lead The torpedo itself which carries such terror with it might be touched with a missle and explode ex-plode bursting the torpedoboat to atoms The combat commences The vessels of the fleet have oDened fire Shells rain in all directions One of our cruisers cannonaded heavily on the starboard side by a fort mounting twelve Krupp guns is simultaneously attacked on the larboard side by one of the enemys ironclads iron-clads She has already suffered severeLy severe-ly and her position becomes critical criti-cal A mast signal from the admirals admir-als ship is riven J and a torpedo boat starts The watchful enemy has observed the signal He knows the danger and at once concentrates his fire upon the little gray speck which is shooting shoot-ing rapidly toward him Three miles separate them and the torpedoboat must make that three miles in ten minutes If it is not sunk before it has traversed that distance the ironclad is lost Therefore the canoneers point their guns with the most scrupulous care The first shells pass wide of their mark but the aim is rectified and soon the shells fall so near the torpedoboat that they throw the water over it Now one has fallen right at its prow A geyser jet of water thirty feet high onceals the torpedoboat the enemy believe it has been sunk and utters a tremendous cheer But the projectile has only ri cochetted and passed over it The waterfalls water-falls back in rain and the brave little vessel reappears all streaming with brine as though it had emerged from the sea deeps and rushing on at full steam in the face of death There are only nine men on the little vessel and they are going to attack a sort of leviathan carrying an immense crew It is not the fight of one against ten but of one against a hundred Not a single word is uttered beyond the necessary orders Those men whom death already touches with his fingers are silent and grave And do not suppose for a moment that they do not think of the danger On the contrary they think of nothing else But it is not of their own danger they are thinking but of tIle danger of failure It is not a question of their lives but of the success of the enterprise en-terprise It is essential that the torpedo boat shall reach the enemys flank and rescue our cruiser After that if the torpedoboat sinks so much the worse 1 Every nerve is strained every eye is directed towards the object in view Now the boat is only five hundred yards away from the ironclad The fire of the mit railleuses mingles with the showers of shells and sweeps the deck everything wooden is splintered to atoms with grapeshot grape-shot An incessant fire of repeating rifles from the mast tops of the ironclad plays over torpedoboat and the balls entering through the few openings in the decks have already disabled three men They lie in a corner to which they have been able to drag themselves for there is no time now to attend to them They may be thought of in two minutes more after the fate of all shall have been decided de-cided The torpedo boat has almost reached its enemy The success of the expedition is now assured for the shell batteries are powerless to harm the torpedo boat at such short range The rifle fire terrible as it is can not sink her It can only kill some of her crew but that is of no great consequence Now is the time when the captain needs all his surety of eye and coolness of will now is the time that his men must execute orders with the rapidity rapid-ity of lightning for if the torpedo be fired a second too soon it will fail to do its terrible ter-rible duty and yet if there be a delay of a moment the 1 torpedo boat must dash itself to pieces against the sides of its mighty adversary Now the boat seems almost ready to touch the enemys vessel Handgren ades flung upon her deck rebound and burst one man is killed the captain haS received a terrible wound in the face but summoning all his strength he supports sup-ports himself erect against the iron wall oy a sublime effort of will Livid drenched with blood but terrible in his calm resolve and bravery he keeps his eye still upon the enemy Ready Let her go The awful missile is launched An enormous surge appears in the water and a frightful crackling noise is heard followed by a terrible cry of distress The pigmy has conquered the giant Hard a starboard 1 And the little vessel suddenly wheeling wheel-ing around steams away at full speed while the enemys ironclad sinks to the bottom Ten minutes afterward the torpedoboat I has returned to its post beside the admirals ad-mirals vessels The admiral sends for the captain to congratulate him He is carried to him upon a bier Meanwhile the fight goes on A new expedition may prove necessary A provisory captain is at once appointed and four men to complete com-plete the decimated crew and the tor pedoboat is ready to fulfill another mission mis-sion it has another band of heroes to direct it |