The Stolen Submarine

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 199, 20 August 1904, Page 14

The Stolen Submarine

By GEORGE GRIFFITH. Amlior of '■ The Aiijsm-i ef the —evolution," "Brothers of the 1 luiin." "The White Witch uf Mayfulr," "I lie World Masters,'' etc. BOOK 11. CHAPTER XXHL SURRENDER.

The theory upon which Mark Hillyer had designed his guns and shells was a very simple one. The effect of the higher explosives is to produce within a given limited area such a terrific concussion oi the atmosphere that all animal life is destroyed within that area, while for a short range outside it fainting is the result. This is due to direct action on the heart. It is not generally known when fish are killed by dynamite their hearts are found lo be divided as cleanly as though it had been done with a razor. 'This was the effect of the explosive which he had managed for the first time in the history of chemistry to bring under control.

Frightful as its effects appeared to be, it was yet far more merciful than any ether explosive in use, for it either killed instantaneously and painlessly, or. beyond a certain distance, produced instant insensibility which might or might not he fatal according to the severity of the shock.

lis eti'icts ou metal and stonework were twofold. Within a few feet of the explosion metals cracked like glass, and

.-.-tone was reduced to powder: but a shell bursting in a confined space, such, for instance, as a barbette or turret, or a casemate, would instantly icc'-iee it to fragment-*, besides si raining tiie fabric of the ship so severely that her engines would probably be no longer workable.

This was practically what had happened on board the Donovoi. By the Lime the bombardment had ceased both the port and starboard engines had been so badly shaken by the furious concussions that it was no longer safe to work them at full speed. It was, of course, the duty of the chief engineer to report this to the captain. Ife tried the telephones and speaking tubes, but none of them would work; in fact, all the electrical appliances on board h;.u ceased to operate, and so he was obliged to go on deck.

The scene which he beheld appalled him. From end to end of the decks tiiere was neither sound ncr movement. The dead lay about in all altitudes just as they had fallen, apparently asleep. Here or there an arm, or a leg, or a head, had disappeared, reduced to its original elements or scattered far and wide in tiny fragments. Tho great cruiser, in fact, looked as though withiu the last few minutes she had passed through a tempest of death and destruction which had left nothing alive on board her.

He made his way amidst sights of indescribable horror, a horror made infinitely worse by the ghastly silence, up to the navigating bridge above the eonningtower, and as he gained this he saw for the lirst time the grey-blue shape of the Zanita just visible as she lay on the water about lour miles to the south-westward oil' the staiboard bow.

On the bridge he found the insensible, if not lifeless, bodies of the captain and the lieutenant, and inside the armoured wheel-house the quartermaster was lying on the floor, his hands still grasping the spokes uf the wheel. He began to understand now the nature of those frightful shocks which had penetrated even to the engine-room and shaken two of his engines out of true. He raised the captain and the first lieutenant to a sitting position after he had found that they were still breathing faintly, and tried to rouse the quartermaster. But it was no use, and so he laid them out full length, and ran below to the captain's room to look for some brandy. On deck he found the doctor and three of his assistants examining the dead.

•'What has happened?" said the doctor, looking about the corpse-strewn decks with the eyes of a man who has just awakened from a nightmare. They're all dead! There is not a living, wounded man among them. What horrible thing is this?"

"I know no more than you do, doctor," replied the engineer. "All I do know is that the concussion of these shells, whatever they are, has shaken the Donovoi so badly that I can only work my centre engine. As for these poor fellows, they

might have been struck by thunderbolts. But come on to the bridge, please, the captain and first lieutenant are still alive, but insensible. You can still do something for them."

They went together on to the bridge, followed by the assistant surgeons, and tha two oiilcers aud quai termaater were carried below. By this time others of the ship's company had come up on deck, and were looking with wondering eyes at the strangely terrible scene which the cruiser's decks presented, and asking one another what kind of an enemy it could be that was able to work such havoc as this.

Meanwhile the Zanita had been running up at easy speed with her men at quaiteia, and ready to begin the terrible bombardment again if a shot was fired. But there was no more fight left in the Donovoi. Even if she possessed a gun tit to use she had not a man with the heart to fire it. Two more men had been sent to the wheel, and she was crawling along at about five knots, practically crippled, but the ensign with the blue St. Andrew's Cross was still Hying from the flagstaff.. As the Zanita came up the signal "Do you surrender ?" Hew out from her foretruck.

Nearly all the lighting officers of the Donovoi bad died at their posts, and, as the eaptaiu and lirst keuteuant had not yet been restored to consciousness, the chief engineer was the highest responsible officer on duty, iie saw the men on the Zanita standing by the long, slender, strange-looking guns, and he knew what a couple of the shells which had already produced such devastation would do if they struck the cruiser beiow the water-line, and so he gave an order, ar.d the flag fluttered down.

Even the Japanese commander was horrified at the frightful appearance of the decks when he came on board. The chief engineer offered him his sword and explained the situation as far as he could. The commander touched the hilt of the sword with his band and asked him to keep it. Then he hoisted the Japanese flag and ordered the cruiser to shape her course to Nagasaki.

Presently one of the assistant-surgeons came on deck to say that the captain and first-lieutenant had recovered consciousness, and that the former desired to know at once what had happened.

"Perhaps you will come with mc. sir, to the captain's room."' said the chief engineer. ''1 was. of course, belcw when all this happened, and as those horrible shells of yours have no; hft a man alsve on deck, you will be able lo explain matter.- better than I can."

replied the commander. I aui entirely at your service."

Aud ...o ended the Anita's lirst sea duel.

But tiie capture of lhe Donovoi was one tiling; to get iier jsho N.tgisuki was

quite another. Sliil ie would not do iv leave hc-r drifting with hulf-erippli'l engines about the Ye'.luW Sea, und ?o it waa decided that sue should yo under iicr own steam, while the Zanita. hiving

left a i-icw of 20 men 0:1 -board lu-r, should run ahead at foil speed, using her Marconi apparatus in the hope 01 _i_i eking up a Japanese battleship or crui.s* r, which would be able to take charge of the prize.

The captain and the first lieutenant were too ill for some hours after they had been brought back to consciousness even to comprehend the extent of the destruction which had befallen their vessel. The captain gathered that he Ititd been defeated and lost his ship in some mysterious way, but the shock of the two siiells hud come so near to kiiling liim 'that there was nothing for it but to put him and the lieutenant '.< bed and wait for time to restore the balance of their minds.

But the Japanese commander hud not beeu in charge very long before the great importance of the capture became apparent. lie, of course, confiscated the .ship's log and all papers not. of a purely private nature, and among these was found a complete record of the arrival of the Sea-Snake and of her journey to Fort Arthur, together with details of an elaborate sea campaign, which was to be begun, and, indeed had begun, with her assistance.

This practically priceless information rendered the journey xo Shanghai easy of postponement for the present, and

so the lop and plans were given into lliliyer's charge, to be carried post haste to Nagasaki, so that the authorities might have its muck time as possible 10 form their counter plan of campaign. It was arranged that a* soon as ho had delivered these he sin uld, with lhe admiral's consent, run over to Shanghai and carry out his original mission.

He hail, however, no sooner landed and reported himself to the admiral than a cablegram from Shanghai was put into his hands. He opened it and read as follows:

'"1 have very serious news from London, so if you are still at Nagasaki I should like to communicate with you. This is not only privatciv but oubliely urgent.—Leone Erskine.""