IF LORD NELSON WERE IN COMMAND TO-DAY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 221, 22 October 1914, Page 3

IF LORD NELSON WERE IN COMMAND TO-DAY.

BAttll <* GJPmnm TOUGfIT rN WATERS NEAR WHERE M ENGLISH AND GERMAN FLEETS M/W MM 1

By HENRY M. SNEVILY. APTURE or . destroy. the enemy!" SUP seven o'clock in the leH Cjf £§rt evening of August .. 4 England and Germany were declared in si state v..*f l "" Jßaia * pf war. A few minutes later the operator in the great, new wireless station at Harwich; tapped a key; there was a systematic crackling in,the wireless room of the flagship of the Admiral in command of the British fleet in North Sea waters, and this fateful'message had spanned the ether and •electrified into terrible activity the greatest fighting, aggregation that has eyer floated. ' - v '>■ ■ ; "Where will the blow be struck?" all England asked in eager confidence.; _. "Where will the blow fair?" asked Germany with patent anxiety. ; These were questions to which no -man .could, reply, but it was reported that the German fleet .Baltic j-k-a o:- attempting to leave the Baltic through the recently completed Kiel <.;nial. If England . should drive the Kaiser's sea fighters 'pack, through the •vcaiiaJ; or: block ; their exit there was a possibility that, another great .sea fight would ;tako place in the -waters made im-mortal by the great Nelson, called by . many "the: embodiment of England's ;seh power.'' - The Kiel Canal destroyed. Germany must escape from ther Baltic by way of Danish and, Swedish waters, by way of the Gro<u Belt or by way of the Sound, f:nd the my of Elsinore, the grim fortress at TJelsingborg and the spires of •Copenhagen and Landskrona might look do w a ;:g:>. hi upon a death ,grapple between. U;e-Mistress of the Seas and a Power seeking to smash forever her -jn'antimo supremacy, begwn by the defeat •of t the" Spanish' Armada in the days of Elizabeth. -".i.'lliicj..; T;ord Nelson been alive to-day, Ihiid he been the First Lord of the Admiralty, it would be just such a mes•sijge he \ymild; send or de■MTi>y'ciio cuQnij'!*' ■I; wa;; 114 years ago that Horatio Nelsai:. -made a :vice admiral by Earl *t. Vincent.- then First Lord of the Admiiylt.v, sailed from Yarmouth under Sir Hyde, Parker, who was in command of a fleet commissioned to destroy i he Danish vessels at Copenhagen if diplomatic negotiations which were under way should fail. Then, as now, England's very life on the sea was threatened, but her present •allies were her enemies. 'Russia. Sweden .-and pen mark were in a coalition, backed by France, to sweep he- navy and her ■commerce, from the face of the water. Paul of Russia was intoxicated by the new power his empire had builded. Dor.m:.rk was under the influence of France, who used her as a cat's p:.w, and Sweden was ruled by a king with a taint of hfM-<>rlit.ary iijsahity, who plunred the eoriitry repeafedly into war in his lust -fur power and wealth. i"r. : :nre. whose fleets are fighting to aid England's, whs Britain's evil genius in ISOOr It was her officers who were training.and reorganizing the Russian navy, the, personnel;of which was below par ami' ther.fighting ability of which was iunavired by;disorganization. W'heii Nelson-joined Sir Hyde Parker's Jleet_,;£ Yaruiouth he found the Admiral l so:e!y" worried, "a little nervous about dark nights and fields of ice." as the hero of Trafalgar put it: '■".':.'' • iJut we must brace up," he said. "Tlie.se are not times'..for'" nervous systems. I hope., we shall give our Northern enemies that" hailstorm of bullets which gives our dear country the domiuion of-the sea. We have it and all the devils of the North cannot take it from us if our wooden walls have fair p.i>y"-.".-. ■:'..;■■'•■' ' "<' ! u»-.nge "wooden" to "steel" and "north" to "south." and the words would fit the mouth of an officer of th» I British fleet to-day. At the Skaw the English fleet oast an! her and awaited the outcome of negotiations which were being carried on in Copenhagen. Nelson strongly disapproved of this course. He said to Sir Hyde, his commander : "All I have gathered of our first plans 1 disapprove of exceedingly. Honor may arise from them,"' good cannot. I hear we are likely to anchor outside Cronenburg Castle instead of Copenhagen, which would give weight to our' negotiation. A Danish Minister would think twice before ht would put his name to a war with England when the next moment he would probably see his master's fleet in flames and his capital in ruins. The Dane should see our flag every moment he lifted up his head." When the negotiations failed Nelson's prophecies were fulfilled, for the Danes had profited by the respite given them to arm their shore batteries, dispose their ships to the best advantage and organize and train sufficiently to man the guns a number of volunteer companies, one of them composed of students from the university. It was Sir Hyde's iutention to take his fleet through the Great Pelt, wjtich is a possible setting for a battle between Herman and English oi Russian vessels in the present war. hut Captain Dommttt and Nelson advised ao strongly a passage through the sound that the commanding admiral consented to their proposal. Before forcing the entrnnce to the sound a council of war was hold and gome of the captains pointed out to Sir

Ensfiunt"

Hyde Parker that a number of Russians and Swedes must be met after the Danish ships should be disposed of. Nelson throughout paced the cabin, plainlyshowing his impatience. At last he broke out heatedly, "The more numerous the better. 1 wish there was twice as many; the easier the victory, .depend on it." This was in accordance with a scheme' of battle he had long ago decided upon" should it ever be his fortune to engage a.Baltic fleet in battle. Nelson was.put in command of the attacking squadron and Sir Hyde Parker, feeling that his genius for sea battle was not so great as that of his inferior officer, contented himself with remaining in the offing to cover a possible Withdrawal and to assist any of the English ; ships which might be disabled and retire. Nelson had hoisted his flag on the Elephant, and during the night before the battle he worked incessantly over his tactics. • Captain Hardy meanwhile made soundings in the vicinity of the enemy, running in so close to their vessels that he was obliged to use a pole for fear that the splash of the lead .would betray him. As the British ships approached the Danes the Agamemnon. Nelson's old vessel, on which he had often fought, grounded and shortly after the Belloua and the Russell were stranded. Nelson, n the Elephant, then took the ' lead, and. disregarding the warnings of the timid pilots, steered a course which took him over the shoals, and the vessels following him.also passed i~ safety. With the coming of action the great sea fighter's nervousness and gloom slipped away from him. His eye lighted with" joyousness. His conversation became brilliant and cheery, though there was always an undertone of determination and purp>sefulness.

The Danes were using mortars in an attempt to drop shells through the decks cf the English. Fortunately only two or the mortar scows were able to get into position and they were silenced before any considerable damage was done.

declared the water so shallow that further advance was deemed dangerous. A ■ cable's length is about 120 fathoms, or 720 feet. Complete as was Nelson's preparation for the action, he found himself engaged with the enemy and one quarter of bis own force either shut out from the action completely or disposed so that they were next to useless. Sir Hyde Parker was close enough to the battle to see the misfortune which had befallen Nelson's ships. . He tried to go to his assstance, but both wind and tide were against him, and he could make no headway. Two hours, three hours, passej and the fire of the Danes was unabated. It was natural for Sir Hyde to suppose that Nelson and his ships were in dire straits and that to withdraw was the only chance of saving them. "I will make the signal of recall," he said to Captain Dommett, according to Southey, "for Nelson's sake. If he is in a condition to continue the action successfully he will disregard it; if he is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat, and no blame can be imputed to him." Captain Dommett urged the Admiral to delay the signal, but the commander's mind was made up. Declaring that the .fire was too heavy and too insistent, for Nelson to oppose, he ordered the signal raised. Southey states on the highest authority that Sir Hyde was convinced that Nelson could not succeed and that j he ordered the withdrawal in full knowl-

Nelson paced the quarterdeck, the stump of the arm he had lost in the expedition against Teneriffe swinging back and forth at his side as it always did when he was under the exhilaration of battle.

A mast was struck and splinters flew. Still the British guns were silent. A solid shot swept the erew away from one of the guns. The marines squinted over the shining barrels of their muskets and the gunners chafed. Still the Admiral gave no signal to fire. At last it came. The signal officer ran the pennant to the peak. The great vessels trembled with the concussion of their own weapons. Musketry rattled, and above all there were groans. The sand which had been sprinkled over the decks became sodden and men slipped despite it. Smoke stung the nostrils and the gunners aimed by judging the "position of the Danish ships from glimpses of the mast tops which showed above the clouds of sulphurous fume. As each .'-iiigiish vessel came into battle line at the position allotted her she let her anchor go by the stern and presented a broadside to the enemy. Most of the action .was fought at about a ca-, ble's length, which was considered too long a range in those days, but the pilots

The Danish ships were anchored in a line approximately parallel to the shore, close enough in so that the shore batteries could fire at the English without damaging the tops of their own vessels. . The British swept on, sails set, the half naked gunners standing ready, tense, like ruunerj! at the mark.

Nelson's ship, the Elephant, was in the van. There was a puff of dull white high up on the bank. A boom, and a solid shot splashed into the water, short of the Elephant. The British withheld their tire, struggling onward against baffling currents. Officers were watching a string of low-lying craft, much like mud scows of to-day, drifting down upon the English squadron. Presently a series of flashes straight upward from the decks of the scows were followed by great clouds of white, and shells, cutting semicircles' against the sky. dropped in the water in the vicinity of the squadron.

shown on board the commander in chief? No. 39!" he said, in- answer to his own question.

Mr. Fergiivson asked what No meant.

"Why, to leave off action," said Nelson. Then, shrugging -Lis shoulders, he repeated, "Leave off action? Now, damn me, if I do! You know, Foley," turning to' the. Captain, "I-have only one eye. I have a right to be blind-■some-times."

He put the to &is. blind eye.. "Really," -he said, "I do not -see the, €ignal."

»A moment later, upon a petty officer reporting the signal to him again, he exclaimed:— „ .

edge of the, odium which would attach to his own name, but 'having placed in Nelson the responsibility of the battle he was unwilling to leave him to bear the brunt of the criticism and disgrace of failure.

There were tears in Sir Hyde's eyes as the signal to withdraw was run up. Dommetfc and his fellow officers strained their eyes to see Nelson's action and every heart was heavy. They expected every second to see the great Admiral's ships put about and make for safety. Nelson, meanwhile, in the heat of the action, was pacing the quarterdeck. A round shot struck the mainmast and showered splinters about him. Turning to his officers with a smile he remarked, "It is warm work, and this day may be the last to any of us at a moment," and then, stopping at a gangway, added with emotion, "But, mark you! I would not. be elsewhere for thousands."

"Damn the signal! Keep, mine for closer battle flying. That's the way I answer such signals. Nail mine to the mast!"

The - naval -engagement having- been brought to a successful close for the British, Nelson noticed the shore batteries were firing on the English ships as they approached the prizes which had surrendered. This not only caused fatalities to his own men. but forced the English to fire on the de-' fenceless Danish vessels. Accordingly Nelson sent a message to the Crown Prince.

"Vice Admiral Lord Nelson has been commanded to Denmark, when she no longer resists. The line of. defence which covered her shores has struck to the British-flag; .but if the -firing is continued he must set on fire ;a 11 the prizes he has taken, without having the power of saving the men who have so nobly defended- them. The brave Danes are the brothers and should, never-be the enemies'of the English." Immediately upon the cessation of firing by the shore batteries of the Danes Nelson's seamen set about the work of i-escue.

~ The grim humor displayed by Nelson when he held his marine glass to his blind eye at Copenhagen was frequently in evidence. ' <

It was at the siege of Calvi that he received the wound which resulted in blindness to one eye. The next time he was in England he went to the War Office to receive a year's pay as "smart money." A clerk who was bound in red tape informed him that it would first be necessary to obtain a medical certificate stating that he had lost an eye. The Admiral was considerably nettled at this bit of formality, as it was conspicuously evident that he had the use of but one eye.

At-this juncture the signal lieutenant called out to him that No. 39, the signal to discontinue action, was raised on the flagship.

"Shall I repeat it?" asked the signal officer.

"No," replied Nelson. Presently he called after him, asking if the signal for close action was still flying from the Elephant.

Leaving the War Office in a huff, he returned shortly, grinning from 'ear to ear. The clerk who had borne the brunt of his anger was relieved at the change of front.

"Mind you keep it so," he said, on being told that it was.

Presently he encountered Mr. Ferguson, uu officer. "Do you know wiiut is

"Here," said Nelson, gayly, waving an official medical certificate, "I have

brought not only an affidavit proving the loss of my eye. bi.t it sets forth clearly that my arm is lost-also." The arm had been cut off short in the expedition Against Teneriffe. ' Upon Nelson asking for the year's pay of a captain, the clerk expressed his belief that the amount was to have been larger. "Oh, said Nelson, "this-is>#nty fpr-the-eye. In a few days I shall' the arm, and, in a little, time longer, -God. knows, most probably s for a' leg"." , - , -. , v The death of the 'great Admiral -was* In accordan-e with his life. Grim, determined, purposeful to the he gave his life in the battle of Trafalgar, which forever settled the supremacy of ■ England over France on the seas. His flagship, the Victory, had come to close quarters with the Redoubtable. Twice the Redoubtable appeared to have ceased firing and as her flag had been shot away Nelson took.this to ', mean that she had surrendered. He - had just givjn orders to withhold the • fire against the French vessel when a ball fired from the mizzen top, not more than fifteen yards away, struck the epaulet oh his left shoulder aud he fell upon the deck face down. Captain Hardy, only a ..few paces distant, turned to see two men lifting his comma nder. "They have done for me at last," said Nelson. "'I hope not," Hardy replied. "Yes, my backbone is shot through," the Admiral declared. As they carried him below he covered his face and the insignia of his rank with handkerchiefs so that the men • ■■would, not recognize him and become ■.'■; disheartened at his loss. Nelson did not live to see the English victorious; but as death drew near he was told that the battle was going* agaiust the French. Hardy -was /beside him. "Don't throw me overboard," said the Admiral to the Captain in a low voice. "I wish that I might be buried beside my parents unless it pleases the King ■'"' to order otherwise." After a moment he whispered brokenly, "Kiss me, Hardy, kiss me."The powder grimed, dishevelled Captain stooped and kissec. the Admiral as tenderly as a mother. Nelson sighed. ' ''Now I am satisfied," •' he said. "Thank God! I have done my duty." Hardy's eyes were dim. He knelt again aud kissed Nelson's forehead. "Who is that?" whispered Nelson, who could no longer distinguish objects about him. "It is Hardy." "God bless j-'-u. Hardy." Raid Nelson, and then the Captain left him—left him for the gun deck, where Nolson's spirit fought oa.