UNDER STEAM TO BEREHAVEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6901, 15 September 1900, Page 4

UNDER STEAM TO BEREHAVEN.

HUNTING AN ENEMY AND TYING KNOTS IN CABLES.

(By H W. WILSON in the "Daily y Mail.")

The ocean was still as ever ; only the fog banks broke its monotonous surface ; land had been for hours out of sight. On our right, or starboard, as sailcrmen would say, was the dim outline of a cruiser five miles away, scouting like ourselves, on our left another. At the masthead the great arms of the truck semaphore rose and fell lazily and in the after chart-house the wireless telegraphy instruments continued their incessant, irritating sparking. In London it would have been a drowsy, baking afternoon ; here in the broad Atlantic we steered through fog bank and haze . with a{ brisk, delicious, chilling breeze, that for once made one venerate the sea. All eyes were strained on the look-out ahead, for we were in search) of H.M.S. Gladiator and Furious, and everyone would Spy them firsß. Our skipper, keen, calm, affabler-the very type of the seasoned and capable naval officer, whom nothing would flurry, tanned by the salt wind of innumerable watches and- long years of cruising—paced the bridge more impatiently than usual. He was commodore 1 for the time being, in charge of four cruisers, and one of his ships would get out of station, smoke from her funnels in a manner that would have drawn at ence from Admiral Rawson that signal dreaded in tfie Channel Fleet. "T.Z.1," "you are making too much smoke," and otherwise misbehave. More: over, the weather was growing so thick that he was doubtful if he would not have to close in his cruisers and miss his quarry. Already 'the truck semaphore signals were legible only with difficulty in the haze, and the wireless instruments, as we drew away from the battleships astern, had ceased to do anything but deal out shocks and meaningless dote to thejr attendants. UNREALITY OF MANCEUVRES. "Impossible to approximate peace exercises to war," said the captain, aa he swept the horizon with his glasses. " Now, I know where I shall find these ships, since I can pretty well guess their instructions. But in war I could not." And there, sure enough, on the extreme horizon, was something that looked, to a very vigilant eye, like a slight thickening, of the haze. Through the strongest glasses' it resolved itself into funnels and smoke. "T.Z.I " we all — I imagine — said Ix> ourselves mechanically, and noted that these were water-tube boiler ships. At once we quickened up and went towards the phase. The smoke grew clearer, the funnels became three in number ; finally two hulls rose over -the circle of fhe sea, and there they were, two dumpy, short, sulky -looking cruisers. At once pne of pur division was sent back to report to tlje admiral— and. it is typical of' the incidents and accidents which will occur when tihe real thing comes— that this cruiser, though knowing his Gourse, bearing and distance, missed him in a fog bank. A second cruiser was brpugh^ in and ordered to follo-yr obediently in our wake, to be ready to carry further news pf any change of the enemy's course, while we proceeded to shadow the two hpstjle ships. They exhibited considerable annoyance, turned to port and starboard, opened put, and; signalled to one another, but we never let them go. A DESERTED OCEAN HIGHWAY. And so the day's exercise ended, and! noon gave way to evening, while yfe ploughed through 3, curiously deserted sea. We were on one of the great highways of traffic — tine line along which comes tie trade from the United States to England and northern Europe, and yet on the void wastes of the water-floods we caw all that afternoon never a sail. The fin,s of a shark at a respectable distance were the only objects to arouse pur curiosity. Npthing could illustrate better the vastness, the loneliness of the sea. As night progressed the strong light of the Fas|net— ultimate beacon of the southwest Irish coast — came into view. Then with day the looming height of 3£izzeii Head allowed) on. our starboard bow. Well I knew it, for in a manoeuvre fleet four years before we had been sighted from this very head<thpugh thirty miles out— a prodigious feat pf vigilance on the part of some watchful coastguardsman, pronounced impossible by the two brilliant admirals who were then directing pur operations. At first the coast was. tjlack- gloomy and forbidding, rising from a >!ate-Goloured sea. Rarely have J seen this psiat of Ireland in clear weather, but to-day p \ras clear for a wonder. THE ENCHANTED IRISH COAST As the sun rose the seascape grew warmer: the dull monotony of colour 'passed away, and the enchanted coast' bfoke upoa our wondering eyes jn all its. bewitching beauty. And here let me say that I have in past yearsV journeyed over western £urope m search of a coast. Much-vaunted iinttany, be-praised Cornwall, even fair superb run of d,ffs and combes which lies between Swanage and Lulworth, all yield Unly Norway can compare. Sheer cliffs by the sea; range upon range of blue hills rising behind, and in the foreground tie surge and thupder of -the Atlantic swell as it ; breaks for ever on the foot of the ,dizzy precipices?, make a glorious picture. Here and there deep inlets are riven in the coastline, and harbours provided which oould accommodate with ease the navies of the world. The country is desolate, and, perS '" &7W. itl > de and desolation lies m M, Pf »t* Pharm. A^ rained tower, an abandoned cpttage on the cliffe are the of fT, i°te- whioh * good glass afford? of the habitation of man. WHEN THE FRENCH WERE ON THE . SEA. ■ ' The tower is nqt without interest Who now remembers the attempted landing of the French m Bantry Bay in 1796? Yet iii December of that year twenty-five ships; T^Pfl S 9 me thousand^ of troops, under Grouchy and Hoch&, cast anchor in that Bay How and why they did nothing ds a matter for the historian, npj; fpr the^unfortunate naval correspondent. But our ancestors, dreading a repetition of the attempt, peppered the neighbouring heiighits with martello towers, now fa?t gping to ruin, of which this is one. .. • > r~ Berehaven, an inlet of Bantry Bay, enclosed between Bern Island and the shore of the mainland, ; is our 'destination. Already other detachments, pf our great fleet, detachments of which, we have yet seen nothing, are converging on this point. On our port bow are six bjack lines, yvhich as the same as saying Vo mamy torpedo boats, v gunboat and a 'snjall cruiser of the flotilla. For some hours past there has been a strange interference with our wireless 'telegraphy signals, which experts ascribe to the efforts of the ingenious officers of the torpedo store ship Mecla, already dn the harbour, to ,get into touch with us. A TEST OF SEAMANSHIP. We steam into the bay in two lines ahead, which merge presently into a single line ahead, as the flagship leads us up the narrow channel and into the mountain encircled recesses of Berehaven.. Splendid as was the spectacle of the fleet entering Mount's Bay, this is more splendid still. An enormous single line of twenty-four warships—battleships of tlj^ most modern, type and of venerable antiquity, cruisers of 11,000 tons displacement, and of 3400 tons — stretches for miles. , Each ship maintains perfect dressing a>nd perfect distance from her predecessor, and this though we are oniy 350 yards apart, which is very little for such an awkward tortuous entrance. Tbe flagship is radiant with signal flags as we round the sharp double, Z-shaped bend which brings us into our haven. She turns and 1 twists as though she were a painted toy, and not a, monster of 15,000 tons. Behind her the long line follows her serpentine curves with equal grace and accuracy. Not for a moment does a ship gej> out of place i eyen our lpng /}ssf ji i^bijj'^ajjes

the benids accurately, without jockeying her screws — a severe test this of titoe capacity of our navigators, and a. joy to all beholders. Now our engines are stopped 1 , and we are ready to anchor. At 2.15 p.m. the signal is made from the bridge, and with prodigious rattling our cable runs out. Simultaneously, ahead and astern, the anchors have been let go with a splash by our neighbours in' the line. Then follows tJhe difficulb process of mooring, which, as it is about as easy to explain, to the inexpert as bi-metallism, shall be spared my readers. Let it suffice to say that more than one mobilised ship tied 1 up her cables in gordian knots, requiring all the address of captains, commanders, and' divers to unfasten. Needless to say the eversmart Diadem was not of these.