Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1908 — THE VANISHING FLEETS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE VANISHING FLEETS

By ROY NORTON

ILLUSTRATED ST A. WEIL

CHAPTER VIII. The Lcmo Voyager. A special train'breaking records for speed swung shrieking into the archway of the Liverpool station, and Hllller, carrying nothing but light baggage, lumped out of his compartment and walked along the Queen*B landing to the gangplank of the waiting

Norfolk. Two men ta sailor's uniform, who evidently bad been posted for the purpose of keeping curious loungers away from the boat, halted him, and were Joined almost on the Instant by two officers in watting. Hllller recognized one as a personal friend. They shook hands, boarded the ship, and almost before their feet were planted on the deck the tending stage was swung into the air and aha proceeded to get under way. It was plain to Hillier that no time was to be lost In this tru ns-Atlantic Journey; for before the Norfolk had passed out of the river she was Working under forced draught He found himself tbe only passenger, and that instructions had been given placing the destination of the ship under his orders. That the government purposed to spare no expense or effort in assisting him to a successful conclusion of his mission was evident He was tired of hearing of war, and felt a secret sense at satisfaction as day after day passed in respite from such news. Out of the North sea, sluggishly rolling in the swells and floundering through the waves, gathered a fleet almost as powerful as that which had been mobilised by Japan. Other nearby stations rant tat their quota of cruisers, torpedo-boat destroyers and swift-moving dispatch boats. Five ot -toe—wurlU U grimfotf Tattle ships formed the heart of this apparently Invincible gathering, which was to cross the ocean to a land of mystery, always facing the possibility of destruction by a terrible and unknown engine of warfare. The people of England were much divided In opinion ax to the advisability of the government’s move when It became public. A strong conservative element feared the danger of Great Britain being Involved In the war through this action, while tha liberal partisans and Jingoes assorted that It was the only method 6f upholdlng tbe country’s dignity, demonstrating to America that England would do her best, and at the same time assuring Canada that thq mother country Intended to support her In case of attack along her border line. ThfiL Britannia still ruled the waves waa generally doubted; for if the Americans had In their* possession nfoanX of so easily overcoming a‘ fleeit as important as that which Jhpan had lost, there was almost a ttertafnty that she 1 oould conquer any adversary r sent against her on the water. It , was no longer a question of warfare on land; for all the transports In, the world would be powerless against such submarines as the nations now conceded the United States must possess. Before sailing, the fleet commanders had been called Into a oounoil and given positive Instructions that they were not to penni\.themselves to be drawn Into action In any event before reaching Canada. On their arrival they were at once to co-operate with thX dominion government in whatever way seemed advisable at that time,' and follow such oMera 1 as might be given from London. - The clearance, however, unlike the sailing of that fleet from Japan, was not accompanied by any gala demonstration. It was rather with dire misgivings that the public witnessed this departure, which were to a certain extent shared In by thorn aboard tha vessels; and it was fully realised that th* flower of England’s navy might

never return. fi-om da voyage into an unknown danger. The conservative press lent a funereal attitude to the occasion In its treatment of the situation, one Journal declaring that “England to sending to magnificent martyrdom men who had better have been retained at home for their country’ 8 good.** Another paper characterised it as a “useless sacrifice.’' This became the general public opinion within a few days, as reports from Canada cootfyued gloomy, and showed no prospeot of a rift within the clouds. The music halls, always an Index to the popular view, found their greatest hits in topical songs which were generally of the tenor that the great, grand, glorious and gorgeous British tar had sailed away to do or die — with the accent on the “die.” A general air of melancholy prevailed over all England, and as the days went on and the fleet itself got beyond reach' of the wireless telegraph stations and far out on a deserted' ocean, the sentiment waa one of acute expectancy. The admiralty was advised of the arrival - Without incident at Hllller, and apprised of the fact that he had decided to make his attempt to cross 'into the forbidden land unaided. There was a certain sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that a good and efficient man was on the ground with at least a chance fiox success In his endeavors. ' This beatific state at mtod was dispelled one bright afternoon, and England thrown Into a furore that scarcely could have been greater had one of the mysterious Submarines appeared off its shores and begun bombarding the nearest atty. It was like an Intimation of disaster delivered In advance of more terrible news. The black hull of a South American tramp steamer hove Into sight beyond Fastest, and instituted a rapid Interchange of signals. men on shore, as these advanced, V>Ohed at each other with blank dismay, and then, fearing that there had been a misunderstanding, and' failing to grasp suddenly a significance so terrible in its Import, requested that the signals be repeated. There could be no doubt of their correct Interpretation. In one hour all England knew beyond cavil that her fleet had mat the same fate as that which had overtaken Japan’s. The message in brief was that the Esperanto had picked up ta raid ooean, floating on a life raft torn from its moorings, a Bailor wearing the uniform of the Dreadnought. The man was almost dead from exposure, and had not yet recovered sufficiently to give a coherent acoouj|| of what had taken place. No ship ever salted Into Southampton that attracted tha attention given to the Esperanto* futokail after tralntoad of exooyetqnMa, farmer* within a day** dri*% end pedestrians from near by swagpaed to Southampton, Coming an excited and almost uncontrollable gathering. Tugboats hastened out to meet the Incoming steamer, which carried the only living link between reality and the terrible unknown, and long Unee of constables . strove to hold bach tha excited orowd, the noise of whose muttering* filled the air with an ominous drone. Between these ranks at blue-clad men there came four surgeons, carryt lng on a stretcher a wreck of humanity who laughed Insanely and 1 rolled his head from side to side. The crowd fell Into an awed hush as the litter passed to the special train which was to convey this most important witness to a hospital. Next 1 In public Interest ware the officers ! and men of the Esperanto, who, feeij lng themselves In the limelight, beI oame each the center at great crowds, j to whom they reebuntod aB beet they coulf the stciry od how the man was j found. j The exact details at thto as given by { the captain of the Bspwranty to the > ministers of the caMrt&' who were I summoned threw maeg£r light upon j the case. The Esperaoto’had gone out ! at her usual oourse, following the Oulf | stream to the northward*- until warned by an American cruiser to take a more : easterly tack. She had done so, thus bringing her into a leas frequented path of travel. j At ten o'clock In the morning, five . flayd' previous to her importing at Faetnet, the man on the lookout had sighted an objeot which drew his at- | ten tion, which at first he believed to : be a mere piece of untenanted wreck- : age tossing on the swell. He had notl- ' fled the captain, who altered the ship’s course and bore dowoHhpflA it, only j to learn that It was * IBe' raft on i which Was a man. A boat) was kry- ' ered, and tt waa found that the lnoni- | mate form was that of a British sailor, , on whose cap, which had been thrust; I beneath , a cleat of the raft,- were the j words -H. M* 8. The man, had lashed himself securely before his, Strdngffi jhad failed. ; knowing how small waff hfcf. chances : for rescue, and how certain his coming weakness. Whan pished op by the Esperanto be was thtmgty t to be dead; but being taken aboard he showed some signs of life, and after hours of work, recovered * give some slight hope at eurrival So terrible had hare his sufferings from privation that his mind seemed unhlhged, and they had been unable to gather any Information from him save that of some oras-vMknlilg disaster. He was now In the throes of bndfl fever, and talked only the Speech of the delirious. Hta fragmentary mumblings were beyond all understanding; his mind eeeaxad to be a ooofused Jumble at hattaotoatlons, In which he orle4 foe water and made absurd comments on whag was passing in his dreams. There wree strangely Interwoven babblings, of submarine t°«iv ««of monitors whteb hariasd. Bto and

pent her so her doom. Fltirti exclamations of helplessness and fear, ba-

tsrjoctkma of overwhelming dread, and brief snatches of prayer came from bis Ups throughout all the days In which they had attended him. The strangest pert In all the incident of picking up the castaway was that the captain of the Esperanto, seeking other survivors, had crutead for hours in the vicinity;' but had found no other sign of wreckage or of humanity. He had ooursed to the northward, thinking it possible that the trend of the wind had driven this lone mariner away from the scene of catastrophe; but the ocean itself wax 3 a blank. The crest of no wave carried" even a piece of flotsam, nor was there anywhere a olew to the mystery. The at the world could have created no more suspense or terror than the fear of this unknown agent of destruction which threatened the downfall of governments and the eradication of boun--1 dary lines. England suffered the woes of the bereaved In the certainty that ! thousands of men who were father* brothers, husbands or friends bad been annihilated by this terrible republic across the sea. From every throat came a despairing ery for retaliation; but England, rich, mighty and powerful, felt herself without means of appeasing it It was well enough to talk of revenge when the means were at band; but the country in the face of this dread enemy was helpless, and bo tt was that the bitterness of defeat gave way to the hopelessness of terror when a calmer and more Judicial spirit prevailed. It was beginning to be comprehended to the full that not only Great Britain in all her strength, but the combined forces of the world, would stand no chanoe of conducting even a defensive war against the United States—now beoome a swordfish ravaging and depopulating the seas. In the meantime, while all this consternation prevailed and the beads of nations, fearful and trembling, speculated as to the outcome, the sailor from the Dreadnbught was being watched and cared for by the most distinguished savants and specialists of the old world. There hovered over his bedside through every minute of the day men dispatched by every European power, who were doing all that science might suggest to bring this lone and stricken mariner back to sanity and let him give tongue to what he Knew of this scourge of the waters. Hourly bulletins of his condition were posted on street corners, ond round these stood men and women in suspense. His least word was recorded as of monumental importance, in the hope that from some cranny of his wrecked mind might come some elucidating phrase, however slight The most important, thing that apparently could be relied upon was that whatever the form of attack had been, it was observed before the blow was struck. This was shown by his repeatedly exclaiming: “It’s coming! it’s coming! It’ll got us, sure, ana we can’t fight back!" And so the nations watched by the bedside of a common sailor.' Ffom Japan came long messages of condolence to her ally, which were received in a spirit of fellow suffering. The peculiarities of the situation were In nowise lessened by oeports from Canada, where the troops still massed Along the border maintained a friendly spirit, committed no acts of encroachment, showed no apprehension of war, and seemed as ignorant of thalf own government’s plans or what it had done as were the Canadlans themselves. Indeed, their mystification over the disappearance at the Japanese and British fleets was m oomplete as that of the most humble farmer on the Canadian frontier. Their officers, shocked by the terrific new*, hastened to give statements to the effect that their Instructions, were to avoid giving offense, ax the United States had no intention of engaging In war with Great Britain. Coupled with the loss of the fleet, these Interviews seemed singularly inconsistent. It being impossible to reconcile annihllation on the sea and a cry for peaoe 00 land. It was generally admitted In England that Canada was now in a helpless position and completely ‘at the mercy of a well-drilled and wellequipped army along her borders, which was undoubtedly within 009stont reach of supplies and reenforce meats. The futility of any attempt either to relieve or to aid her by sanding more men across tbs Atlantic, now absolutely under the control of tho Americans, was obvious. It began

to appear to the British government that the United States wae deliberately planning to take the dominion of Canada whenever she deemed the time opportune. That she oould now do so at her own oonvenlenoe wae unguestloned. An exasperating condition was the attitude of the Canadians themselves, who, as far as appearances went, were In a state of the utmost placidity. Indeed, the farmers along the border were prosperous and thriving through the Increased demand for their supplies, which the American quartermasters purchased, liberally, and for which they invariably paid American gold. It actually seemed as If an era of good feeling was being established across the boundary. The loss of the fleet threatened a, rupture for a brief time; but the province, now convinced of the hopelessness of taking an active side either way, showed an Inclination to stand aloof and remain absolutely neutral. It was agreed between the officials of the dominion and those of Gregt Britain that Canada could do nothing but endeavor as best she might to remain passive pending further developments. This lack of partisanship proved anything but an assistance to Hillier In his attempt to break through the cordon, and It war this as much as anything else that hampered him la his mission. (.To he continued^

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They Shook Hands.

The Map on the Lookout Had Sighted an Object.