Великий военный синдикат

           Desiringtoavoidanycomplicationswhichmightensuefromactionsofthissort,therepellersteamedahead,whilethedirectorsignalledCrabHtomovethesternoftheLenoxtothewindward,which,beingquicklydone,thegunofthelatterboreuponthedistantcoast.ItwasnowveryplaintotheSyndicatedirectorthathiswordscouldhavenoeffectuponthecommanderoftheLenox,andhethereforesignalledCrabHtotowtheUnitedStatesvesselintoport.WhenthecommanderoftheLenoxsawthathisvesselwasbeginningtomovebackward,hegaveinstantorderstoputonallsteam.Butthiswasfoundtobeuseless,forwhenthedynamitegunwasabouttobefired,theengineshadbeenorderedstopped,andthemomentthatthepropeller-bladesceasedmovingthenippersofthecrabhadbeenreleasedfromtheirholduponthestern-post,andthepropeller-bladesoftheLenoxweregentlybutfirmlyseizedinagraspwhichincludedtherudder.Itwasthereforeimpossiblefortheenginesofthevesseltorevolvethepropeller,and,unresistingly,theLenoxwastowed,sternforemost,totheBreakwater.ThenewsofthisincidentcreatedthewildestindignationintheUnitedStatesnavy,andthroughoutthecountrythecondemnationofwhatwasconsideredtheinsultingactionoftheSyndicatewasgeneral.Inforeigncountriestheaffairwasthesubjectofagooddealofcomment,butitwasalsotheoccasionofmuchseriousconsideration,foritprovedthatoneoftheSyndicate’ssubmergedvesselscould,withoutfiringagun,andwithoutfearofinjurytoitself,captureaman-of-warandtowitwhitheritpleased.