The Great War Syndicate(战争辛迪加)

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THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

THE GREAT WAR

SYNDICATE

FRANK R. STOCKTON

Author of "The Lady or the Tiger," "Rudder Grange," "The Casting

Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine," "What Might Have Been

Expected," etc., etc.

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE.

In the spring of a certain year, not far from the close of the nineteenth

century, when the political relations between the United States and Great

Britain became so strained that careful observers on both sides of the

Atlantic were forced to the belief that a serious break in these relations

might be looked for at any time, the fishing schooner Eliza Drum sailed

from a port in Maine for the banks of Newfoundland. It was in this year

that a new system of protection for American fishing vessels had been

adopted in Washington. Every fleet of these vessels was accompanied by

one or more United States cruisers, which remained on the fishing grounds,

not only for the purpose of warning American craft who might approach

too near the three-mile limit, but also to overlook the action of the British

naval vessels on the coast, and to interfere, at least by protest, with such

seizures of American fishing boats as might appear to be unjust. In the

opinion of all persons of sober judgment, there was nothing in the

condition of affairs at this time so dangerous to the peace of the two

countries as the presence of these American cruisers in the fishing waters.

The Eliza Drum was late in her arrival on the fishing grounds, and having,

under orders from Washington, reported to the commander of the

Lennehaha, the United States vessel in charge at that place, her captain

and crew went vigorously to work to make up for lost time. They worked

so vigorously, and with eyes so single to the catching of fish, that on the

morning of the day after their arrival, they were hauling up cod at a point

which, according to the nationality of the calculator, might be two and

three- quarters or three and one-quarter miles from the Canadian coast. In

consequence of this inattention to the apparent extent of the marine mile,

the Eliza Drum, a little before noon, was overhauled and seized by the

British cruiser, Dog Star. A few miles away the Lennehaha had perceived

the dangerous position of the Eliza Drum, and had started toward her to

warn her to take a less doubtful position. But before she arrived the

capture had taken place. When he reached the spot where the Eliza Drum

had been fishing, the commander of the Lennehaha made an observation

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

of the distance from the shore, and calculated it to be more than three

miles. When he sent an officer in a boat to the Dog Star to state the result

of his computations, the captain of the British vessel replied that he was

satisfied the distance was less than three miles, and that he was now about

to take the Eliza Drum into port. On receiving this information, the

commander of the Lennehaha steamed closer to the Dog Star, and

informed her captain, by means of a speaking-trumpet, that if he took the

Eliza Drum into a Canadian port, he would first have to sail over his ship.

To this the captain of the Dog Star replied that he did not in the least

object to sail over the Lennehaha, and proceeded to put a prize crew on

board the fishing vessel.

At this juncture the captain of the Eliza Drum ran up a large American

flag; in five minutes afterward the captain of the prize crew hauled it down;

in less than ten minutes after this the Lennehaha and the Dog Star were

blazing at each other with their bow guns. The spark had been struck. The

contest was not a long one. The Dog Star was of much greater tonnage and

heavier armament than her antagonist, and early in the afternoon she

steamed for St. John's, taking with her as prizes both the Eliza Drum and

the Lennehaha. All that night, at every point in the United States which

was reached by telegraph, there burned a smothered fire; and the next

morning, when the regular and extra editions of the newspapers were

poured out upon the land, the fire burst into a roaring blaze. From lakes to

gulf, from ocean to ocean, on mountain and plain, in city and prairie, it

roared and blazed. Parties, sections, politics, were all forgotten. Every

American formed part of an electric system; the same fire flashed into

every soul. No matter what might be thought on the morrow, or in the

coming days which might bring better under-standing, this day the

unreasoning fire blazed and roared. With morning newspapers in their

hands, men rushed from the breakfast-tables into the streets to meet their

fellow-men. What was it that they should do? Detailed accounts of the

affair came rapidly, but there was nothing in them to quiet the national

indignation; the American flag had been hauled down by Englishmen, an

American naval vessel had been fired into and captured; that was enough!

No matter whether the Eliza Drum was within the three-mile limit or not!

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

No matter which vessel fired first! If it were the Lennehaha, the more

honour to her; she ought to have done it! From platform, pulpit, stump,

and editorial office came one vehement, passionate shout directed toward

Washington. Congress was in session, and in its halls the fire roared louder

and blazed higher than on mountain or plain, in city or prairie. No member

of the Government, from President to page, ventured to oppose the

tempestuous demands of the people. The day for argument upon the

exciting question had been a long weary one, and it had gone by in less

than a week the great shout of the people was answered by a declaration of

war against Great Britain. When this had been done, those who demanded

war breathed easier, but those who must direct the war breathed harder. It

was indeed a time for hard breathing, but the great mass of the people

perceived no reason why this should be. Money there was in vast

abundance. In every State well-drilled men, by thousands, stood ready for

the word to march, and the military experience and knowledge given by a

great war was yet strong upon the nation.

To the people at large the plan of the war appeared a very obvious and

a very simple one. Canada had given the offence, Canada should be made

to pay the penalty. In a very short time, one hundred thousand, two

hundred thousand, five hundred thousand men, if necessary, could be

made ready for the invasion of Canada. From platform, pulpit, stump, and

editorial office came the cry: "On to Canada!" At the seat of Government,

however, the plan of the war did not appear so obvious, so simple.

Throwing a great army into Canada was all well enough, and that army

would probably do well enough; but the question which produced hard

breathing in the executive branch of the Government was the immediate

protection of the sea-coast, Atlantic, Gulf, and even Pacific. In a storm of

national indignation war had been declared against a power which at this

period of her history had brought up her naval forces to a point double in

strength to that of any other country in the world. And this war had been

declared by a nation which, comparatively speaking, possessed no naval

strength at all. For some years the United States navy had been steadily

improving, but this improvement was not sufficient to make it worthy of

reliance at this crisis. As has been said, there was money enough, and

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

every ship-yard in the country could be set to work to build ironclad men-

of-war: but it takes a long time to build ships, and England's navy was

afloat. It was the British keel that America had to fear. By means of the

continental cables it was known that many of the largest mail vessels of

the British transatlantic lines, which had been withdrawn upon the

declaration of war, were preparing in British ports to transport troops to

Canada. It was not impossible that these great steamers might land an

army in Canada before an American army could be organized and

marched to that province. It might be that the United States would be

forced to defend her borders, instead of invading those of the enemy. In

every fort and navy-yard all was activity; the hammering of iron went on

by day and by night; but what was to be done when the great ironclads of

England hammered upon our defences? How long would it be before the

American flag would be seen no more upon the high seas? It is not

surprising that the Government found its position one of perilous

responsibility. A wrathful nation expected of it more than it could perform.

All over the country, however, there were thoughtful men, not connected

with the Government, who saw the perilous features of the situation; and

day by day these grew less afraid of being considered traitors, and more

willing to declare their convictions of the country's danger. Despite the

continuance of the national enthusiasm, doubts, perplexities, and fears

began to show themselves. In the States bordering upon Canada a

reactionary feeling became evident. Unless the United States navy could

prevent England from rapidly pouring into Canada, not only her own

troops, but perhaps those of allied nations, these Northern States might

become the scene of warfare, and whatever the issue of the contest, their

lands might be ravished, their people suffer. From many quarters urgent

demands were now pressed upon the Government. From the interior there

were clamours for troops to be massed on the Northern frontier, and from

the seaboard cities there came a cry for ships that were worthy to be called

men-of-war,-- ships to defend the harbours and bays, ships to repel an

invasion by sea. Suggestions were innumerable. There was no time to

build, it was urged; the Government could call upon friendly nations. But

wise men smiled sadly at these suggestions; it was difficult to find a nation

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

desirous of a war with England. In the midst of the enthusiasms, the fears,

and the suggestions, came reports of the capture of American

merchantmen by fast British cruisers. These reports made the American

people more furious, the American Government more anxious. Almost

from the beginning of this period of national turmoil, a party of gentlemen

met daily in one of the large rooms in a hotel in New York. At first there

were eleven of these men, all from the great Atlantic cities, but their

number increased by arrivals from other parts of the country, until at last

they, numbered twenty-three. These gentlemen were all great capitalists,

and accustomed to occupying themselves with great enterprises. By day

and by night they met together with closed doors, until they had matured

the scheme which they had been considering. As soon as this work was

done, a committee was sent to Washington, to submit a plan to the

Government. These twenty-three men had formed themselves into a

Syndicate, with the object of taking entire charge of the war between the

United States and Great Britain. This proposition was an astounding one,

but the Government was obliged to treat it with respectful consideration.

The men who offered it were a power in the land,--a power which no

government could afford to disregard. The plan of the Syndicate was

comprehensive, direct, and simple. It offered to assume the entire control

and expense of the war, and to effect a satisfactory peace within one year.

As a guarantee that this contract would be properly performed, an

immense sum of money would be deposited in the Treasury at Washington.

Should the Syndicate be unsuccessful, this sum would be forfeited, and it

would receive no pay for anything it had done. The sum to be paid by the

Government to the Syndicate, should it bring the war to a satisfactory

conclusion, would depend upon the duration of hostilities. That is to say,

that as the shorter the duration of the war, the greater would be the benefit

to the country, therefore, the larger must be the pay to the Syndicate.

According to the proposed contract, the Syndicate would receive, if the

war should continue for a year, one-quarter the sum stipulated to be paid if

peace should be declared in three months. If at any time during the

conduct of the war by the Syndicate an American seaport should be taken

by the enemy, or a British force landed on any point of the seacoast, the

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

contract should be considered at an end, and security and payment

forfeited. If any point on the northern boundary of the United States

should be taken and occupied by the enemy, one million dollars of the

deposited security should be forfeited for every such occupation, but the

contract should continue. It was stipulated that the land and naval forces of

the United States should remain under the entire control of the

Government, but should be maintained as a defensive force, and not

brought into action unless any failure on the part of the Syndicate should

render such action necessary. The state of feeling in governmental circles,

and the evidences of alarm and distrust which were becoming apparent in

Congress and among the people, exerted an important influence in favour

of the Syndicate. The Government caught at its proposition, not as if it

were a straw, but as if it were a life-raft. The men who offered to relieve

the executive departments of their perilous responsibilities were men of

great ability, prominent positions, and vast resources, whose vast

enterprises had already made them known all over the globe. Such men

were not likely to jeopardize their reputations and fortunes in a case like

this, unless they had well-founded reasons for believing that they would be

successful. Even the largest amount stipulated to be paid them in case of

success would be less than the ordinary estimates for the military and

naval operations which had been anticipated; and in case of failure, the

amount forfeited would go far to repair the losses which might be

sustained by the citizens of the various States. At all events, should the

Syndicate be allowed to take immediate control of the war, there would be

time to put the army and navy, especially the latter, in better condition to

carry on the contest in case of the failure of the Syndicate. Organization

and construction might still go on, and, should it be necessary, the army

and navy could step into the contest fresh and well prepared. All branches

of the Government united in accepting the offer of the Syndicate. The

contract was signed, and the world waited to see what would happen next.

The influence which for years had been exerted by the interests

controlled by the men composing the Syndicate, had its effect in

producing a popular confidence in the power of the members of the

Syndicate to conduct a war as successfully as they had conducted other

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

gigantic enterprises. Therefore, although predictions of disaster came from

many quarters, the American public appeared willing to wait with but

moderate impatience for the result of this novel undertaking. The

Government now proceeded to mass troops at important points on the

northern frontier; forts were supplied with men and armaments, all coast

defences were put in the best possible condition, the navy was stationed at

important ports, and work at the ship- yards went on. But without

reference to all this, the work of the Syndicate immediately began. This

body of men were of various politics and of various pursuits in life. But

politics were no more regarded in the work they had undertaken than they

would have been in the purchase of land or of railroad iron. No

manifestoes of motives and intentions were issued to the public. The

Syndicate simply went to work. There could be no doubt that early success

would be a direct profit to it, but there could also be no doubt that its

success would be a vast benefit and profit, not only to the business

enterprises in which these men were severally engaged, but to the business

of the whole country. To save the United States from a dragging war, and

to save themselves from the effects of it, were the prompting motives for

the formation of the Syndicate.

Without hesitation, the Syndicate determined that the war in which it

was about to engage should be one of defence by means of offence. Such a

war must necessarily be quick and effective; and with all the force of their

fortunes, their minds, and their bodies, its members went to work to wage

this war quickly and effectively.

All known inventions and improvements in the art of war had been

thoroughly considered by the Syndicate, and by the eminent specialists

whom it had enlisted in its service. Certain recently perfected engines of

war, novel in nature, were the exclusive property of the Syndicate. It was

known, or surmised, in certain quarters that the Syndicate had secured

possession of important warlike inventions; but what they were and how

they acted was a secret carefully guarded and protected.

The first step of the Syndicate was to purchase from the United States

Government ten war-vessels. These were of medium size and in good

condition, but they were of an old-fashioned type, and it had not been

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

considered expedient to put them in commission. This action caused

surprise and disappointment in many quarters. It had been supposed that

the Syndicate, through its agents scattered all over the world, would

immediately acquire, by purchase or lease, a fleet of fine ironclads culled

from various maritime powers. But the Syndicate having no intention of

involving, or attempting to involve, other countries in this quarrel, paid no

attention to public opinion, and went to work in its own way.

Its vessels, eight of which were on the Atlantic coast and two on the

Pacific, were rapidly prepared for the peculiar service in which they were

to be engaged. The resources of the Syndicate were great, and in a very

short time several of their vessels, already heavily plated with steel, were

furnished with an additional outside armour, formed of strips of elastic

steel, each reaching from the gunwales nearly to the surface of the water.

These strips, about a foot wide, and placed an inch or two apart, were each

backed by several powerful air-buffers, so that a ball striking one or more

of them would be deprived of much of its momentum. The experiments

upon the steel spring and buffers adopted by the Syndicate showed that the

force of the heaviest cannonading was almost deadened by the powerful

elasticity of this armour.

The armament of each vessel consisted of but one gun, of large calibre,

placed on the forward deck, and protected by a bomb-proof covering.

Each vessel was manned by a captain and crew from the merchant service,

from whom no warlike duties were expected. The fighting operations were

in charge of a small body of men, composed of two or three scientific

specialists, and some practical gunners and their assistants. A few bomb-

proof canopies and a curved steel deck completed the defences of the

vessel. Besides equipping this little navy, the Syndicate set about the

construction of certain sea-going vessels of an extraordinary kind. So great

were the facilities at its command, and so thorough and complete its

methods, that ten or a dozen ship-yards and foundries were set to work

simultaneously to build one of these ships. In a marvellously short time

the Syndicate possessed several of them ready for action.

These vessels became technically known as "crabs." They were not

large, and the only part of them which projected above the water was the

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

middle of an elliptical deck, slightly convex, and heavily mailed with ribs

of steel. These vessels were fitted with electric engines of extraordinary

power, and were capable of great speed. At their bows, fully protected by

the overhanging deck, was the machinery by which their peculiar work

was to be accomplished. The Syndicate intended to confine itself to

marine operations, and for the present it was contented with these two

classes of vessels. The armament for each of the large vessels, as has been

said before, consisted of a single gun of long range, and the ammunition

was confined entirely to a new style of projectile, which had never yet

been used in warfare. The material and construction of this projectile were

known only to three members of the Syndicate, who had invented and

perfected it, and it was on account of their possession of this secret that

they had been invited to join that body.

This projectile was not, in the ordinary sense of the word, an explosive,

and was named by its inventors, "The Instantaneous Motor." It was

discharged from an ordinary cannon, but no gunpowder or other explosive

compound was used to propel it. The bomb possessed, in itself the

necessary power of propulsion, and the gun was used merely to give it the

proper direction.

These bombs were cylindrical in form, and pointed at the outer end.

They were filled with hundreds of small tubes, each radiating outward

from a central line. Those in the middle third of the bomb pointed directly

outward, while those in its front portion were inclined forward at a slight

angle, and those in the rear portion backward at the same angle. One tube

at the end of the bomb, and pointing directly backward, furnished the

motive power.

Each of these tubes could exert a force sufficient to move an ordinary

train of passenger cars one mile, and this power could be exerted

instantaneously, so that the difference in time in the starting of a train at

one end of the mile and its arrival at the other would not be appreciable.

The difference in concussionary force between a train moving at the rate

of a mile in two minutes, or even one minute, and another train which

moves a mile in an instant, can easily be imagined.

In these bombs, those tubes which might direct their powers

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THEGREATWARSYNDICATE1THEGREATWARSYNDICATEFRANKR.STOCKTONAuthorof"TheLadyortheTiger,""RudderGrange,""TheCastingAwayofMrs.LecksandMrs.Aleshine,""WhatMightHaveBeenExpected,"etc.,etc.THEGREATWARSYNDICATE2THEGREATWARSYNDICATE.Inthespringofacertainyear,notfarfromthecloseofthenineteenthcentury,whenthepolit...

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