The great war in England in 1897 . t Armstrong works atElswick. Suddenly, in the midst of the incessant thunder, a series ofterrific explosions occurred, and the great High Level Bridgecollapsed, and fell with an awful crash into the Tyne. Theenemy had placed dynamite under the huge brick supports,and blown them up simultaneously. A few moments later theSwing Bridge was treated in similar manner; but the enemy,under the galling fire from the Volunteer batteries, were nowlosing frightfully. Many of the new guns at the Elswickworks were brought into action, and several ironclads in thecourse of
The great war in England in 1897 . t Armstrong works atElswick. Suddenly, in the midst of the incessant thunder, a series ofterrific explosions occurred, and the great High Level Bridgecollapsed, and fell with an awful crash into the Tyne. Theenemy had placed dynamite under the huge brick supports,and blown them up simultaneously. A few moments later theSwing Bridge was treated in similar manner; but the enemy,under the galling fire from the Volunteer batteries, were nowlosing frightfully. Many of the new guns at the Elswickworks were brought into action, and several ironclads in thecourse of construction afforded cover to those desperatelydefending their homes. But this blow of the invaders had been struck at a mostinopportune moment, and was evidently the result of an orderthat had been imperfectly understood. It caused them to suffera greater disaster than they had anticipated. Six torpedo boatsand two gun-vessels had passed under the bridge, and, lying offthe Haughs, were firing into the Elswick works at the moment. Terror on the Tyne 12 when the bricltfes were dcinolislied, and tlie debris, falling acrossthe stream, cut off all means of escape. The defenders, noticing this, worked on, pounding away atthe hostile craft with merciless monotony, until one afteranother the French and liussians were blown to atoms, andtheir vessels sank beneath tliem into the dark, swirlingwaters. While this was proceeding, two mines, one opposite HillGate, at Clateshead, and the other near the Rotterdam Wharf,on the Newcastle side, were fired by the Volunteer Engineers,who thus succeeded in blowing up two more French gunboats,while the battery at the foot of the Swing Bridge sank twomore torpedo boats, and that in front of the Chemical Works atGateshead sent a shell into the vitals of one of the mostpowerful torpedo gunboats, with the result that she blew up. Everywhere the enemy were being cut to pieces. Seeing the trap into which their vessels had fallen abovethe ruined bridges,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidgreatwarinen, bookyear1895
