The morning call., 1894-04-01
THE MAGAZINES.
Selections From Periodicals for
the Month of April.
Sighting an Enemy at Sea.

In an article on battleship In action
Lieutenant S. A. StauntaD, U. s. n, de-
scribes the sighting of an enemy's ship in
the following language:
The Farragut was steaming sixteen
knots. fires under every boiler, and each
one Of her thirty-two furnaces burning
freely with the natural draught of her 100
foot tunnels, the forced 6raught, which
would give her the final and maximum
battle speed of seventeen knots, still kept
in reserve. The vessel whose smoke had
been sighted half an hour earlier was now
only six miles distant and was clearly seen
to be an enemy'S battleship, practically
equal in strength to the Farragut, and, in
deed, the one which The coast signal
service had reported from Cape Cod the
day before, and in search of which the
Farragut was cruising.
The signal officer had gone into the mill
tary top. eighty feet above the water line,
when the first report of the lookout was
heard, and wi h powerful glass had made
out and passed TO the captain in the pilot
house below all those distinctive features
of shape of bull. number of sG.akepipes
and military mastS and installation of
heavy guns which marked her Individual
ity. Although her hull had been pain ted
a muddy gray upon the outbreak of war,
u
white and gold which is first lieutenanrs
pride in time Of peace and she showed as
yet no national cO,oTs; not an officer upon
the Farragul's bridge had the least doubt
of her Identity.
The Farragut was steaming due east
when the enemy's smoke was sighted, and
continued that course. The latter bore
easi-northeast when first seen, and as she
drew slightly ahead 1t was evident that
She was standing well to the southwark
and would cross the Farragut'5 bows. She
was in fact making full speed on south
southwes course, to effect rendezvous
with her flag officer south of Hatteras
The crew had been called to quarters
when the enemy's hull began to lift
above the horizon, and the Farragut was
cleared for action. Every stanchlon, hatch
canopy and railing that interfered with
the fire of the guns, or that if struck by
shot might become amissle of destruction
and death, was removed. The compasses
were carried below 10 a place of safety
Around the bridges and rails were placed
hammocks as a protection against the fire
of sma,l-arms and machne-guns. The
turrets had been Tevolved back and forth
through their extreme ares of train to test
tile turning machinery and to ascertain
that no obstacles to rapid and efficient
work existed. All guns were charged. and
torpedoes were placed in the tubes Re-
ports had been received from all divisions.
The means of communication with the
different portions OF the huge and compli-
Gated structure-electricaI, mechanical and
by voice-tu beS-were tested.
The enemy was now six miles distant
and bearing nearty ahead, The captain of
the Fartagut lifted the speaking-,ube to
his lips and ordered the forged draught put
on, at the same time repeating the signal
full speed" In two minutes the revolu-
ind fOr IN cd a ipo
turns per minute and continued slowly to
mount. Again low, sharp order. and the
stars and stripes foated trom0 the mast
head and the flagstaff. The enemy hest
tated not an instant 10 accept the chal-
lenge. With his helm aport he swung
steadily around to meet the Farragut and
displayed his national colors. Now only
five miles distant and at speed of seven
teen kno the two leviathans rushed upon
each other. In nine minutes they would
cover the distance which separated them.
The scenery of an ocean drama was set and