The San Francisco call., 1896-10-29

pcSt anu 3 SpulteIlng tu0 SAT- WateI itOin
his mouth. He found room enough to
shout back to the man who gave the
alarm:
you lie. you lie, - you; it's an
officerl"
Captain Howison said the guns and all
the appliances and everything aboard ship
work splendidly-that he had no trouble
built. he said, he could suggest some i'm
provements. He never saw ships crew,
officers and men settle down to drill and
business quicker than the Oregon's. This
is high compliment. Captain III. l..
Howison is the ranking senior captain in
the navy. He has had long years OF SER
vice. When Admiral Walker retires under
the age limit next March vacancy will
be created and Captain Howison will be
promoted to a commodore. He will then
probably be removed to some other sts
ton.
For the reason that it was found ad-
visable not to lower the steam cutter it
was decided not TO have battalion drill
on shore to-day. This military spectacle
and the unique naval one OF an attack by
torpedo-boats on the ship at night will b e
reserved for Sausalito, when the battle-
ship drops anchor there on the return next
Friday or Saturday. 1t will lay off Sausa-
Tito several days. The attacks by torpedo
boats will be made something after the
following fashion: Two or three steam
cutters will be sent out. They will hide
in the night and take their time. Sentinel
boats will be stationed at certain dis
tance around the Oregon. The steam cut
ters will try to come within the sentinel
/ line. These cutters represent the torpedo
boats of the enemy. The object is 10
catch them before they get within GER
tain distance of the ship. Ii they get
within the line they fash blue light and
orr fn bav NJ nd "a
son, officers and men, to have been blown
into tho lsand fragments by torpedo.
If the sentinel boat sees them first they
burn red light and the torpedo boats are
supposed to have been captured and
harmless. As the programme now is to
sail for San Francisco tomorrow evening
this exercise will harly be held here.
This morning the marine guard had
physical exercise with guns and an ex-
tended order drill, in command OF Cap
tain Bergman and Lieutenant Davis.
The battalion drill was under small arms.
General quarters were abandoned. The
big turrets of the 13-inch and 8-inch guns
are working more smoothly and becoming
more responsive with the practice. The
crew is learning to handle the 6-pounders
of the secondary battery as easily as a
small arm. From the present efficiency
of the practice the Oregon will be fit to
engage a whole fleet of Spain or the Sui
tan OF Turkey when it again swings to its
anchor in San Francisco Bay.
In the general quarters drill last night
the ship was ready for battle in minutes
and 55 seconds. This is considered excel
lent time considering the practice the crew
has had. The crew was sounded to general
quarters at S:37. The men rolled up
their hammocks, stored them in their
proper places, got to their stations, cast
loose the guns and had them loaded in
a - sks
must come up by elevators from the
magazines far below in the ship.
The searchlight drill at 1880 o'clock last
evening brought out almost the entire
population of Monterey and good pro-
portion of that of Pacific Grove. The
four powerful searchlights were in opera-
ton at the same time. The Ardois sys-
tenn of signaling by coiored electric lights
was flashing aloft on the military mast, in
charge of Ensign r. Mclean, who is sig
nal officer. One of the signals flashed by
the lights and successfully read was this:
Send boats to receive ammunition for 1900
military rifles and transport it to the Oregon,
lying off Monterey.
This message embodied all the different
codes used with the Ardois system, which
has been adopted by the navy compara-
lively recently.
The statement that one of the search
lights picked mp pelican resting on the
water and followed him while fving
through the night illustrates the facility
with which the searchlights are operated
and their efficiency in picking up and .ol-
lowing torpedo OF an enemy fired at the
| Oregon.
| When torpedo is picked up under
| these circumstances the six-pound Hotsch-
kiss rapid-fring guns open ire on it or its
line OF direction with the purpose of ex-
ploding it before it strikes the ship. This
requires a quick and steady fire, as a
torpedo can travel thirty miles an hour.
Being safely anchored last night
the captain turned in early for the
first time in sixty hours and slept as
sweetly as new born babe until the sooth-
ing voice of the siren was sounded at
o'clock this morning to see if its throat
wasAclear. 1t was.
To-day the regular drills went on as
usual. This afternoon a gangway was
lowered aft and there was a swarm of VS.
itors from Monterey and Pacific Grove on
deck and between decks. Earlv this
morning the mercury fell 10 46 deg.
The bay was smooth, the weather bright
and clear, and there was considerable
swell outside.