Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-08-12

stead Of steel plates and wooden back.
ing. The Texas isn't as heavy ship
as the New York, for example, but her
sedeubt makes her % battle ship, and
the New York remains with oil her
perfection only an armored cruiser
after oil. If the Texas is only second
class among battle ships, by reason Of
her tonnage, she is, nevertheless, the
pride of her officers and crew, and
would undoubtedly give q good ac-
count of herself in battle.
There is a certain fearful curiosity
to know just what Will take place down
in the submarine wells, coils, maya
zines, engine room and stoke holes of
this steel castle of the deep, what vast
energies that have lain dormant will
suddenly be released when once the
order to prepare for action has been
signaled through the chip. In old
times the commander of frigate stood
on the bridge with his glass under his
arm and gave his orders in full view
Of his men. who cheered and 'Went OF
em."
Nowadays, in the chilled steel cell
called the coming tower, far removed
above the sm1thered din OF the decks,
With 10 ears 60 heay and NO eyes TO.
GsA aim lie puts ms bars to la16 sl3salEs
ing tube, and fifty, sixty, seventy feet
below him, here in the iron box called
the shell room, there in the seething
pit called the fire rooml here In the
dungeon of the engineers. there In the
torpedo rooms, far away in the very
bowels of the ships, where the high
explosives and mines are slowed, flies
the mysterious messages, rousing every
man and every engine to utmost efforts.
In tho long steel gallery, suspended
between the sweat boxes, called the
fire rooms, of the Texas, is the central
station. Here o midshipman may
connect the cohnihg tower, or the
tiller room, or the redoubts, with any
other part of the ship. There is no
such thing as shouting an order. The
furnaces going, the engines clankings
the tramp of hundreds of feet waking
sullen echoes from resounding metal,
tho chain trolleys bearing their peril
GUS burdens of shell and powder and
gun cotton, travelling harshly along;
The mysterious awakening of the com.
plicated automata hidden away in
every nook, the sliding of the loading
trays from the ammunition hoist to
the breeehes of the great guns, whose
muzzles, forty feet away, are even
now threatening to shatter the cir
with the hoarse earthquaking, SEQ
maddening roar of q discharge that
will do murder twelve miles away
amid oil this diabolical saturnalia what
chaIce would an old fashioned speak
ing trumpet havep
The central station, In which these
speaking tubes are concentrated, must
be carefully guarded. A steel pipe,
twelve inches thick, carries them I'm
der the protective deck. Once there
they are safe. The side armor, which
distinguishes the battle ship, is, IL
the Texas, twelve inches thick, cover.
ing two-thirds of her length amid
ships. The walls of the coming tower
are only nine inches thick, but its
diameter is so small, comparatively, as
to make walls of that thickness prac-
tically impenetrable. With the shell
and round shot, grape and rife balls
impinging, bursting, battering on
these circular walls. the fighting boss
of the ship, percbed there to overlook
the enemy and direct the progress of