The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-22

stead Of steel plates and wooden back
ing. The Texas isn't as heavy ship
As the New York, for example, but her
redoubt makes her battle ship, and
the New York remains with all her
perfection only an armored cruiser
after all If the Texas is only second
class among battle ships, by reason Of
her tonnage, she is, nevertheless, th Q
pride of her officers and crew, and
would undoubtedly give good ac-
count of herself in battle.
There is q certain fearful curiosity
to know just what will take place down
in the submarine wells, cells, 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 ship. 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 at
en- mn.-.sxssArsesS1::x,::.sssaaSs-:s e :ssaS-:s :9se- T.
Nowadays, in the chilled steel cell
called the coming tower, far removed
above the smothered din of the decks,
with no ears to hear and no eyes to
see him, he puts his ears to the speak.
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 room; 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 the 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 coming 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 clanklng,
the tramp of hundreds of feet waking
sullen echoes from resounding metal,
the chain trolleys bearing their peril
GUS burdens of shell and powder and
gun cotton, travelling harshly along;
the mysterious awakening of the COM
plicated automats hidden away in
every nook, the sliding of the loading
trays from the ammunition hoist to
the breeches of the great guns, whose
muzzles, forty feet away, are even
now threatening to shatter the mir
with the hoarse earthquaking, sea
maddening roar of q discharge that
will do murder twelve miles away
amid all this diabolical saturnalia what
chaLce would an old fashioned speak
ing trumpet have9
The central station, in which these
speaking tubes are concentrated, must
be carefully guarded. A steel pipe,
twelve inches thick, carries them un-
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 it's
diameter is so small, comparatively, as
to make walls of that thickness prac-
tically impenetrable. With the shell
and round shot, grape and rifle balls
impinging, bursting, battering on
these circular walls, the fighting boss
of the ship, perched there to overlook
the enemy and direct the progress OF