Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-04-30
CLEARING SHIP FOR ACTION.
Preparations for the Lite. and Death Strug.
gle on a Warship.

The first thing TO be remembered by
the people on shore who may ere long
be reading of a sea-fight between two
modern ironcladS is that modern yes
sells will fight under way. There is
no longer any graphing of two ships.
for one or both of them will be de-
stroyed before they can come to such
close quarters. or else one of them will
be helpless and will have struck her
colors. All steam will be put on the
moment that the two combatants des-
cry each other on the far horizon. Then
the monsters will begin to switch
themselves about in the water and
lash the waves, and the great frames
will tremble with the engines vibra-
tons.
A late trial of the Cincinnati in battle
trim occupied ten minutes going ana
coming over a measured distance. with
floating target at distance varying
from three quarters of a mile to mile
and an eighth. Her whole battery was
fired as many times as possible, one OF
the 5-inch guns being discharged 30
times in the ten minutes, ana the
others nearly equaling this rapldlty.
She was flying cloud of smoke and
flame. The ship herself was not Wis
ible The gunners could often only
guess at the position of the target. or
had to wait few seconds for Il little
momentary rift in the cloud to take
advantage of it. AS matter of fact
the target was completely wrecked,
owing to the skill of the officers and
| LOT lao Il
that the lateral sighting of great
gun is more important than the Ncrtl-
cal. Get your muzzle working on a
line with a target which is parable!
with the horizon before you try to train
the gun up and down.
The suppressed energy which IS
apparent in the very frame of vessel
when she sights an enemy is her quick
response to the brains on board of her
Could spectator be poised in mdar
above two battleships approaching
each other he would he struck by the
similarity of actions of the human be-
ings aboard them both. What seemed
moment ago an idle five hundred
men, in harmony With the inert mon
ster they inhabit. spring into living
interdependent organism like the WORKS
of Il watch.
Clear ship for action" is the CONS
mand from the executive otncer. In
| modern battle every one must expect
injury or destruction: he who does not
had better not go to sea in modern
! ironclad Some will escape death. but
not many. In the engagement between
the Peruvian ironclad Huascar and the
| L. h..
| Huascar's crew were uninjured out of
two hundred. one hundred We're killed
and fifty wounded And so if Uncle
Sans executive officers give this COM
| mand next week or next month the
| fearful seriousness of ii will be felt to
the core of every man who hears it.
| Continuing the survey Of the inner.
human life of the ships, the spectator
would first note the bugle-call. and the
| subsequent instantaneous rush to his
| appointed station of every officer and
man. The great end in view is the
| quickest possible use of the weapon
throwing power The magazines and
| the breeches of the great guns are the
| centres of action. The conningtoWer.
or little round room made of metal a
| foot thick with Sits for observation, is
| the centre Of thought, for the captain
stands there with his aid and directs
! the battle by means Of speaking tubes
| and electricity.
First of all, the decks are cleared of
every obstacle that would emharrass
the rapid passage of ammunition from
| the magazines to the guns. All ships
are full of objects that are to be
|
| ton. tanks of turpentine, alcohol.
varnish. carboys of acid, must all fly
over the side Then the ships hose is
| to be attached to all connections, and
when action has begun the steam
pump is started and kept running. All
movable bulkheads and lockers which
might interfere With the working of
any portion of the battery are put out
of the way. Only those ladders which
are absolutely necessary are left in
place, the others being hung over the
side or carefully placed apart. All
compasses and hinnacles except one
are sent below. Hammocks are furled :;
awnings are wctted and used in certain
exposed places as barbados or shields,
but it is not expected they will do much
against modern bullets.
Each great gun and small gun has its
officer and group of men behind it to
| work it, Its big iron covering. like Il
large hood, shield some of the men (but
not alb from the fire of the enemy.
They must expect their own death or
that of their opponents. All the am
| munitiOn hoiStS are Immediately put to
| work. Shell and charges are hurried
like lightning to every loading
gun. Boxes of ammunition are Whiskcd
up aloft into the fighting tops of the
military masts The endless mechan-
iSmS of the great guns and their tur-
rcts must be set going like Il flash.
whether by steam, hydraulic, pneu-
matte or electrical power. The lower
decks, being dark, are often white
washed, if there he time to do so. in or
der to make all objects on them more
visible. Cots or chairs are rugged for
| lowering the wounded below, where
the surgeons operating tables are COW
cred with lint and steel instruments.
The engineers are below, doing their
human best With the ships fires, and if
a shell should reach one of their boil
ers heaven help them,
And now. with the big crew on the