Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-08-05
aEHA WAR SHIP IN ACTION.
How the Brooklyn Was Handled in
the Battle Of July 3.


the nrotective deck informed of any
advantage we may gain" said Com
modore Schley, and speaking loudly to
overcome the noise of the frightful
guns, the gallant captain of the Brook
lyn said with smile, II always 40
that sir, consider it necessary for the
esprit de corps" and stepping into the
coming tower he called down the tubes:
"Tell the men below that the Maria
Teresa is running ashore" At the same
/&2es Executive Officer Mason rushes to
sring turrets and calls in to the
mea the same joyful news. 1t was the
srd Of July and the excitement OF the
first call to battle had hardly subsidized
on the big cruiser Brooklyn when the
foregoing incident occurred. Commo-
dore schley stood upon small tempor-
ary bridge running about the coming
tower, while Capt. Cook spent his time
between the interior of the tower, where
he directed the machinery from the
platform where he could see the enemy.
Fighting for the honor Of America,
three better prepared and more heavily
armored ships Of Spain, this splendid
type of the American navy was one
mass of fame and smoke as she spit out
defiance tinged with death, with ma
chine. like regularity and yet but one
third of the entire crew could see the
enemy or any part of the fight. In the
big turrets, half naked men worked be-
hind the steel walls with no knowledge
of how the battle went until they We're
informed by Mr.. Mason, and below the
protective deck fully 300 or more men
worked under the glare Of electric
light, keeping this great engine. OF de-
struction mechanically and rapidly at
sak. The big turret 8-inch guns
could not have done their deadly shoot
ing even with the trained eyes guiding
them. had not the men below sent up
the ammunition and the Brooklyn
could not have kept side by side had it
not been for the engineer and fire room
force working below the deck like
6ends.
The men in the turrets of fve-inch
steel see as little as the men below deck,
except that once in while they get a
glimpse of the object fired at. When
the ships of Spain were sighted coming
out on this eventful morning the 8 and
5-inch guns were all loaded and each
tnrret within two minutes after the
summons eleven men stood half naked
awaiting the word to fire. The chief
of the turret, lieutenant, is in the
hood, his eye to the telescope, gets the
line of his gun, on the harbor, and
awaits the signals. Five thousand
wards" sings out an orderly in the
turret opening, and the gun goes up to
the nroper elevation as the lieutenant
in tie hood orders the elevating gear
!, hrned The number one man at, the
Gun connects the electric wire to the
nr1mer with the hoods hand firing
apparatus and all is waiting.
Commence firing, comes the order
and quickly the answer comes. The
tnrret lieutenant's, hand closes on the
electric apparatus and the gun jumps
hack foot or more ais 11o pounds of
exploding powder drives $50 pound
she'll from the muzzle of the great piece
at the rate of 1850 feet per second.
Then before the roar has ceased the
hand of the man in charge Of that
turret touched the electric lever and
the great seven hundred tons OF steel
moved quickly and almost noisily
oronnd until the other gun of the twins
Iitr.s in the same position as the first one