The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-04-09
HUNDRED-TON GUNS.
Something About the NOrI. of n
Modern Navy.

:
A I00-ton gun costs 500. 600. and ev-
cry time it goes of it costs some one
81 500. and takes three minutes To re-
lead. Bun these big guns have gone
out Of style now, for il has been dis
covered that they sag at the muzzle
after few tons Of powder have been
shot cut Of them 900 pounds per
shot The men who control these big
guns and those Of smaller caliber are
known as gun captains, and they are
Acknowledged by naval officers to be
men who are born, not made, just like
poets and newspaper men. Now, in
the foretop is the officer who is in
charge Of the stadimeter and the
naval finder. Before d battle this Of
fcer finds, by the range finder just
how far of the enemy is. and when
say within 1900 yards he finds by the
stadineter the height of her mast
heads. Attached to both these instru-
ments and convenient to the officers
mouth as he is making his obserya-
tons is a telephone, which is neces-
ssry, As observations are made every
half-minute and eight can be made in
that gime. Every observation is thus
Transmitted TO every range Indicator
ou The ship. and every gun captain
thereby knows just how far he is from
the enemy and her masthead height.
Then the gun captain. knowing the
distance and the height puts his eye
u his telescope. and when his born
Intelligence tells him the center of the
cT5ss-hsirs of his telescope viii rest on
the enemy he touches the electrical
button and-weH, you can't hear me
tell the rest. but there is a bIindingly
brilliant crimson fash, which makes
you shut your eyes, and, II you are
wise and don't want your hearing de-
6troyed, you viii keep your mouth
wide open. This sounds easy as you
read IL. but from the time the gunner
makes up his mind 10 shoot until he
presses the button cannot exceed one
sixth Of a second. Tor. If he does his
shot either goes UP as sEyrocket OF
down IS a sinker, and you can bet
your last good United States coin that
our modern gunner won't miss once
out If 100 times Now, all this time the
officer n the foretop is not smoking
cigarettes. for besides telling where
the ship is at the moment, he is pre-
dieting just where they both viii be
thirty seconds ahead. And 10 think
that we used 10 envy these salted mar
liners before there were any signs Of a
mixed ale party on the horizon.
IN the days Of Naryatt the seaWolf
Of the seas was the gentleman with
the lettre de marque-the priVateers-
man. the bane Of the elderly gentle
man IN a blue coat with brass buttons,
knee brooches a equity foot and the
knowledge that the underwriters would
net insure his vessels at any premium.
lie used To curse priyateersmen until
the coroner came in ana said IL was
ap0pleEy. Today the seaWolf is the
Itue Sl25. 900 10 $4,000 torpedo boat
From the experience gained in late
years from naval maneuTeTs and the
ChiHa-Japau war, naval officers are
convinced that the torpedo boat is
the hottest thing in the water They
detest them-some might say fear. -
bur nowadays they don't teach fear al
naval academies and the seamen on
war vessels are so densely ignorant of
Il that. when they are examined on
that point. they invariably are marked
zero These little squids run from
twenty 10 thirty-fiye miles per hour,
and carry only II. +. G.. or what we
civilians know as rapid-fre guns. and
--torpedoes. Now, when there's a hot
time On the sea tonight" the man who
goes into a torpedo boat is I'm the rela-