The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-24

liII Jne HelayO DOQ1iy ~ Ieet. II the
commander wishes, he can so connect
his batteries with wires as to fire all the
guns simultaneously, striking the adver-
sary with such a tremendous storm of pro-
jectiles that no ship could very well stand
up against 1t. But~the Pelayo is as form
liable a vessel as the Indiana, and she
could return blow for blow.
The naval actions in this war will be
short, sharp and decisive. There will be
no prolonged struggle, such as that be-
tween the Seraphis and the Bonhomme
Richard, which were dashed together and
fought for four hours, plying all the means
of destruction known to the times. A sin
gle missile from one of the Iowa's great
guns weighs more than twice as much as
a whole broadside of projectiles fired from
the Bonhomme Richard and is discharged
with an enormously greater velocity The
explosive shells, too, work frightful havoc
scattering death and destruction ali
around, and setting fire to every bit OF
wood work. In ten minutes a cruiser like
the Brooklyn, armed with eight s-lnch and
twelve 5-inch guns, twelve out of the TWEEN
ty In play at a time, can fire over 400
shells, transforming the deck of an adver-
sary into a shambles and literally rid
ding every part of the opposing ship not
protected by armor.
1t has been figured out that in all the ma
val battles of the world since 1852 the pro-
portion of persons killed and wounded in
the first twenty minutes of the engage
ment averaged SO per cent. This percen-
tage certainly will be mere than doubled
In the sea fights Of the approaching war
In a ship carrying 450 men, from $50 to 300
will be killed or disabled in the first quar-
ter of an hour. One shot, fired by Chi
nese ship at the Yalu battle, and striking a
japanese cruiser fairly, killed and wound
ed 1O2 men. In the confusion, carnage,
fire and terror there will be no time to
minister to the wounded. For them, in
deed, there is hardly any chance Of es-
Gaping death. The deck being swept by
a continuous storm of bursting projectiles
there will be no opportunity to carry them
below.
While the combat is at long range and
the casualties few, they can be laid behind
the turrets, but when the action is at close
quarters no attention can be paid to them.
1t should be explained that in an engage
ment at close quarters the matches are
closed with so-caHed battle plates, and no
wounded can possibly be passed below.
Meanwhile all parts of the ship above the
armor belt, which only extends four feet
above the surface of the water, are being
riddled by gun-fire, and the number of
casualties is necessarily enormous. In such
gagged is likely to be sunk, and that means
death to all on board of her. Her own
boats have been knocked to splinters early
in the combat. and the same fate has be-
fallen the boats of her adversary, so that
the latter, even If not otherwise occupied,
would not have any means of picking the
drowning men up. These suggestions will
make it evident that very little is to be
done by the medical department In a mod
ern sea fight. 1t is only after the conflict
has come to an end that the surgeons, il
they are still alive, find an opportunity to
perform their duties.
Surgeons, though non-combatants, take
as big chances as anybody In an up-to-date
fight In the Yaiu battle the compartment
occupied by the doctor of japanese ship
was cleaned out by one explosive She'll
and he and all his wounded were utterly
destroyed. Each vessels deck is a dis
tinct battlefield and no succor from one
to another is practicable. The medical
and surgical outfit of United States war
ship with $50 men and officers costs 50 800.
Each vessel has its apothecary and bay
men, or nurses. Landing parties of $50
men are accompanied by one surgeon, one
apothecary, one nurse and four men for
bearers. Shelter tents for hospital pur-
poses, if required, are imDrovised with
rubber blankets. The medicines and other
such Daraphernalia carried along include
dressings for fractures and wounds, tour
niquets, bandages, antiseptic gauze, anti
septic powder and tablets of opium, dul-
nine and calomel.