Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-05-05
HOW A Big BATTLESHlP
IS HANDLED TN ACTION.
STIRRING SCENES ON DECK AND BELOW


Few people outside the naval SER
vice know just how war vessel goes
into fight. To put battleship like
the Iowa or Indiana in thorough readi-
ness for action ordinarily requires
about two hours, though, of course, it
can be done in much less time in case
of urgency.
T There is one thing that makes it a
comparatively simple and orderly
task. On board fighting vessel
every man has certain assigned post
and certain task laid out for him,
with which he is perfectly familiar.
This holds true from the captain him
self down to the little coolies who
wait on table for the different messes.
When the signal is sounded it brings
every man to his place, and long
familiarity makes the work, so in
volved and complicated to the eyes of
an outsider, q mere matter of routine.
If ship engages an enemy unex-
pectedly, SO that there is not the
usual time for preparation, the call to
quarters is sounded Immediately and
the men take their places in divisions.
In this case each division attends to
part of the work of clearing the ship,
but ordinarily the first signal is,
"Clear for action!" At the boat
swain's whistle and the verbal COM
mand the men move to their positions,
those whose places are on deck
forming in squads under direction of
the different officers. The captain
takes his place on the bridge. Latter.
when the battle begins, he will go in
to the protected coming tower,
through the narrow sits of which he
can watch everything that takes place
ON deck and the movements of the
enemy as we'll. But for the pres
ent. while the preparations are being
made, he must decide the general
plan of action, how the guns are to be
used, and the class and nature of pro-
iectile on which he will depend.
Near the captain stands the naviga-
tor, who will have charge of the hand
ling of the ship during the engage
ment, the signal officers and the vari-
GUS aids. First of all, the decks and
working spaces are cleared. The spars,
rigging and boats are secured. Every
thing movable that will not be needed
during the engagement is firmly lashed
into place, where it will not interfere
with the work. The topmen, who are
in charge of the little platform high
up on the mainmast, haul up arms and
ammunition and make everything
ready in their lofty quarters, even to
filing the fire buckets with water
with which to put out blaze should
one be started up aloft. The carpen-
ter, under the direction of the navi-
gator, sees to the removal of awning
stanchions, hatch rails and every light
object that is not essential to the man.
agement of the ship. The chronome-
ters and other delicate instruments
are carefully gathered up and laid
away below, to save them from de-
struction by concussion. The torpedo
division gets out its apparatus for
sending torpedoes and spreads the
intercepting nets over the ships sides,
where they can be quickly lowered if
need be.
Below the activity is equally great
The engine fires are stirred up and
steam is made as fast as possible, for
modern battleshlp is intended to go
into action under full head of steam.
The steam and bilge pumps are rugged
and the magazine squad stands to its
post, but the magazines are not un-
locked until the signal for action. The
keys, however, are delivered to the
officers of the powder division by the
captain at the first signal.
When the ship is cleared the call to
quarters is given and the men take
their places in divisions. The gun
squads stand to their guns and make
them ready for use. The matches, ex-
cept those that will'be used, are COW
cred with gratings and tarpaulins, the
carpenter collects his men and with
the armorer stands ready to repair any
damage that may be done by the enc