The Lamar register., 1898-11-09
BOWLING AT-THE GUN
YANKEE ouNNERs AT MANILA.
Good Marksmsnship on Rolling Vessel
and In the Excitement of an Engage.
ment Means More Than ths Public APP
preciates-


Lieutenant Bradley A. Fiske, U. S.
N, of the Petrel. who took part in the
engagement of Cavite Bay. has written
an article for the November Century
on why We Won at Manila" Lieu
tenant Fiske says of the man behind
the gun:
Look at him as he stands. lock-string
In hand, behind his gun. his legs wide
apart as he balances himself on the un-
steady deck, his eyes fixed on the
sights of his gun and on the enemy
whom he sees through the narrow APP
erature of the gun-port. He knows that
his gun is all right. and the powder
and the shell and the fuse. and that,
years ago, the necessary steps We're
taken which placed this terrible weap-
ON in his hand to-day, SO fashioned that
ii he fires ii right the shot win hit the
mark. But the rolling of the ship from
side TO side throws the line of his gun
sights high up against the sky, and
then down into the sea: and, as no
ship steers exactly straight. the line of
sight moves irregularly TO the right
and left; so that his sights appear to
be describing irregular curves, now
against the background OF the sky, and
now against the background of the sea.
An average roll may be said to be
about seven degrees on each side. or
fourteen degrees from one side to the
other. The average time of making
this roll Is about seven seconds, max
ing the time of rolling one degree
about LIlf second.
Suppose. now, that Tom Bowling il
firing at an average ship. say twenty
feet high. about twenty-five hundred
yards away. II he fires at the middle
of the target ak he should do this
gives him "a, m T.tpfn n ah SfH fft tor
feet, which subtends an angle at Tom
Bowling's eye of about one-twelfth of
n degree. so that Bowling must ap-
preciate the fact that his sights are
ON and do everything required to
fire the gun in one-twenty-fourth of
second. or else he will miss the target
Now. no man living can be depended
on for such rapid thought and nerve
action. even under the best conditions
OF quiet and Calmness: that Is, he can
not be depended on to do 1t every time.
Much can be done by n good gun
captain. however, by watching for u
smooth time, and firing a little before
the sights bear. No one knows this
better than Tom Bowling. So he braces
his feet on the unsteady deck, every
nerve stretched TO its utmost tension.
He sees that the gun Is pointing lit
tie to the right OF the enemys ship.
Left he orders: and the gun-train-
ers work their training-levers. or, IL in
n turret, start the turning-engine so as
to turn the gun TO the left. Meanwhile
as the line of sight gradually is ap-
preaching the target from the right. 1t
Is also rising and falling with the roll
ing of the ship. Tom Bowling sees tina.
the next time the sights rise to the lev
I'll of the target the trainers will have
got the gun trained In the proper direc-
ton. He braces himself for quick
pull of his lock-string; and then wave
strikes the ship on the starboard bow.
or the helm is shifted a little. and
away goes the line of sight far of to
the left. before the sights get up.
"RIghtr' orders Bowling instantly. and
the Gun-tralners work the gun back to
the right quickly, but cautiously. for
much depends upon them now. "Wellr'
"Rightr 'Left"' etc, come the orders
in quick succession, as Tom Bowling
and his trainers work the gun. Sud
denly the line of sight strikes the tar
get: there is CLEAN in BowlinS's
eye, quick pull of his arm. ire
nendous noise, Il sitting cloud OF
smoke, and in comes the gun as If it
were n projectile itself, and were going
clear across the ship, and out at the
other side; but it quickly, yet gently.
slows, then stops, controlled perfectly
by the hydraulic cylinder; and immedi-
ately 1t runs out again. and is ready TO
be loaded and fired once more.