Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-10
TOM BOWLING At THE GUN.
How Yankee Gunners Fired In the
Manila Fight,

How Yankee Gunners Fired In the
Manila Fight,
Good Workmanship on Rolling Vessel
aud In the Excitement OF an Engage
IueDt Means More Than the Public APP
preoistes.
Lieut.. Bradley A. Fiske, U. s. N,
of the Petrol. who took part in the en-
gagement of Cavite Bay, has written
an article for the November Century on
why We Won at Manila" Lieut..
Fiske says OF the imam behind the
gum:
Look at him as he stands, lock
string in hand, behind his gun, his
legs wide apart as he balances himself
on the unsteady deck, his eyes fixed on
the sights of his gun and on the
enemy, whom he sees through the mar
row aperture 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, tho necessary steps
were taken which placed this terrible
weapon in his hand today, so fashioned
that If he fires it right the shot will
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 about
seven degrees on each side, or IA degrees
from one side to the other. The
average time of making this roll is
about seven seconds, making the time
of rolling one degree about half q
second.
Suppose now that Tom Bowling is
| firing at an average ship, say 20 feet
high, about 2, 800 yards away. If he
| fires at the middle of the target, as he
should do, this gives him margin on
! each side Of 10 feet, which subtends an
| angle at Tom Bowling's eye Of about
one twelfth of degree SO that Bowling
must appreciate the fact that his sights
are CON- and do everything required
| to fire the gun In one twenty fourth Of
a second, or else he will miss the tar
get. Now, no man living can be de-
| pended on for such rapid thought and
nerve action, even under the best con-
| ditions of quiet and calmness; that is,
he cannot be depended on to do it every
time.
| Much can be done by good gum
captain, however, by Watching for
smooth time, and firing 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 little
to the right Of the enemy's. ship.
"Leftp' he orders ;and the gun-trainers
i work their training levers, or, il in a
turret, start the turning engine SO as
to turn the gun to the left. Mean
while, as the line of sight gradually is
approaching the target from the right,
it is also rising and falling with the
rolling of the ship. Tom Bowling sees
that, the next time the sights rise to
the level Of the target, the trainers
will have got the gun trained in the
proper direction. He braces himself
for quick pull of is lock-string; and
then a wave strikes the ship on the
starboard bow, or the helm is shifted
little, and away goes the line of sight
far off to the left, before the sights get
up. 'sRightp' orders Bowling in
stantly and the gum trainers work the
gun back to the right quickly, but
cautiously, for much depends upon
them now. "Well!" Right ~
s'Leftr' &C., come the orders in quick
succession, as Tom Bowling and his
trainers work the gun. Suddenly the
line Of sight strikes the target; there
Is CLEAN in Bowling's eye, quick
pull Of his arm, tremendous noise, a
sitting cloud of smoke, and in comes
the gun as If it were a proiectile itself,
and were going clear across the ship,
and out at the other side; but 1T
quickly, yet gently, slows, then stops,
controlled perfectly by the hydraulic
cylinder; and Immediately it runs out
again, and is ready to be loaded and
fired once more.
In an instant the second captain has
unlocked and thrown open the breech ;
quick hands wash off the powder resi-
!, due from breech- block and bore, and
then shove in the shell and powder.
The second captain closes and locks
! the breech with heavy clang, puts in
a new primer, and reports the gun
ready. "Leftn' cries Tom Bowling
, and the Same succession of actions is
reperformed.
: If anybody could have gone from ship
to ship Of the United States fleet dur
, ing the eventful hours between s and
, 7.30 on that beautiful Sunday morning,
he would have seen about so Tom
+ Bowlings, all doing the same things
! and in the same way. He would have
seen so guns crews all eagerly, YET
coolly, working their guns, and he would
| have seen each division of guns. ano
/ each turreu, under the charge OF an
officer responsible for it'll