The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-25

action and they tumble up to their
stations with exclamations and swift
alacrity. The executive officer joins
the captain on the bridge and the
young officer Of the watch, whom he
relieves. packs up his glass and hustles
down to take his station and direct the
men of his division in clearing the ship.
Men swarm over the deck in what
seems the widest confusion, but is in
reality perfect order. Every man has
certain exact duties to perform, and
much drilling has taught him just how
to go about it to perform them In the
simplest, readiest and easiest manner
The whole deck crew is organized into
divisions and each division has it's sep
arate and particular work. One divis-
ion lashes fast the big anchors and
makes them as secure as possible. An
ether takes care of the boats The
spare spars are got out and lashed
together. The boats are lashed into
rest, plugs pulled out so that they will
fill with water and float with gun
wales awash. The nest is lashed to
the spars that will serve as a drag.
and a buoy to mark their location If
the ship lives to come back for them,
and spars and boats are put over the
side and left to drift as they will.
WORK ELSEWHERE. ......
While this is going on other divisions
are at work with the rail and awning
stanchions. Everything comes down.
The pegs are knocked out of the davit
hinges and the big iron bars are folded
over to the deck. Everything movable
that can be put out of the way is
slowed in its proper place swiftly and
silently. Turpentine and alcohol cases
that might by exploding spread flame
and disaster over the ship are brought
up and heaved overheard to drift with
the abandoned boats. The battle graf
ings are brought out and fitted over
the matches. Anything that might be
| knocked to pieces by a shell or shot to
! splinters by small fire is thrown over
| board If it can be loosened and spared,
| and when, in an incredibly short time,
| the work is finished not a superfluous
| bar or beam, not an extra rod, box,
| implement, or article of any sort stands
on the deck to cumber the desperate
work of the ship in her life and death
| struggle.
But the men on the deck are not the
only ones who are busy when "clear
the Ship is the order. The first thing
| the captain does after he gives this
! command is to send word to the chief
engineer to couple up all the boilers.
| The Oregon has been cruising with only
| part of her boilers at work. Now the
| extra ones are coupled up. Fires are
made under these, and even before the
boats are cast adrift, work however
fast the Jackies will, the thick black
smoke that rolls out of the Oregon's
| tunnels proclaims the swiftness of her
firemen and engineers. The new fires
| are making new steam The pressure
gauges run up to their top notch, and
| the ship leaps ahead at her highest
| speed, eager to meet that stranger
which is now rising rapidly out of the
| horizon. The standby watch of fire.
men and engineers comes into the en-
| gine and furnace rooms. The coal
trimmers and passers go into the bunk
ers. The coal baskets and shovels are
all in active use. Now the captain on
the bridge gives another order. AS its
| result there is run up to the masthead
the biggest and most beautiful ensign
from the Oregons fiagroom. At the
staff on the taffrail another ensign is
run up, and with Old Glory swapping
her Stars and Stripes defiantly in the
breeze from masthead and ensign staff
the Oregon is ready for battle.
ENEMY DRAWS NIGH.
Now for the men. The ship is cleared
for action. Every bit of the compli,
Gated work is done. Everything is
slowed or cast loose and officers and
men stand at their stations waiting the
next command. They have not long tC
wait. When the captain gave the or
der to clear the ship he also changed
her course and headed her directly fol
the stranger whose appearance had
caused all the hustle and excitement
AS the increased steam power made
itself felt in the increased speed of the
battleship and she drew nearer an6
nearer the stranger the captain anC
the executive officer noticed that the
stranger, too, showed signs of being or
the alert. Out of his tunnels there ros,
two black clouds that matched the inky
columns rising from the Oregon'I
smoke pipes. With increasing rapidity
he rose above the horizon and pres
emily his hull was visible. Before tht
! Oregon was half cleared for action tn,
two ships were in full view of eacl
other, and the Oregons captain coulC
see plainly that the stranger was {
battleship of about the Oregons sizt
and general lines AS the ships drew
nearer, and his own colors were rui
up to the masthead, he distinguished
the ensign of the enemy floating from
the fOretruck Of the approaching ship
} He did not know that this was the shiI
J sent out specially to meet the Oregon
J and prevent her from joining the At
lantic Squadron. But now his own shil
) is cleared, and he gives the order 70
: | which his men are waiting.
! Sound off general quarters!"
THE CALL TO BATTLE.
1t is the call to battle. The rattlin
: drum and grieving bugle sound tn
notes that set the red blood leapin
| through the arteries of every one o
the 450 gallant fellows in the Oregon
crow. simultaneously and on the in
stant they respond. Now the eonstan
drill that has helped to wear away tn
tedious hours on the long yoyag
| around from the Pacific coast show
it3 good results. Silently and withou
confusion every man goes to his al
lctted place. Down in the engine ROOF
te.ow the steel armored deck the er
Gine ers take last look around to sc
that everything is shipshape. The o
watch, engineers and firemen alik
Join their powder divisions The wal
er-tlght doors in the bulkheads al
closed and tried to see that they al
fast. The engines are ready-the liN