The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-03
NOT ONE IDLE MAN ABOARD
POWERS OF ENDURANCE TESTED
BELOW THE PROTECTIVE DECK,
In the Turrets, in the Maya zines and
in the Engine Room, Where the
Mercury stood at 100 Degrees.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.


said Commodore Schley, and speaking loud
gallant captain of the Brooklyn said with
a smile: Il always do that SIR l consider
it necessary for the esprit de corps" and,
stepping into the coming tower he called
down the tubes: Tell the men below that
the Maria Teresa is running ashore" AT
the same time Executive officer Mason
rushed TO the firing turrets and called in to
the men the same joyful news.
1t was the Sd of July and the excitement
of the first call to battle had hardly SUBJ
sided on the big cruiser Brooklyn when the
foregoing incident occurred. Commodore
Schley stood upon a small temporary bridge
running about the, coming tower, while
Captain Cook spent his time between the in
terror Of the tower, where he directed the
machinery, or the platform where he could
see the enemy.
Fighting for the honor of America three
better prepared and more heavily armored
ships of Spain, this splendid type of the
American navy was fone mass of flame and
death, with machine-like regularity and yet
but one-third of the entire crew could see
the enemy or any part of the fight. In the
big turrets, half naked men worked be-
hind the steel walls with no knowledge of
how the battle went until they were in
formed by Mr.. Mason, and below the pro-
tective deck fully 800 or more men worked
under the glare of electric light, keeping
this engine of destruction mechanically
and rapidly at work. The big turret eight
inch guns could not have done their deadly
shooting even with the trained eyes guiding
them, had not the men below sent up the
ammunition and the Brooklyn could not
have kept side by side had it not been for
the engineer and fire-room force working
below the deck like fiends.
The men In the turrets of five-inch steel
see as little as the men below deck, except
that once in a while they get a glimpse of
the object fired at When the ships of
Spain were sighted coming out on this
eVentful morning the eight and five-inch
guns were all loaded and in each turret
within two minutes after the summons,
eleven men stood half-naked awaiting the
word to fire. The chief of the turret a
lieutenant, is in the hood, his eye to the
telescope, gets the line of his gun on the
ha1bor, and awaits the signal. Five thou
sand YARDS, sings out an orderly in the
turret opening and the gun goes up to the
proper elevation as the lieutenant in the
hood orders the eievating gear turned. The
number one man at the guns connects the
electric wire to the primer with the hood s
hand firing apparatus and all is waiting.
Commence hr1ng," comes the order and
quickly the answer comes The turret lieu
tenants hand closes on the electric appara-
tus and the gun jumps back foot or more
as ITO pounds of exploding powder drives a
25O-pound shell from the muzzle of the great
piece at a rate of 1850 feet per second. Then
before the roar has ceased the hand of the
man In charge OF that turret touched the
electric lever and the great 700 tons of steel
moved quickly and almost noisily around
until the mother gun of the twins was in
hoe 1,1 A~A,
Slowly the muzzle comes up to the right ele-
walton, once more the nervous fingers close
on the electric handle and another $50
pounds of steel shoot away on its death er-
rand.
A PICTURE OF ACTIVITY.
If you could have looked in this partic-
ular turret on that memorable and glorious
morning of July 8, you would have seen a
picture of activity that would have amazed
you. Hardly had gun No. I belched forth
it's defiance to the group of Spanish ships
than the five men behind It, until this min
ute statues of inactivity, sprang into life
No. and No. opened the breech, washed
off the mushroom and gas check with a
sponge, oils the breech plug, extracts the
exploded primer and sees the vent clear.
No seizes the long bristle sponge, wet
with water, and, assisted by No. 3, spongeS
the gun, lays aside the sponge and seizes
the hammer ready to drive home the new
charge. While they have been working
there has appeared at the top of the ammu-
ton. and the officer in command of the
turret cries Load" No. raises the am
assistance of No. 5 of the other gun, grasps
the handles upon the carriage and swings 1t
to the rear of the gun. The projectile is
first on the left and No. 3 adjusts the
primer, while No. 4. assisted by No: 6. rams
home the 250-pound projectile. Then in
quick succession No. 5, No. and No. ram
in the two charges of powder in packages of
fifty-five pounds each, done up in serge or
muslin and in grains weighing an ounce and
a quarter each. No. 2 closes the breech,
No l again connects the wire, and the gun
is ready to fire. All this has taken just four
minutes, and, with two guns, the big tur-
ret is shooting once every two minutes.
But where are the mysterious hands that
send up these death-dealing charges to the
guns in such ghost-1ike way? Down below
the water line of the ship, beneath the pro-
tective deck that in too many battles has
proved the lid to the steel coffin of hundreds
of brave men. is a naked, perspiring crowd
of heroes, their eyes effectually closed TO
the changing scene of the battle, but their
senses keenly alive to the fact that torpedo
or shell below or through the armor belt
may mean death. these men work with an
energy that proves their patriotism and de-
votion to the flag. On this day they sent
up to the various turrets and guns over
10000 pounds of ammunition, taking 1t care
fully out of the big magazines without acct
dent.
The men detailed in the handling rooms of
tho Brooklyn are from the HIln OF powder
division, composed of those not detailed as
gun crews, such as carpenters and gum
ner'S mates, servants, idlers of all kinds and
the relief watch of the engineers division.
This medley of men is of many nationalitieS
and is known on board the Brooklyn as
"Coxey's army" and is commanded by the
senior deck officer, DR.. Griffin, with four or
five other officers as assistants, each as
sistant having charge of section of about
forty or fifty men, the whole division TAX
ing charge of all magazine holds and all
spaces between decks during action.
HOSTING THE AMMUNITION.
At the clang of the alarm for general
quarters" the men rushed for their stations.
struggling through small steel hatch in
the protective deck and down narrow and
almost vertical ladder to the magazines and
shelIrooms below. The officer in charge.
DR. Griffin hurried TO the cabin for the
magazine keys. grabbed the small leather
bag containing them from the hand of the
marine orderly on duty at the door of the
captains cabin, and rushed after his men,
distributing the keys as rapidly as possible
to those already standing at the bOx-like
tops Of the magazines, the bolts of which
had already been loosened. The ammuni-
ton whips were quickly led out, and the
men standing with their hands on small
lever ready TO turn on the current OF the
electric hoiStS as soon as the matches were
off. When everything was seen TO be clear
the endless chains of the hoists started with
the whir of the motor and rolled their loads
of rapid-fire ammunition to the decks above
whers men were stationed to receive IT.
Down the chute Of the eight-inch gun tur-
ret, as an accompaniment to the deep rum
hla at thu turret as II slowly swung from