Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1898-08-05

distributing the keys as rapidly as pos
sible to those already standing at the
box like tops of the magazines, the bolts
of which had already been loosened.
The ammunition whips were quickly
laid out, 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
every thing was seen to be clear the end
less chains of the hoists starts with the
whirr of the motor and rolled their loads
Of rapid fire ammunition to the decks
above where the men were stationed to
receive it. Down the chute of the g.
inch gun turret, as an accompaniment
of the deep rumble Of the turret as it
slowly swung from amidships to the
port or starbord, comes the command,
Full charges, common shot" from the
officer in charge of the turret, and the
answer quickly goes back, AYE, aye,
sill" and as. response to a lower tone
of voice, t'Quick, lads; lively now" up
comes the long powder tanks and heavy
$50 pound shell to the base of the turret.
There the shell was quickly siezed in
the tongs by two stalwart apprentices
raised and rammed home in the car; the
tops Of the long copper powder tanks
taken off, and the powder in two sec
tions placed in the other compartments
of the car, the signal given; and both
cars quickly rise to the breach of the
turret guns, and are sent back, almost
as quickly emptied.
All this preparation of getting ready
occupied space of four minutes time,
after all the men went below, and the
matches were lowered and secured.
The heat varies in this steel cage from
12O to 146 degrees Fahrenheit and quick
ly causes the men to strip to the waist
and settle down to their work in an air.
tight box filled with sweltering human
ity, blindly obeying orders, with un-
questioned obedience and alacrity,
whether target practice, bombardment,
the Spanish feet or false alarm.
Suddenly the report Of the first gun
was heard, followed in quick succession
by another, and the battle was on.
Down the hoists and chutes comes the
powder smoke, to add to the already
high temperature of the handling room,
followed by the hot saltpeter water
from the sponging of the guns, making
the decks slippery and burning blisters
on the bare backs Of the men underneath
who, cropping and choking, feeling their
way through the dense smoke, go silent
ly and obediently about their work with
but one thought and aim in view-to
keep those continually empty cars and
hoists filled with powder and projectiles
not knowing how the battle is raging
until cheer is finally heard from deck,
their spirits brighten and an old salt
will exclaim, II guess they must have
hit 'em that time" Then he goes up
and spits on large shell for luck or as
a yell is heard, "Armor piercing, quick!"
and the shells are quickly changed, he
takes an old oily rag and rubs the cap
of the projectile, saying: ''Thatll
make 'er bite BETTER" and the young
boy of the new navy, who has been in
the service as many months as the old
salt has years, exclaims to his shipmates,
s.Ah, what's he givin' u.s.
That was the routine of the handling
room on the Sd of July, except that once
in while the rush was broken by q
carelessly handled shell dropping One
came down in the forward handling
room when Mr.. Hancock had charge the
day of the battle. There was a low
rumble as it fell the forty feet. ''Stand
clear!' shouts Hancock, but the COM
mand was superhuous, for if the shell
had exploded no man in that place would
ever have seen daylight again. It didn't
explode and as the handlers gasped in
their temporarily departed breath q
prayer went up to heaven and many un-
complimentary adjectives to the fellow