The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-12
WHEN A SHIP is IN ACTION.
THERE'LL BE NO SWEET BERTH ON
BOARD or HER FOR ANYBODY.
Peril on Deck and Below and Above;
Peril for officer and Sailor and Ma
rine-A Time When Men Don't
Want to Hide-Niany Kinds of
Denfh Ahont in n Sea Eight.

Death About in Sea Fight.
Washington Letter in New York Sun.
There has been a great amount of specu-
lation lately as to the safest spot on
modern man-of-war in a sea fight. II has
been asserted that the men below in the
engine and fire rooms and in the bunkers
are bound to have the best of ii, not only
because their duties keep most of them be-
low the water line and therefore out of the
way of the raking of rapid-firing batteries,
but also because they are shielded above
| by protective decks and all around by boil
| er and machinery protecting armor The
men who hold to this view forget all about
the matter of torpedoes. Some other anna
teur sea fighters of the land, landly, take
the view that the men on deck have a bet
ter show in a naval engagement, for the
reason that they have chance to swim
for 1t and TO be picked up by the enemy
as prisoners of war if their vessel is sunk.
| They assume, of course, that the enemy is
in the habit of picking up the castaway
members of defeated and submerged
ships crew. This is by no means safe
assumption. The enemy has often rescued
! and held as prisoners of war members of
the crew of a beaten ship, but just as often
| has permitted them to keep right on
swimming. So long a period has elapsed
since there have been naval fights be-
! tween entirely civilized powers that the
! two countries that next engage in battles
at sea win have the responsibility of Great
| ing new rules of warfare, and one of the
! rules ought to cover this point.
N 10 e IN w 10 . T
the deck force or the gang below will have
the better of the bargain in pitched sea
| fight must be based almost wholly on
theory. Capt. McGiffin, the lon-hearted
! American naval officer whose observations
ON the sea fight of the Yalu form about
the only practical basis for considerations
about battles between modern ships, should
surely have known something about the
safe spot on board naval vessel. He was
on the deck of his ship, the best of the
Chinese fleet, during the entire action on
the Yalu The writer asked him. soon after
his return from China, if there were not
| moments during the hight in which he felt
| like making a run for it.
Run where? was McGifin's inquiry. Il
can't truthfuly say that 1 felt like boiling
for Ii at all during that mix. l didn't
have time to think of anything like that
| There was too much going on on deck
thing. The most cowardly man becomes
quite forgetful of danger in a sea fight, as
a rule. We had three men-lubberly COO
| lies-who We're found hiding away up for
ward on the berth deck when the fight was
finished. The men who found them near
ly beat them to death. A very great feel
ing of curiosity animates all hands in a
battle at sea. Chinament are about the
least curious men in the world: yet the
"a, s,l.s1 III.
in keeping the members of the black gang,
the hremen and coal passers, and even the
machinists, down below during the action.
The kept poking their heads above the
main deck, lifting off hatches for the pur-
pose, to see how We We're making out. On
the whole, l think the men down below
are more nervous during fight than the
men on deck. They are a bit afraid of
what they can't see. It's just like the fear
of a man lying in bed In a dark room when
he knows there is a burglar within a few
feet of him. The men on deck can see the
whole game, and the smoke and the roar
infus the devil of battle into them, and
they simply don't care whether the ship
remains on top or goes down. They liter
ally enjoy the fun. lor of our gunners
were positively hysterical with delight.
Some of them laughed like wild men. They
muttered to themselves and howled like
drunkards. Indeed half the ships COM
pany looked to me as if they were three
parts drunk after the fight, yet there was
no grog. They reeled about, with silly,
drunken expressions on their faces, al
though they knew we were licked.
But as for running, where would a man
| with any sense run during an action, even
! fine felt sure that the marines of his ship
wouldn't shoot him down for cowardice
There is no sweet berth when your ship is
a., H.
fore or aft, every mans chance is about
equal all things considered. The COM
handing officer has no better show than
the ra west landsman. I'd rather be on
deck any time in a fight. l don't believe
[ could be induced TO take an engineer
trick during an action. Not that an en-
gineer or any of his gang stand in any
more danger than the deck force engaged
/ in lighting the ship, but the uncertainty
that chokes the man below Is wearing, as
| all of our engineers and some of the Jap
! anese engineers AFTER IL was all over tod
me-
Common and perfectly equal as the dan
ger i'm which all hands on board a modern
man-of-war unquestionably stand during
a fight. there are, of course, some stations
| that appear to be more tcklish for the
men assigned to them than others. For
example. there is probably not a sea SOL
/ der in the Onlleu states marine corps
! to-day who Is not figuring on the insignia
! cant SHOW he will probably have for his
| life If. In the event of his ships getting
into action, he is detailed with a picked
| few of his mates TO man the rapid-fring
guns in the fighting tops. Al first glance
| the fghting top Of a modern ship Of war
appears to be quite the most dangerous
spot on the ship fore or aft in case Of
| action. There has never been any good
opportunity TO test this, for fighting tops
! rightly called military masts) are Of com
| parauvely recent development and during
| The Chino-Japanese naval engagements no
systematic attempt seems 10 have been
made on either side to raze the fighting
tons to the decks or into the sea. The
proportion Of killed and wounded In the
/ lighting tops during those engagements
was considerably less than on deck. In
a sea fight between expert manIpulators of
ships. however, there can be no doubt
| that the vessels will go each at the others
military masts with enthusiasm al the
/ very outset, for the purpose Of silenclng
Inc deadly play OF the rapid-fring guns.
| which are capable OF making terrific havoc
/ on an enemy's decks. The rapid-drinC
| guns only would be used for the purpose.
| az chopping off or knocking over the enc
/ mys fighting tops, for a lighting top Is a