The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-05
HEROES BACK OF
COMMODORE SCHLEY
BRAVERY OF THE ENGINEERS
AND MEN BEHIND THE GUNS.
On the Brooklyn in Acknowledged
ate Work in the Turrets Made Pos
sible by Those in the Ammunition
Room and With the Boilers.

Schley, and, speaking loudly, to over
come the noise of the frightful guns,
the gallant captain of the Brooklyn
said. with smile, II always do that,
sir; consider it necessary for the es-
prit 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
rushes to the firing turrets and calls
in to the men the same joyful news.
1t was July 3, and the excitement OF
the first call to battle had hardly sub
sided on the big cruiser Brooklyn when
this incident occurred. Commodore
Schley stood upon small temporary
bridge running about the coming
tower. while Captain oCok spent his
time between the interior of the tower,
where he directed the machinery, or
the platform, where he could see the
enemy.
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
the s-inch and 5-inch guns were all
loaded and in each turret, within two
minutes. tleNtn l1GH SlDOu
The chief of the turret, a lieutenant, is
in the hood: his eye to the telescope,
gets the line of his gun. and awaits
the signal Five thousand yards"
sings out an orderly in the turret open
ing, and the gun goes up to the ele-
walton. The No. / man at the gun con-
meets the electric wire to the primer
with the hoods hand-firing apparatus.
Hrin IA
tenants hand closes on the electric ap-
paratus, and the gun jumps back a
foot or more, as 10 pounds of explod-
ing powder drives a 250-pound shell at
n rate of 20S0 feet per second. Then
the hand of the man in charge touched
the electric lever, and the great zoo
tons of steel moved quickly and almost
noiselessly around until the mother
gun of the twins was in position.
WORKING THE BIG GUNS.
Then II you could have looked in this
particular turret on that memorable
morning of July you would have seen
a picture of activity that would have
amazed you. Hardly had gun No. l
belched forth when men No. 2 and No.
a opened the breach, washed off the
mushroom and gas check with n
sponge, oiled the breech-plug, extract
cd the exploded primer, and saw the
vent clear. No. seizes the long bris-
tie sponge wet with water, and, assist
ed by No. 8, sponges the gun and
seizes the rammer ready to drive home
the new charge. The officer in COM
mand of the turret cries "load!"
No. raises the ammunition corner
of the hoist, and, with the assistance
of No. 5 of the other gun, grasps the
handles upon the carriage and wings
it to the rear of the gun. The projec-
tile is 1rst on the left. and No 3 ad.
iusts the primer, while No. T. assisted
by No. 6, rams home the 250-pound
projectile. Then Nos. 4, 5 and 6 ram
in the two charges of powder in pack
ages of SO pounds each, done up in
serge or muslin and in grains weigh
ing an ounce and quarter each No
closes the breeCh, No. / again con-
nects the wire and the gun is ready
This has taken just four minutes, and
with two guns the big turret is shoot
ing once every two minutes.
HEROES OF THE AMMUNITION
LINE.
Down below the water line beneath
the protective deck that in so many
battles has proved the lid to the steel
collin of hundreds of brave men, Is a
naked, prespiring crowd of heroes
handling ammunition. This day they
sent up over 10000 pounds of ammuni-
ton.
The men detailed in the handling
rooms of the Brooklyn are from the
fifth or powder division, composed Of
those not detailed as gun crews, such
as carpenters and gunners' mates
servants, idlers of all kinds and the
relief watch of the engineers divisions.
This is know on the Brooklyn a,s
"CoXey's army" and is commanded by
the senior deck officer, DR.. Griffin, with
four or five assistants, each having
charge of about 40 or 80 men.
AT the clang of the alarm for gen
eral quarters" the men rushed for
their stations, struggling through
steel hatch and down a narrow and
almost vertical ladder to the maga
zines and shell rooms. DIR. Griffin hur-
ried tc the cabin for the magazine
keys in the small leather bag from
the hand of the marine orderly, 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 looscned.
HURRYING THE SHELLS Up.
Down the chute of the eight inch
gun turret comes the commando Full
charges, common shot" and the an
swer quickly goes back, AYE, aye,
sir" and as a response in lower tone
of voice, quick lads, lively now!"
up comes the long powder tanks and
heavy 250-pcund shell to the base of
the turret. There the shell was quick
ly seized in the tongs by two stall
wart apprentices, raised and rammed
home in the car; the tops OF the long
copper powder tanks taken off and
the powder in two sections placed in
the other compartments of the car, the
signal given and both cars quickly
rise to the breech of the turret guns
and are sent back, as quickly emp
tied.
All this occupied a space of four min
utes' time. The heat varies in this
steel cage from l20 to LAG degrees
Fahrenheit Down the hoists and
chutes comes the powder smoke, fol-
lowed by the hot saltpetre 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, feel their
way through the dense smoke.
JOY TO THE OLD SALT.
An old salt win exclaim: II guess
they must have hit 'em that time"