The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-12

reared It's ugly circular ISdN AANAh tAiG NNNN
of a ship OF war. The sides of the
fighting tops are armored. but they
are not armored sufficiently to render
them impenetrabie to the projectiles of or
binary rapid-hring guns. The sea soldiers
man the fighting top guns, and il may ne
set down as something mighty certain that
in the event of a war the dues between
the marine in the lighting tops will be
sanguinary features of the sea fights.
The bluejackets who are stationed in the
magazines during a sea fight are certain
ly no better off than their mates, either
above or below decks. Each commander
i'm a naval battle knows precisely where
his foes magazines are located, and there
is likely to be some tall aiming for maya
zines in the next naval war To those
who are unfamiliar with the general ex-
pertness of modern great gun marksman-
ship and the extraordinary accuracy OF
some of it, it might seem pure foolishness
for a gunner to make an attempt to hit
any especial part of an enemy's ship at
a range of several miles Those who
think in this way, however, have only to
be referred to the bit of craftsmanship
performed by one of the 13-inch gun crews
of the battleship Indiana the other day.
This crew, using service projectiles and
charges in practice, put two 13-inch shots
right through the same hole. This sort of
craftsmanship is by no means uncommon
in the United States navy, the standard
of which for great gun experiences is as
high as that of any navy in the world.
1t is no unusual thing for gunners of
American men-of-war engaged in big gun
practice to tear the canvas targets to rib
bons, at the very longest effective ranges.
before the practice is well begun. This
being the state of great gun marksman-
ship at the present time, it is reasonable
to suppose that the men in the magazines
in a sea fight should have no especial
cause for being happy above their fellows
over their stations. One great gun shell
pumped well over a magazine (even
though the magazines be all far below
the water liRe) is likely to cause enough
trouble to induce the magazine men to
wish they were on deck, If they have a
chance to think at all. Moreover, there is
such thing as a heavy projectile pGsce-
trating an armored ship below the water
line, as was proved on the Yalu, and If
this should happen at point of the ship
where a magazine CHANGED to be located
the men hauling ammunition and man
ming the hoists in the same would never
know what had happened to them. Then
there is always a likelihood of shells ex-
plod1ng on deck and bits finding their way
through the open magazine hatches-and
such a thing would be dangerous enough
The magazine men, moreover have to
work in practically darkness Magazines
on modern men-of- war are OF course fit-
TED with no standing lights OF any sort.
In times of peace. when the gunners'
mates and inspecting officers wish to ex-
anime the interiors of magazines. thew
carry portable incandescent electric lights
with them, but in handling loose ammuni-
ton during actual fighting even these nor
table electric lights would be deemed dan
gerous, so that the magazine men would
no doubt have to grope for 1t and, take
out their nervous curiosity as to what
nlght DE happening to their ship or fleet
In wondering.
The officer would have no advantage
whatever over the enlisted man in the mat-
ter OF greater safety IN a modern naval
engagement The sword-carrylng r,en
with the range-fnders were lopped off
with complete impartiality in the Yalu
night An officer in command Of n eun
has even bit the worst of the chance IN
comparison with the men handling the
gun Tor, in order to get a line on the en-
envy, ne must necessarily expose himself
10 the enemy's scientific rapid-fre pIav.
while the gunners have the protection of
the gun shields and barbettes Even Tie
&C mmanding officers is no better as a
war risk than the humblest mess attend
ant In a fight. His station on modern
ships will generally be in his ship's ton-
nlng tower, and, well as coming towers
on ships of war of to-day are protected.
eminent naval authorities haven't much
1alth IN their invulnerability. Coming
towers are necessarily In exposed spots-
almost always away forward, beneath
where the bridge ought to be but isn't.
when the ship is cleared for actlon-and
gunners of the enemy are naturally cx-
pected to do what they can toward send
ing the commanding officer of an antaeo-
nisic ship into the next world before his
time.
The man in the bunkers viz, the hum
BILE coal passer, is likely to have a dismal.
unsatisfactory time Of ii during the prog
ress of fight He sees absolutely 10th
Ing, but what he does not see is more
than atoned for by what he hears. ANY
man who has ever listened to the intona-
ton of great guns during target practice
from the shelter of a half empty coal
bunker is likely to remember the twenty
times amplified laundering that threatens
to rip his ear drums in twain. Theoreti-
cally, the coal passer Is supposed to shov-
Ell buckets fun of coal and trundle them
along the troleys i'm the mellow light OF
many l6-candle incandescent lamps. and.
as matter of fact, all mod
ern ships coal bunkers are light
ed. But the writer, who has crawIed
through the bunkers Of many a modern
man-of-war. American and foreign. has
found that standing electric bunker lamps
rarely illuminate. The glass around the
wires is smashed In the process of coaIBng
ship, and, OF course, the lamps do not
work. Naval constructors are san trying
to find some scheme to illuminate bunkers.
The coal passer standing his watch in the
bunker of ship in action. then, has the
additional gloom Of darkness to fight. I'M
less he violates a rigid regulation by car
rying an open light into his bunker He
does not know when an armor piercing
shell is going TO pass directly through The
bunker he is working in, and altogether
his station in a fight Is not a desirable one.
Nor has the fireman or the water tender
very cheerful station. Both Of these
members of the black gang, OF course. are
In the boiler rooms, and they have per.
petually before them the possibility Of a
great shell ripping lis way through a boil
er, thus insuring them death by scald-
ing. The oiler Is another man OF the black
gang who has a title to feel nervous when
his ship Is fighting, for he is always more
or less tangled up IN the machinery. an
parent1y endeavoring to see how near he
can approach death without actually conn
passing his own. and IN the event Of a
shot dropping through the deck and among