Evening star., 1898-08-25

! lanyard from his hand and 1t was seen
that the Colons coming tower was in ruins.
| He told me before he pulled the lanyard
| that he would fetch it." exclaimed one of
| the guns crew admiringly. "and he did
| These shots, absolutely marvellous under
| the circumstances were fired by men rep
] resenting the two extremes of the service
| The old gunner's mate gained his skill
| through years of experience; the seaman
| CUR ner scarcely of age. was the product
| of a modern system of training. But both
were American gunners, and that term
means something these days.
The Yankee Gunner's Training.
| Eighty-six years ago Great Britain, then
| as now one of the great powers of the
| earth. discovered that Americans could win
| naval battles. But the English historians
| gravely decided that it was, to use Hume's
own words, because of a secret art in
gunnery"' How our gallant forefathers
| who manned the Constitution and the
| United States would have laughed at that,
| They knew, as we know today that our
| skill in gunnery comes from a system which
has as its keynote one pregnant word
| Practice, Practice,
When the torpedo boat Morris dropped in
| at the Brooklyn navy yard on her way to
| Cuba several weeks ago among the differ
| ent members of the crew who went ashore
| Tor short run was young man, smooth
| faced and biue-eyed, and with a placid
| calm expression such might be worn by
| a youth studying theology. He was clad in
| the picturesque uniform of the naval sail
| ors ana there was nothing N his attire or
bearing to indicate that he had, among his
| e1ects on board, a medal won for expart
! craftsmanship with great guns. He was a
| seaman gunner, had graduated from the
/ gunnery school at Washington and could
| place q thirteen-inch shell in the vitals of
| an enemy's warship with the accuracy OF a
| Rough Rider using a revolver
| That young man had entered the service
| as an apprentice when he was scarcely six
ri 4
| superior officers, who are always ON the
| lockout for promising material and was
| sent, after learning the duties of a sailor
| TO the Government Gunnery School. Thare
| ne spent a number of months under theo-
| retical and practical tuition in the science
| of gunmanship. When he graduated at the
| end of the course he was detailed to the
| Newport "orpedo School, and there alb
| sorbed more scientific training. A few
| weeks spent in private arms manufac-
| tory, and he has returned to the service
| and to his blueiackets uniform-as a sea-
| man gunner. Although almost fitted for a
| position paying him the meager salary of
thirty-ftve dollars month and rations.
There are many young man such as he in
| our naval service. They are to be found on
| every ship, and there are hundreds and
hundreds of naval apprentices in training
for the same station. 1t was either the sea-
men gunners or men rendered expert by con-
| slant practice after our thorough system
| who manned the batteries of the Olympia
baltimore and Boston in the battla of Ma
| Mia bay, and Of the Brooklyn, Oregon,
| Iowa, Texas and the rest of Sampson's
| fleet in the destruction of Carvera's fugi-
| tive squadron off Santiago. The man be-
hind the gun in the American navy is no
magician. de can shoot with marvellous
accuracy, and he can make sieve with
rapid-fIe gun of any warship afioat but
| he IS enabled to do 1t simply because he
| has been instructed after that fashion.
They Fire Real Shots.
When the officers Of Cerveras squadron
recovered from their shock after the ami
| hilation of their ships, one of them--the ex-
ecutive officer of the Maria Ter.sa-ex-
claimed to Lieutenant Commander VAIN
| wright of the gallant little Gloucester:
'Madre de Dios, You Americans shoot
| Tree shots to our one And you hit every
| time. How do you do it? What is the
| secret?"
1T is no secret" was the reply eve
| keep our men constantly at practice. They
| are at the guns day after day, week in and
week out. And We train them under ser
| vice conditions with the regulation charges
and prcjectiles every three months
| The Spaniard was astounded. You fire
| real shots?' he exclaimed. 1T costs very
| muchr'
| In that last sentence will be found one of
| the most potent reasons for the defeat of
| the Spanish naval vessels during the pres
| ent war. And If the details of history be
J carefully searched, the loss of the armada
! and the whole series of naval disasters ex-
| perienced by the Spanish flag during the
| past centuries can be laid to the fact that
| they have been parsimonious in experdi-
! lures and dilatory in training.
Guns Have Pet Names.
| A visitor to one Of our warships will find
| the various guns as spotlessly clean as
| good housewives kitchen The gunner's
| gang board each vessel is always at
work securing, polishing and Frightening
| The guns are taken apart at stated inter-
walls, and the intricate mechanism of the
breech given special attention. 1t is worth
| a gunner's warrant to have a spot of rust
| discovered on the bright work of a piece
| of ordnance under his charge.
This strict care tends to foster a peculiar
| affection of the men for their guns, and
they grow to speak of them as animate be-
! ings. There is hardly a gun in the navy
| but has pet name, and in time of battle
like that of Santiago there is actually a
| rivalry between the different crews as to
| the successes of their special pets If the
| casual visitor to of the big warships
| carelessly places his hand upon one of the
| shining ''big beauties or leans against its
| polished sides, he will find the salty tar
| who has that special piece in charge glar-
| ing at him in silent rage If the deck officer
| Is about, II that officials eye is turned the
other way the gunner will resent the un-
/ conscious sacrilege with q picturesque and