The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-25
GETTING A BATTLESHIP 2"~
READY FOR BUSINESS
The ModuS Operandi of Clearing for Action Illustrated
by a SuppOStitiOuS Narrative Reprinted
from the New York Sun. 70

IL the power fails, II the complicated |
machinery falls short of fulfilling its |
utmost duty the beautiful, great ship |
will lie helpless and an easy prey be-
fore her powerful enemy. .s.vC
AS the engineers are thus making
their last rounds the fighting men of
the ship are taking their places at their
guns. The marine division man the
smaller rapid-fire guns in the second
airy battery. They are trained as
marksmen with small arms and now
they are expected to demonstrate the
worth of their careful drill in the dead
ly ca tcution their.fire. shall make upon
the superstructure and exposed parts
of the enemy's ship, The men who
have been taught especially to handle
the great l3-inch rifles in the main
turrets climb to their places about their
guns. In the smaller turrets of the s.
inch rifles their particular gun crews
take station. Along the broadsidc rap
id. fire guns another division of the
crew station themselves. Some Of the
marines go up into the fighting tops
and man the murderous machine guns
there. So all the guns are manned,
each by n man thoroughly trained in
every movement of the drill for keep
ing his gun in action at the highest
possible rate Of efficiency. In charge Of
each gun or division Of guns is an Otilc-
er. In each of the main turrets SEN
, ior officer sits in the seat under the
hood. with junior officer to assist him.
| Thus. swiftly and noiselessly, the guns
( are manned. and the gun crews await
| the word to begin their frightful work.
IN THE HOLD.
While this has been going on another
| and most important division of the
crew have been taking stations down
| at the bottom of the ship, beneath the
| armored deck, and far below the water
| line. This is tile powder division, and
on the men lin ii and their faithful
| work depends the success of the day.
| With the order to general quarters the
| captain has given to the senior watch
| officer the keys to the magazines. This
| officer Is in command of the powder di-
vision. officers under him are in
charge of the subdivisions which man
| the magazines for the different kinds
of ammunition and which serve the
different guns. A petty officer captains
the crew in the actual work of pass
ing out the ammunition from each
magazines are all opened up. The cleo
trio lights are turned on. and the car
riages and travellers that take the pow
der and shell to the ammunition hoists
are tried to see that they work well.
Men begin to pile the powder tanks in
handy positions and to unbox the pro-
jectles for the larger guns. Ammuni-
tion for the machine guns is whipped
up into the tops Everything is ready.
Down in the torpedo rooms the tor
pedo division have been preparing
| their mighty agents of destruction. The
war heads are taken from the maga-
zines and the bricks Of dry guncotton
are prepared to be inserted with the
net ready for instant use. The travel
erS that carry the torpedoes to the
launching tubes are tested and found
to be in good working order, and the
torpedo men await only the captains
order to do their best toward sending
the enemy to Davy Jones' locker.
DOCTORS AT WORK.
In the sick bay the doctors have not
been idle. Cots have been made ready,
instruments got out, operating tables
prepared, bandages and lint put ready
to hand, and all preparations made for
bloody and dreadful results.
On the deck some of the Junior off,
GERS have manned the range finders,
delicate little instruments that tell the
exact distance away Of the enemys
ship. The captain quits the bridge and
turns the deck over to the executive
officer. He goes himself to the coming
tower and the last preparation is made
The next act will be a blow.
In the, coming tower the captain
finds a system of speaking tubes lead
ing to every gun station, to the engine
rooms and magazines and to the steer
ing room aft, below the armored deck
He looks through. the little peep-slots
in the steel walls about him and marks
the approach of the enemy. The Ore.
gon and her antagonist are steadily
rushing at each other. The enemy, like
Uncle Sans great champion,is stripped
for the fray. On she comes! The mer
at the range-dnders signal to the cap.
tain the rapidly decreasing distance
Soon the first blow will be aimed Al
the gun stations the order everywhere
is the same. "'' ..... '...
"Silanee!N--..... r...
In. perfect stiffness the men take theil
! individual stations They are stripped
to the waist, many of them, and theil
blue trousers are rolled up out of the
way ,of their bare feet. AS they take
their regular positions and stand mo-
tionless and silent the second ordel
comes, in all divisions and all guns the
same: ..-..s. +s.' rE -a.-.a.
Cast loose and provided"
, GUNS FREED.
: Now action begins again, and it is
good thing, for it keeps the men busy
i with no time to stand still and specu
late about the fearful possibilities o
| the desperate combat about to begin
In response to the command every gun
z is freed at once from the fastening!
: which bound it down immoVable whil
t the ship was cruising. Helpless unde
) the grip of the stout steel clamps, nov
= it shakes off it's shackles and rises t,
t face the grim work before it. This 4
e to cast loose" but that is only par
e of the order, and small part, toe
$ Every man in every gun crew has Ger
I tain particular things to provide
= one sees that one accessory of the gu
n is in place, another another, and so OF
clear through the crew. EverJ littl
q detail is thus carefully looked out fol-
y and in doing this work the crew
occupied during the few minutes whe
. the tension OF waiting is at it's worst
For it's when the ship is ready and tn
command to fire does not come tina
{ the greatest strain on the nerves OF tn
= | DAan pomaq