The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-04
TOM Hl|E It THE Gun.
new IANKE q arxxEns s1nru IN
s6 MANILA SLEET.s
<'o~a - rsssnanship ON . Rolline
eseea ana IN the Excissnent e
Enxagene.t Aeans More
the Public Appreciates,

~ - suA Bradley A. F1ske. T. s. NJ. az the
~ VIC sook part II the engagement
- = N we. cay, has written an article for
MsHi,a- Lieut. t'iSke says o. tho man
s-'efiIsd the gum"
Look al him as be stands. iock-striue in
aaa1. aeasnd the gun. his legs wide APART
as ne balances himself on the unsteady
aecA, has eyes fixed on the ssxhts az hiS
gun anu On the enemy. whom he sees
He sn n~'s sas as is sa S !. a sc <s
Anu me powder ana the she'll and the fuse
S s.r 'a sss Years ago. the necessary stePs
Meal,on IN his hands today. SO fashioned
snAs II ne fres 1t rsgnt the shot viii hit thel
SlSa "a "a, he rolling q the ship from
SKIS aigh mp against the shy. and then
oa~n INTO the sea: ard. as no ship steers
49, straight. the ane Of sight moves
na sights appear 20 be describing srregsslsr
sSfses, nov against tbs BACKGROUND Or tf1,
ny ana now AGAINST the background Of
De about seven degrees on each SHE. or
aour,yen degrees from one side TO the 9TH
tI' Inc average time OF making the roll
- aooN seven seconds. making the tirlo
OK rulling one degree about half A second
suppose now that Tom Bowling Is firing
ssh asoas sa 1sr say ssnY y ssss
q the middle Of the target as he Should
90 :hta gtves him a marxin on each side
2. ZEN feet, which suesends an angle at
iem BowlinE's eye of about one-twelfth
Q. degree: 30 that Bowling must appre-
'aate the TACT that his sights are "ou.' and
o oos svs.ysn,ng rs9uirsd to IRE the sun on
Will miss the target. Now. no man living
can DO depended on for such rapid thought
ana nerve action .~evan under the best con-
ditiona OF quiet and calmness: shat is. ne
cannot be depended on TO do it every time
Much can be done by a good gun-capta!n
and tiring little before the sights bear. 10
one Knows this better than Tom Bowling.
50 ne braces his feat on the unsteady
tension. He sees that the gun is pointing
e, little TO the right OF the enemy's ship.
Lsrm he orders. ard the gun-trainess
ret. start the turning engine so as 10 turn
the gun tot the left. Meanwhile as the line
get rom he rss Il i aiso asnn ANA Nd ,a
Bowling sees that. the next sim time the
trainers s Win have s ns gun az hs n sggf ii ,hs
proper direction; He braces himself for a
quick pul OF his iock-string: and then a
or the helm Is shifted little and away
Foee the sine of sight far 10 the LETT, be-
lore the sights get up. sRigh,s" orders
work the gun back to the right quickly.
them now. "wenr' Right "Leit!"
as Tom Bowling and his trainers work
the gun. Suddenly the line OF sight strikes
the target. there is gleam In Howiinges
eye. q quick pull OF his arm. tremend-
Gus noise. a sitting cloud Of smoke. and
IN N GENES s the gun as 4 II Mere = PROBE
ship: and out at the other side: but Il
quickly, but gently, slows. then stops. con-
trolled perfectly by the hydraulic cylinder;
and Immediately Il runs on, again. and Ii
ready to he loaded and fired once more.
In an instant the second captain has un-
locked and thrown open the breech: quick
hands wash or the powder residue from
breech- block and bore. and then shove In
the shell and powder. TIE second captain
c.oses and locks the brecch with heavy
clang puts In Q new primer. and reports
the gun ready. ''Left.' cries Tom How'll
ting: and the same succession Of actions
II repefformed.
II anybody could have gone from ship to
ship Of the United States fleet during the
evertful hours between 5 and I 80 on that
beautiful Sunday morning. he would have
eeen about nifty Tom Bowlngs. all doing
tho same thing and in the same way:
He would have seen nifty guns crews all
eagerly. yet cooly. working their guns:
and be would have seen each division OF
guns, and each turret, under the charge or
an officer responsible for 10.