The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-05-04
A Modern Naval Battle.

10 the current nun ber of the Inde-
pendsns (Nes York. one cf the most
thoughsful aud instructive Of tho many
periodicals., Mr.. Park Benjamin. has
/, sn article entitled '.Some Dangers Of 3
Sc. Fight" in which be says:
The huge shells will begin to come
oo board from the bigh.poser guns
wbeo the conteuding vessels are nearly
three miles apart. The largest guns
IL and 13 inch calibre. Gan be loaded
aod fred almost every three minutes
AT little less sban seo miles distance
the and 6-inch rapid are guos will
begin to pour in their psojecsiles, and
these weapons can be loaded aud fred
at the rate of from I to Is aimed shots
per minute. Then come the 6 pounder
guns, delivering 40 sbosa per minute.
the / Founders. throwing shot per
minute. the machine 1-pcunders (Ma1-
i'm -Nordanfeld,) 200 shots per minute,
and 10 on up to the Gasliog. fed auto
masically by electric nosc.' and project.
ing bullets at the rate of 5000 per
minute A man might brave srorw
Of grape and bullets with chance Of
escape. but the battle of the Yalu river
showed that under the quick fire hail Of
the japanese ships the slaughter on the
Chinese ships was so frigbtful that the
Chinese with all their solid contempt for
death could hardly be kept at their
posts. So fierce vas the storm OF steel
around the attacked vessels that the sea
was literally lashed into foam by it.
Of course. there is 90 place on board
q warship in action which is ever
reasonably safe The marines station.
ed 10 the military tops are likely tc. be
quickly swept out by qaick 6re-6ail,
aud the coal passers. down io the buuk
ers, or the engineers in the tangle Of
steam machinery, are in itamineut dan.
ger Of death tbrough injuries to the
boilers aud the. scalding Of escaping
steam.
OF al on board, the mao who stands
in the greatest peril is the captain.
In the bsstleships aud cruisers bis posi-
tion is 10 cylindrical box OF steel placed
just under the bridge, yell forward.
which is called the coming tower. The
armor of il is thick enough ordinarily
to resist che penetration Of heavy pro.
jeo.iles 1t contains she speaking.subes
and eleotrical wires whereby he CON-
muuicates With the guns, engines and
helm, and sometimes apparatus where
BY be is enabled to Ere the guos him
self after they are laid upon the enemy.
His field of vision is limited to what be
eau see through little horizontal slit
co abous .hs level of his eye. In point
Of frlgh,ful responsibility no sisuation
in the world can compare With that
which is occupied by the map whe
s.ands in that tower and direoss the
novement of bis ship After the COD.
Hies oooe begins the din about bim will
be something Internal. Upon bin the
dte of the enemy will be concentrated.
and upon the exterior OF that steel
drum in Which be is sbus mp there will
be q continuous hail Of iron and steel.
Shells will burst evesywbere and
around il, aud to that bsbble will be
added ,he roar Of the force blast under
the engines, the tremendous report Of
the heavy gsus. aud tho din of the
quick FIRE and machiue guns in chorus.
In such circumstances as this, aided by
snch knowledge as be can get by look
iog ont through the little peephole 10
front OF him as we'll as the smoke will
let him the captain must control the
tremendous forces under bis command.
and his deeisions are matters of Sec
ODDS
This graphic pen picture gives us 40
idea Of what the modern aea fight will
be. bat ooly a suggestion of the griu
reality ltis easy to zee bow different
It will be from the historic naval cd
gsgemen.s of the past that We recalls
With so much pride. How impossible
it would be for Admiral Farragut to re-
peat in the sea 6ghssof to day bis gall
lsnt exploit in the rigging Of the Hart
ford, is apparent with moments re-
aecsiou Indeed all our conceptions of
naval warfare. aud all the picsures that
are impressed upon our memories must
give way to horrible conception of
feet Of iron volcanoes cirsling about
each other and belching forth from
postholes oa every side storm Of steel
missiles so steady and iucessant tba,
seseuil could acarely dy between
them uuscsthed. CircliGg about each
other with no sign Of life apparent. ex-
oeps from the knowledge that desperate
men Who are entombed within these
sseel infernoes are manipulating the eo-
gipes Of destructon, they close iu