The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-04
JUST BEFORE A BIG
BATTLE At SEA.
(By Lieutenant Charles GIeig)

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Far ahead of the feet can be dis
tinguished the huIls and slender masts
of several cruisers. These are scouts,
the eyes Of the feet. upon which the
admiral relies for news of the enemy
movements. Other cruisers, out OF
sight OF the battle feet. are securing
the seas upon some prearranged plan.
Let US, however, confine our atten-
ton TO the battle fleet. The six great
armorclads are all OF one types form
ing homogeneous squadron. Each Is
of $1,000 tons displacement. Of equal
speed and carries similar guns. To the
eyes of the landsman they are like as
half dozen dried peas and their SINH
iarity is accentuated by the gray paint
that covers them from truck to water
line They are formed in two divis-
Ions, not as YET in order Of battle. The
two leading ships each flies an ad-
Inirals flag. Tire divisions are six ca
Dles apart G.200 yardsl, but the space
between each unit is but 400 yards,
and this interval YOU viii notice. Is
maintained with an accuracy won by
constant practice. Little smoke is
49, NAOAAt AAtE NdAts AdhitEAc. Iti
the smooth sea the heavy ships have
no perceptible motion, though you can
see they are making progress by the
white foam at the bows and by the
bread ribbon of foam churned up by the
twin scraws OF each vessel.
Presently a red and white answer
ing pennant streams from the mast
head of the flagship. One OF the scouts
is signaling. She begins to close with
the squadron. One perceives that other
and more distant cruisers are also
steaming back TO the fleet. We guess
the reason long before our keen-eyed
signalmsn can distinguish the message.
The enemy has been sighted some
twenty miles to the eastward. Such
is the welcome M rs. At once the flag
ship runs up the signal: Prepare for
action; form the order Of battle" For
in these days OF fast steaming twenty
miles interval affords but comfortable
breathing space, unless the enemy de-
cides TO run away If he is bearing
down upon US We may be within range
Of him in quarter of an hour Such.
it seems. is his design. SO our ships
must form at once into single line.
Let Us note what preparations are
being made for the coming battle. The
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so often. indeed, that we can hardly
realize that this is at last the real
thing, the grim reality. Take any ship
at random. The same preparations are
being made in all. Seven hundred men
are going about their ordinary business
Suddenly a bugle blares out the famil-
lar call TO general quarters" and ere
the harsh notes have died away every
man begins to run to his appointed
station. Some men make toward the
great barbettes. where the Pinch guns
are snugly sheltered some for the ar
mored caser1ates isolating the 6-inch
weapons; others run to the light quick
frers, mounted upon the superstruc-
ture. Others. again. and these mostly
non-combatants (if any such can be
in a ship Of war;. hurry below to the
shell-roonls and magazines.
The great shells for the barbette guns
are being placed on the hydraulic lifts.
A lever is pressed and up they so.
In another moment they have reached
the treech of the gun. A gunner clos
es the heavy mechanism Of the breech
With one hand. Run out" orders the
officer of the turret. Another lever does
the business. The enormous weapons
glide smoothly outward. their long
necks projecting overheard as the bar
bette is trained. A dozen men and one
officer complete the crew of this pair
of heavy guns. The officer stands up
on little iron platform, peering above
the tuFret, with a voice tube at his
car. The captain of the turret is peer
ing through the telescope sights.
Glance into one Of the isolated case
mates. The thick armored door is shut
now, enclosing the 6-inch gun and its
crew IN box Of steel. The gun has
been cast loose, trained on the beam
and loaded within four minutes of the
bugle call. Reserves of shot and shell
are being whipped up into the case
mate through round aperture lead
ing to the shell-reen below. Twenty
or thirty rounds soon accumulate and
the guns crew VIII stake their lives
against the entry of a shell through
the easemate. Here, toe, is an officer
waiting directions through a voice tube.
The men have stripped to their fan
nels and trousers. A tub of lime juice
stands in a corner.
Down in the bowels of the ship the
torpedo men are clustered around their
submerged tubes. With great care they
are adjusting the Whiteheads and their
movements are slower than those Of
the gunners, since the chance for a shot
win not come early in the fight Yet
a lucky shot from the enemy might
explode the torpedo in it's tube They
accept the risk, these quiet looking
men, and leng for close range later
on. Then they will show the gunnery
branch what Whitehead can do
The captain and the gunnery neuten-
ant are in the coming tower-a
eFamped little structure bristiing with
voice tubes. II contains a small steer
ing wheel and is in communication with
both batteries, the several groups of
guns and with the engine rooms. Re
ports are constantly being made
through these numerous voice tubes.
Thus: "All water tight doors are
closed, sir" ''Bafbettes ready for ac-
tom" Steam ready for eighteen knots,
sir" and so forth. The chief quarter
master. a bearded veteran. sprucely
dressed. grasps the spokes OF the steer
ing wheel and keeps an attentive eye
upon the captain. Not a man can now
be seen upon the upper deck, but in
the thinly protected top on the fore
mast a few hands and a MILDLY are
clustered around a three FOUNDER gun.
All is now ready. The fleet increases
speed and the cruisers, closing in one
after another take station to the rear.
so we Walt-a period OF ANXIOUS SGS-
pense, since scarcely a dozen men OF
the zoo can see the approaching enemy.
At last the twelYe-pounder, which is
our best range-finder, rings out with
sharp report. We know that the hour
has come. The captain gives an order
through the tubes to each of the bar
bettes: Leading ship of the enemy
on the port bow, range 1000 yards. f"
"Ail ready. sir" comes the reply. A
moment later the two pairs OF heavy
guns are simultaneously fired. The
ship euivers under the shock OF the