Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-01

that position Wow OF tho gun about
to be fired, the youngstcr observed
That the brcech OF the six-inch gun
hadn't yet been closed, and there was
the button that would fire the gun
WITH the unlocked brecch. II the gun
went off In that condition there was
the finest kid of q chance for the re.
coil oil the immense piece to drive the
gun right through the ships bottom.
The apprentice didn't have much
, time to think. hut he didn't need
much. He figured 1t all out In an in.
slant that IL he yelled at the, skipper
that the breech wasn't locked the sud
denness of the yell might so startlc
the skipper that his finger would In
voluntarily come down on the button
and thus discharge tho gun. The boys
ships knife with the big blade was In
his left hand shirt pocket hanging
there by its lanyard. He had it out
and the blade open In an incredibly
short space OF time. and he made one
| cat-like dab with the sharp blade of
the knife ut the electric wire belong
ing TO the button that led right along
side where the boy was standing by
the coming tower. The blade cut the
wire in two Il fraction of second he
fore the shippers finger reached the
button. breaking the electric connec-
ton and in every likelihood prevent
Ing tremendous calamity.
The boy was only type and not
very strong, and just as soon as he
slashcd the wire he fell forward on
his face in dead faint-an odd
thing. too. that, for boy serving on
Il man-o'-war, and yet the incident
wasn't any ordinary one. The skip
per raised his head the instant he
touched the button and saw what had
happened: the loose ends of the cut
electric wire. the prone hoy. and all
the rest of it. Then he dartcd out of
the coming tower and saw the brecch
OF the big gun still unlocked He I'M
derstood 1t all long before the boy
was brought around to consciousness.
That boy had no sooner finished his
days of apprenticeship before he wore
the warrant officers uniform of n
gunner.
Another apprentice who was there
with an alert mind and got himself n
warrant officers billet thereby did 4
stunt in n magazine. They were
breaking out ammunition. The ships
dynamo was out of order and so they
were using closed lanterns for the
job. a lantern that was being raised
to the deck by cord fell in two
that is. the bottom of it fell out. The
flame of the wick didn't go out. how
eccr. The business part OF the Ian
tern fell right alongside big can of
powder, with the flaming wick rest
ing right against the metal of the can
1t doesn't take long for an ammuni-
ton can TO get heated through with
n point OF flame resting against its
side. and this was old-fashioncd black
powder, too. and not the slow burning
brown stuff.
1t was n ticklish looking situation,
and lot of the old-timers around the
hatch of the magazine turned chalky.
The apprentice boy took the situa-
ton in Mt glance. He scrambled
down the hosting chain like n mon
key. picked up the lantern, blew out
the wick, grabbed the can of powder
and yelled for them to pull him up.
He had the can of powder with its hot
spot whore the wick had rested
against 1t in one hand when they haul
ed him to the deck and he raced to
an open port in n log room and tossed
the heated can into the sea.
That boy. too, was reckoned TO he
good enough, when his apprenticeship
was over to wear blouse without
any buttons to 1t. and they made him
n gunner.