Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-06-04
THE TEST
MONITOR FLoRIDA's TuRhETs
WITHSTAND THE IMPACT OF
PINCH PRoJEcTILEs.
new MAST WAS ksUccEsS
Shells From the Arkansas a Close
Range Failed to Put the Iron. VA
&3 Glad Out Of susl- n

Old Point Comfort, Va. May 2S.-,.
The biggest naval gun, the heaviest
projectile, and the highest explosive
known, combined With close range and
deadly aim, were Wednesday allowed
o. work their full havoc on the turrst
plate >of the monitor Florida. The re-
suit Is declared to be a victory for tl,r,
ret construction and this, notwith-
standing the 11-inch hardened steel
plate. was blackenel. broken, the
seams Of the turrcr rprung aad the
rlvets and screws looseRed and tNistod'
II was not Ave minutes after the
terrible impact that the finely bal
apced mechanism OF the turret was
being worked with rerfect ease arg
the Pinch gun on the left side was
trained at will. inside the tlrrst
where stand the gunncrs and gun crew
the havoc was much less apparent
than from the. outside. Examination
showed that Of the many delicately al
iusted instruments Tor fire control
Sighting and operating the turret. rev
II any were out OF working order.
III this had happened in battle vac
Florida would be lighting yet " said
me Of the rear admirals with sn'
t.usiasm. aE
Then followed afutile attempt 10
DESTROY the newly designed fighting
mast on the stern Of the Florida. Al
ter Ave shots Of the guns had gone
though 1t the mast stood firm.
FORTY shots would not bring u
|! Town and no enemy would waste am
pnunition and time shooting at IT, was
the expert comment.
II was predicted that all new ships
Will be equipped with battle masts Of
this description. The story OF the
'shooting-up" of the Florida by the
lrkansas, however, is not contained In
his technical statement Of results, i
was an event In which keen edge OF
expectation was not dulled by the
realization. Rear admirals and briga-
lier generals, together with their
juniors, scurried under protected
decks and then hoped out again as
quickly to look for the damage done
BY the boom and roar they had felt
and heard. Every naval bureau was
represented, likewise the ordinance
and artillery Of the army.
The scene of the real war demon
stration was Hampton Roads, already
made famous by naval events, the
last being the departure Of the At
lantic battleship feet on its long jour
ney around the world which was re-
viewed by President Roosevelt
The Florida, which has been In the
hands of experts for some time. pre-
scented the appearance of a resigned
martyr. She lay with her nose point
ing out through the Virginia capes
near Thimble Shoal Light and about
four miles from Old Point Comfort,
Her steam was up and large Ameri-
can flag foated astern. Back Of the
bridges on the upper structure there
hung the weekly wash Of several
tackles. But most striking In. her ap-
pearance was the leaning tower on
her stern, the woven pipe military
mast, resembling a huge waste paper
basket. On top Of its 125 feet 81 height
was a broad platform, where two
dummy sailors fashioned from boards
stood bravely looking down on two
more dummies Of the same pattern on
the turret forward. One OF the two
big guns which protrude from this tur-
ret had been removed and a "cripple"
gun occupied its place. z
Just S42 yards on the inside Of the
Florida lay her sister ship, the Ar
kansas. The distance looked cruelty
close as the big guns on the latter
ship prepared to take unerring aim.