Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-05-30
A REAL WAR TEST
The Florida's Tunret Target For
the Arkansas.
BIG GUNS AS IN BATTLE

Heaviest Proieetiie In Navy Could Not
Put Guns In Turret Of tionitcr Out
cf Commission - Failed to Destroy
Fighting Mast.
OLD Point Comfort. Va. May IS
The biggest naval gun. the heaviest
projectile and the highest explosive
Inc Mn. combined with close range AID
deadly aim. were allowed to worl, their
illi havoc on the turret plate Of the
monitor Florida The result is declar.
"a 10 be victory TOR turret c0nstrnc.
lf4u this. Notwithstanding the ll-tnch
hardened steel plate was blackene !.
broken the seams oi the turret sprung
and the riyets and screws ooseuei
and twisted.
u was not five minutes after fhe
terrible impact that the finely bal.
alced mechanism Of the nrret was
icing worked with perfect ease. and
TIC l2-inch gun on the left side was
trained at will.
Inside the turret. whore stand the
gnnuers and the gun crew, the havoc
was much less apparent than from
the outside Examination showed that
II the many delitately admstei in
struments for the control sighting and
operating Of the turret few. il any.
we're out OF working order.
III this had happened IN battle the
Florida would have been fighting yet
said one OF the rear admllals with en-
tnusiasm
Then followed futile attempt tc
destroy the newly designed fighting
mast erected on the stern oi the Flor
iaa. After five shots from the Arkan
sas had gone ripping through il the
mast stll stood firm. II was predicted
that all new ships viii be equipped
with battle masts Of this design
The story OF the shooting up" Of
the Florida By the Arkansas however
II not contained Ia this technical
s.atement oil results Every naval bu
reau was represented likewise the
ordnance and artillery 81 The arn}.
The scene Of the real war demon
stration was Hampton roads already
made famous by naval events.
After an hours gun training the
big noise" came two crashes so close
together that II sounded Ike one The
l2.inch projeetile had hit its target
Ii was a crash. fash and cloud u
yellow smoke quietly drifting away
over the top 81 The Florida What
was left was a big black wound Tile
officers went 70 the Florida az once
but before they got there The crew
of twenty or thirty jackies detailed
from the receiving ship Franklin and
unicered hy Commander John 6 Quinn
bv. Lieutenant Joseph *. Taussig ant
gunner had come up from the Holt
and were looking over the damage
The plate had been broken through
from the gun port 20 the edge JUS
above and msl below where the shot
struck This broken piece had beet
driven into the turret several inches
hut not tho thlcknes OF the plate Sc
that no hole was actually made. The
defamation was somewhat imperfect
as was evidenced b. The quantity o.
sulpnnr-like powder which covered the
deck and mast This failure % realize
the mll strength of ina powder is re
garded as injecting the only uncertain
element into the test
officers entered the turret at once
and It's mechanism was operated the
tnrref being swung completely around
each way and the lett hand guns train
ed. The right gun being the Grip.
pied gun in place 81 the regular one
which had heeu removed for the test,
OF course could not be trained besides
the broken plate had wedged against
il. This. the officers said would not
have prevented the gun being fired
although It would have interiered with
the sighting
but the turret bore the evidences
OF 4 fight The paint along the seams
had disappeared. many 81 the seams
were sprung bolts we're loosened. and
siiyers OF the plate lay around a
board dummy inside VAS intact and
the opinion Of the officers was that
even with Tire terrific impact the gun
uers in the turret would not have been
injured The mechanism in the lurret
bore no outward evidence OF damage
ana the belief was expressed hat a
test would find II In working order
Then followed an attempt 20 destroy
the fighting mast Five shots were
fired. four 81 which took effect Many
of the supporting tubes were broken
but The mast stIll stood firm and naval
men say il il practically indestructt
Bile