The San Francisco call., 1908-04-26

neuver1ng out or home waters and the
invaluable target practice recently fn-
ished at AIagdaIena bay. this system OF
wireless transmission of orders. as now
perfected on all our warships. is per-
haps the greatest achievement result
ing from the fleets great cruise At
one swoop it has done away with all
the old system of flag signals and wig
wagging.
II is this brand new system Of trans
mitting orders upon which depends the
great problem Of fire control OF
which so much is made in modern ma
val warfare.
Fire control does not mean a svs-
tam OF preventing conhagrations at sea.
as one might suppose from the name
although such preventive measures are
Or no means neglected IN our navy: but
1t means a system by which all the gun
III e directed upon an enemy's ships can
be adequately controlled or rather.
guided by those highly responsible Of
hcers who are in charge OF fixing the
range, distance and aim OF the gun
fire.
In modern naval artillery. as the
sailors say. ~the men behind the gun
do the shooting, but the fellows in the
next street do the aiming" To aim
properly from ship that is moving
not only forward but also up and
down, at one or more other ships
which are likewise moving in such a
manner as TO change the range with
every second. while at the same time
making proper allowances for wfndage
or the deceptiors OF mist and spray.
takes men. specially trained in this diff
ficult science. Such a man Is called a
spotter. Once he has found the range
which is only a matter Of seconds. IL Is
of the utmost Importance that his dis
eovery should be instantly transmitted
to all the gun batteries without an
other seconds loss of time. since the
difference Of few fractions OF a sec
ond may mean another alteration In
the range. thereby spelling the aim. or
might mean that the enemy's spotter
having found the range first. succeeds
in sending your ship to the bottom be-
fore your gunners can take advantage
of the Information conveyed to them.
In other words. provision must be
made not only for the promptest possf-
bic transmission of the range as found
by the spotter, but also for adeouate
protection OF that same spotter, or for
his immediate replacing by another
spotter in case he should get killed or
disabled. One good spotter. whose
range findings are quick and accurate.
is enough for whole feet: that is.
providing his observations can be In
stantly transmitted to all the inter
ested gun crews This is what is called
fire control"
satisfactory solution of this great
est of all modern naval problems is
considered by such naval experts as
Captain Mahan or the British naval
expert Jane the greatest achievement
OF this greatest or all batt1eship
cruises.
just what this means may be IN
ferred from the fact that the official
reports of the recent strenuous target
practice at Magdalena bay have once
more demonstrated that the American
navy stands highest In the world for
accuracy and rsDidity OF marksman-
ship.
4 better result even than this envi-
able achievement during the fleets
world cruise. perhaps. Is the moral i'm
preston made upon the world at large
by the magnificent appearance and eff
cheney of our ships while under the
eyes Of our foreign observers.
So far as our own Monroe doctrine
is concerned. as well as that new Japa-
nese Monroe doctrine" which cries
Asia for the Asiatics." there could be
nothing more salutory than the mere
appearance OF our formidable fighting
feet in the ports ard on the coasts OF
South America. Central America, China
and Japan
It is a case OF the big stick used
not as club but as q mere walking
stick, with soft words spoken as il
be- for the true function OF our navy.
as Bob Evans has so aDtly put II. is
not to fight but 70 discourage lighting
by being always ready
But the nations of the world at large
are like our own people OF Missouri:
they have to be shown