Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-18
Cannoneers Knocked Down by
the Shocks.
MANY WINDOWS SMASHED
Incidents Of War Game Playing in
New York Harbor.
SHOTS HISS ACROSS THE BAY
Lessons Being Taught Guardsmen in
the Handling Of Coast De-
Tense Ordnance.

| 1enSe Ordna0Ce.
NEW YORK. June 1s-The game Of
hurting 1000 pound projectiles from
twelve-inch rifles nosing over the ram
parts Of Fort Hamilton and landing them
| in small patches of water in the lower
bay without sinking any Of New Yorks
.shipping was carried out yesterday with
out a hull being pierced or a mast or
| stack splintered.
The White Star line steamship Adriatic
came blowing out Of the upper bay. head
ed for the open sea through Ambrose
channel. just as four torpedo-boat destroy
ers had cleared the target field stretching
between Fort Hamilton and Swinburne
Island Several schooners and sloops had
loosened their sheets and were lying mo-
tionless under the big guns. The fast
Sandy Hook had churned white path
near the red canvas pyramid south Of the
little island, and the great steel nose Of
| No. OF Battery Harvey Brown was
peeping over the concrete edge Of the
fort when the Adriatic slid right into
| range
The War Department has no authority
to hold up shipping for gun practice. and
| the skipper Of the liner seemed to realize
| It. for he kept his course at good speed.
footed salute to the long. streaming red
| nag over the fort which gives warning
to ships that pass during target practice
and made for the open.
The Adriatic wasn't anywhere near the
| horizon. and to some of the observers at
Fort Hamilton the little red target did
not seem any too far from her churning
| propellers. when a private Of the 18th
Regiment, n. Y. n. G., yanked the Ian
yard behind No. l.
For the first time In the history of the
| modern defenSoS har TUE
| inch rifle spoke with full voice and
thousand pound message Of cold steel
The yank of that lanyard set off $40
! pounds Of the new brown powder. A
column Of crimson flame shot from the
mouth of the gun, and Immediately the
| monster slid back under the rampant a
| column of brown smoke flowing from its
| muZzle.
Shock! Splash! Hit!
There was sound that cannot be de-
scribed 1t was not bark nor a grunt.
1t was nearer the clap of thunderbolt,
a fiat. killing sound and then the Staten
Island hills. the Jersey shore and the
shore along Gravesend and Norton's Point
repeated the hound with softened effect
Through the echo was heard a hoarse
whir-r-r 1t was the she'll speeding in
the wake of the liner
| Then the noise ceased. and a great COL
umn Of water shot into the air to the
right of the target. In the fort window
panes split and tinkled to the ground. and
the kitchen OF the garrison was wrecked.
the wash sink being thrown from its
fastenings and the plaster ceilings fell.
The first shot was fired at IL 20. and the
gunners cheered as they realized that the
great missile had come near enough to
the tiny canvas speck on the bosom Of the
bay to have caught a battleship in her
vitals had there been one on the site OF
the floating target.
n De-
The men Of the 18th. being drilled for
| war service in the defense Of the city
slipped In the breech of No. its 240
pounds Of powder and its big shell. and
ledge as did No. !. The powder Of this
guns charge must have been OF higher
explosive quality, for when the sheet OF
| fame shot from its muzzle the concus-
sion proved great that the men Of
the battery were thrown to the stone
floors of the parapet. and the hats of
| those who were not thrown down were
| flung from their heads as If unseen
| hands had snatched them off.
| This time the soft drink canteen Of
the garrison added to the pandemonium.
sarsaparilla and soda bottles Waiting
| together and bottles of ginger pop FIR
ing little volleys in protest The tobac-
co shelves came down, Gathering amid
the perturbed temperance cordials.
Capt Sarratt. adjutant Of the garrison
got a telephone message from Mrs. Sar-
raft that. although she had followed in
structions and kept her window sashes
raised. all the panes had gone to smash.
Plaster and Glass Break.
This shot also wrenched the mantel
/ from the snug tavern Of William Meyers
in 101st street. near Fort Hamilton ave-
nue., twisted the beer pipes, and sent
flying into the air an ancient native who
had but half swallowed his portion of
, Scotch and soda. The native. explained
! Mr.. Meyers later, hadn't heard sound
. in ten years
; eagerly.
But the eyes of the ancient man were
glazed. Mr.. Meyers took a megaphone
and howled out his query
; Hear it," snapped the bibler In the
voice Of the deaf. Il thought 1 was
hit" 49,, ~
place. in the home OF Mrs Elizabeth Ray,
the shot knocked the plastering from the
ceiling She was lying down at the time
: and a piece Of the ceiling struck her in
. the breast. She was so badly hurt that an
ambulance from the Norwegian Hospital
. was called. and DR.. Norton of that lnsti-
tuition treated her.
| The men OF the battery Of No. 2 CUR
who were thrown to the ground were from
Company of the 18TH But the teri fic
seek quiet They stuck to the job and
: worked with speed to get ready for the
next shot.
Five shots from each of the two bic
guns of Battery Brown were fired before
3 o'clock several of them whirring over
; the Coney Island steamboats, and passing
coastwise craft. which kept as close to
the Brooklyn shore as possible. Before
: and after each shot the celebration tests
. were made These tests are to determine
whether the firing of the guns causes
shrinkage or expansion of the caliber.
The great twelve-inchers were found N
. perfect condition.
The scientific value of the firing of the
: big guns yesterday lies in the adjustment
: of their scalings. No two guns fire with
the same degree OF exactness SnelIs sem
the same range and same aim for both
. gums, do not strike in the same spot. Con:
slant firing and tests Of calibnr before and
after shooting. adjustment of one guns
scaling to that of the other finally brings
the shells closer and closer.
Noise.