The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-26
WORKING HARD
FOR THE PRIZES
Intense Interest Displayed by
the Crews of the Big
WarshipS.
STILL AT TARGET PRACTICE
SCENE AT MAGDALENA RANGES
AN INSPIRING ONE.

canforn;o
March IS. via San Pedro, March S.-Sun-
day was not a day of respite for the hard
worked crew of the Atlantic fleet All
day long, from early light at O'Clock in
the morning. the big guns doomed on the
target ranges, the great kissing shells tore
ont across the smooth, unruffled waters
of the bay, smashing ragged rents IN inc
white canvas targets ana throwing Ions
of water high in the air. The men worked
with almost frenzied activity in the tur-
rsts and easements and exposed batteries.
The ships sailed around the target ranges,
the guns blazing forth as they passed the
position buoys and came on to the range,
The din on board was deafening' the eff
feet electrical and thrilling.
Guns of All Sizes.
Guns of nearly all sizes are being fired.
from the sharp barking of the three
Founders to the ponderous reverberating
seven and eight-inch calibers- The larg-
est guns, the twelve and thirteen-inch
sort are to be the last fired. The sharp.
quick shifting report of the automatic
three-pOundeTs mounted on the bridges
Of the superstructureS is most piercing.
All of the ports and battle ports are closed
tightly during the firing, but this does not
keep out the noise.
Four regulation target ranges have been
lIatd out and a battleship is busy on each.
LEV are somewhat closer together, al
though far enough distant not to be dis
fSrbing TO each other and arranged i'm
such manner as to eliminate all danger.
The record firing will occupy about four
DAYS 10 the ship With four ships on the
ranges at one time it should be COM
pleted some time between April 10 and 20.
II is upon the record practice that the per-
centage tables are computed and the tTo-
ply for battleships awarded. The per
centages are secret and will not be
known until they reach Washington. and
then only the name of the winner is an
nOunced.
Contest Between Pointers.
The record practice is largely. if not en-
tirely, contest between the gun pointers,
the men who actually aim and fire the
guns. The work of the vast number of
others is largely the execution of orders
based upon mathematical calculation.
On many of the smaller guns. the load
ing is by hand. The heavier ones require
electrical machinery. The big shells are
picked up with the most rapid movement.
lifted to the open breech and rammed
home. Two bags Of smokeless powder
l4breech lock slams and shuts, the pointer
AIMS and fires, there Is deafening con-
cussion. a tremendous recoil of the big
gun. a light puff of smoke is blown from
the muZZle of the gun, pieces of paper and
cloth in which the powder is contained are
hurled into the air, the great heavy pro
jeetile sails away across the water with
frightful velocity toward the target. 1t
travels with lightning speed and yet be-
cavse of it's size is visible through glasses
10 its flight through the air. The trained
Observer can follow II with the naked eye
ana instantly call the hits and misses.
The range OF the firing is directed by
men in the crows nests far up on the
masts above the fighting tops, and by
others in the very bottom of the ships
who with the papers and maps call out
orders.
Shell Goes UP, Then Down.
a,.4
incline then strikes sharply downward
and piercing the white. black centered
target of canvas. moOred on maStS, hitS
the water beyond The flight of the shell
is wonderful to follow The first COLI
sion OF the shell with the water causes a
column of water to be thrown up 100 feet
or more like a geyser. The sound is
heard upon the ship an instant later in
a sort of dull roar. Then the heavy mis-
sile ricochets out OF the water, sometimes
% A height of 800 or 400 feet and for
Stance of thousands of yards and strikes
again. Another geyser of water and spray
is thrown up, perhaps greater and higher
than the first. The same sound is heard
again but less distinctly. The shell again
Eiances upward and onward in another
flight This is repeated a string of gey-
sers marking the flight of the projectile
until finally the force of ii is spent and
it slIips and bounds along the surface, fin
ally sinking ont of sight and TO the bot
tom of the bay. The method of range
finding. the detection from the speed and
roll OF the ship. the velocity of the wind,
The ocean currents and other variations
occupy the intensely applied attention of
scores of officers and men on each ship
during the firing.
Men Get Cash Prizes.
Percentage of hits and rapidity of fire
are what is desired. The man receive cash
consideration from the department for
IupeTiority in work in addition to the
Much priced honor that attaches to the
WeiGner. Numerous umpires from ships
then engaged. judge the shots and mark
the score. After a ship has fired round.
she sails by the target where the result
of the shots may be observed The range
of fire and the dimensions of the targets
differ according 10 the size of the guns
used. The course is an equilateral TRAN
gle. At one corner, the targets, four in
number. are placed. They are white can
vas, marked in squares with bulls eve.
The lines Of the triangle are nearly a
mile long The ships steaming at about
a regulation speed. pass along the hori-
Zontal line firing at the apex where the
targets are. But one gun fires at time.