Evening star., 1909-02-17
HANDLING A SHIPS GUNS
REAR ADMIRAL EVANS ON
HOSTS AND FLAREBACKS.
Foreign Navies Have Followed
American Way of Serving Am
munition to Turret Pieces.
From Hampton's Magazine.

From Hampton's Magazine.
Vigorously arraigning the critics of the
American navy. Rear Admiral Robley D.
Evans pays a notable tribute to the ef-
ficiency and bravery of American gunners.
Quoting one critic as foolshly saying
that three times already. by a miracle.
American ships have been saved from
the explosion of their magaz zines because
of burning grains of powder falling into
the handling room," Fighting Bob de-
clares:
when the powder began to blaze in
the handling room OF the Missouri two
gunners' mates, NJ Momssen and c. S.
Schepke, who were in the magazine. at
the imminent risk of their lives pre-
vented the flames from reaching the pow
der there. This heroic disregard of their
own safety was the miracle that saved
the ship. Why not call 1t by its proper
name? 1t was the prompt action OF
brave, cool-headed sailor men in blue
shirts that saved the ship, and If they
were miracles then the navy. l am proud
to say, Is full of miracles. Those miracle
workers walk about the decks of our ships
by the hundred.
The First bareback.
The first 1 ever knew of a bareback
came about in this way-and l believe
this was the first one ever seen and rec
ogniZed as danger in our navy. adds
the admiral: Il was standing over the
after thirteen-inch turret of my flagship.
the Kentucky, watching the firing of her
thirteen-inch guns at target practice. In
Manila bay. Many shots had been fired,
when suddenly, AS one of the guns was
discharged a sheet of flame shot up
through an opening in the top of the
turret. This was so unusual. and to me
alarming that l ordered the firing to
cease until l could ascertain the cause
of 1t. The officers and men all wished
to go on with the firing. not realizing
that they were in any danger. though
some of the men in the turret were
slightly burned about the body and had
their Hair singed
"Of course our experience in Manila
bay was fully reported to the Navy De-
partment. and the chief Of ordnance took
steps at once to put proper gas electors
on the guns, which would act automat-
ically when the breech was opened. From
that day to this there has been steady
improvement in the fitting and working
of this device, and / feel perfectly conf
dent that If 1t is properly and carefully
used there will never be another flare
back.
Speaking Of ammunition hoists, con-
cerning which there has been so much
misunderstanding and bitter controversy.
and to which the explosion on the Mis-
souri, was attributed. Admiral Evans says
Ammunition HOSTS.
When the Indiana and ships of her
class were designed all foreign ammu-
milton hoists for turret guns were con-
structed on the principle that the ammu-
milton should so straight from the han
ding room to the gun in the turret. In
some cases, the English for example.
this was accomplished by the use OF
closed tube or cylinder. but this plan re-
uuired that the gun should be returned
to certain fixed position before load
ing. which was serious handicap TO
rapid firing, and our designers olscaroed
il in favor Of the open car hoist, when
revolved with the turret and allowed the
guns to be loaded in any position. The
advantage thus gained was so apparent
that foreign practice soon followed ours
in an effort to overcome the very OBJ
iectionable feature of having to bring
the guns to a fixed position before they
could be loaded and the English hnally.
in 1904, installed on two battleships am
munition hoists which were in every es-
sential particular counterparts OF the
American hOists
Other nations have. as rule, fol-
lowed the same general plan-that Is TO
say, a straightaway ammunition hoist Tor
turret guns. from the handling room to
the guns: the handling room beinG cen
trally located with reference to the mag
azines and shellrooms. and separated
from them by carefully constructed. wa
ter-tieht bulkheads. The magazines are
provided with efficient means for quick
flooding in case of fire, and doors with
flaps for Safe handling of the charges.
These conditions or. shall / say. this
mode of construction. has been and Is now
general in every naval service in the
world.