Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-05-24
HAMPTON ROADS
lContinued from Page b

defending Fort Monroe. 1t is sub
merged, out of sight of an approaching
enemy, weighs pa tons, mounted on a
frame weighing 300 tons and, when
ready to fire, is lifted to position by
lever requiring a power of thirty-five
pounds, while the recoil lowers it to the
submerged position. 1t carries a conf
cal, hard steel, pointed ball, bound by
two brass rings, which weighs 304
pounds and is sent on its mission by 260
pounds of powder; has a range of IA
miles, can hit a bulls eye nine miles
away and pass through steel plate
eight inches thick at distance of sew
en- miles. A range finder enables the
gunner to point in the exact line; the
distance is quickly estimated, and &C
curately; the elevation of the muzzle
found by complicated instruments and
quadrant; calculation is made, taking
into consideration the direction and en-
ergy of the wind; all this before the
gun is lifted above the embrasure, and
when the ball is under way, it travels
2, 400 feet per secondhand this calcula-
ton is almost instantaneous by students
Of artillery firing.
/ trolley to Newport News and pay
my respects TO the Princess Irene, which
ran her nose in the sand entering New
York harbor. She was sent here and
placed in dry dock for the purpose of
diagnosis before going to sea. A great
ship in dry dock is a wonderful exhi-
bition. fClose by, on the ways, is the
steel frame of dreadnaught, wearing
the heavy armor Of steel. These great
plates of armor are handled by travel
ling cranes and child can operate the
lever that moves them. Here, at Nor
folk and Portsmouth, are coal yards
where the mines of West Virginia and
southwest Old Dominion send trains of
a hundred cars, each car freighted with
fifty tons of coal. The cars are pulled
by cable to an elevated track where the
steam carriers of coal back into slips.
Tugs take the four, five and six mast
ships, stow them away in the slips, the
bunkers are opened, spillway is low
cred and car is emptied in one minute,
much like water flowing into a tender
from tank. fit is interesting to see
the vessels steaming in from Boston,
New York, Baltimore, Washington and
Richmond, all loaded with passengers
and merchandise going south and load
ing with southern truck going north.
Many sails are anchored, waiting to load
with coal and clear for other ports.
Hundreds of small crafts, sail, gasoline
and row boats are dredging oysters and
pointing toward every small river to
bring back truck. | note a delegation
of women, much bruised and banged,
wearing the badge of Daughters of the
Revolution. | inquire why the scars
and am informed they were wounded
in the election of a president of the ord
err Another crowd clears the boats.
They are defeated ball PLAYERS; there
are no ''Rah! Rahsl"-they are quiet.
see party of men with suit cases
and swords in sheath. inquire if they
are men going to Mexico to fight, con-
cealing their swords, and am informed
they are enroute to meeting of
Knights Templar. They are men of
prominence and on an errand of peace,
exemplifying the order established in
the Crusade to rescue the Holy Sepul-
chre from the enemies of Christianity.
| was informed they were good people
and would not hurt me, and was much
relieved and rejoiced. | see another
party wearing badges, returning from
an annual meeting of |. O. o. F. A
launch containing two men comes pad
ding to the pier. They are light house
keepers and live out in the channel in
small, lonely quarters where the wind,
waves and tide beat against their DWELL
ing place. Their work is to keep the
lamps burning at night time that the
belated steamers and sailing vessels
may pass into the harbor safely. An
other launch paddles TO the wharf with
four hardy looking seamen in it. They
are froEl the life saving station, out
where the storm strikes hard, waves
roll in with mighty power, where the
breakers are irresistible. Their work
is to watch during storms when a gale
is threatening to beach and break up
any passing vessel caught in the storm,
and go TO their relief. OF all the peril.
Gus occupations the life savers chosen
work of rescue is the most hazardous.
They can throw life line over half
mile with great accuracy; can ride over
the rolling sea in its greatest fury when
threatening to destroy the large vessels.
Seafaring men watch the gathering
clouds when passing Cape Hatteras,
and when the barometer indicates
coming storm, turn their prov awav
from land. A few years ago, Germs i
ship, steering for the capes to reach
Hampton Roads, was beached. The
life savers rescued the passengers and
crew by throwing line and establish.
ing basket communication to the shore.
The bowsprit is still there--all that was
left when the storm quoted and the
surf was still. Overhead, | hear the
quack of wild geese, familiar sound
in Wisconsin years ago. Thousands of
them in their regular order, under the
lead of an old patriarch gander, are fly
ing in an unchartered region enroute to
the lakes in Canada where they can
swim and raise their broods in peaceful
water far away from the hunter, the
despoiler Of the feathered tribes.
AS we have reached the easternmost
part of the continent, the Atlantic be-
fore US, we turn into the Dismal Swamp,
the one lonely spot unfinished in the
making, where now we find the hideous
disappearing and the natural laws re-
suming. One time the Dismal Swamp
was an inferno. Serpents of many kinds
lived in the swamp, coiled around and
rested on fallen trees, swan and wig
gled in the water; owls hooted at night
time. crows perched on the dead trees.