Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-20
LOADING BIG GUNS
They Get Quick Action on the
Modern Monster Warship.

The order is given to load. Some one
touches a lever, and with hiss a mass
of bright steel turns and twists back,
md the breech of the gun gapes open.
Another touch on the lever, and from
beside you a hydraulic ram shoots out
like a golden tongue into the breech
and Immediately shoots back again.
All is clear. Now, Mt your very feet,
a hole gapes in the floor OF the turret,
there is a Stat and crash Of metal, and
rs you look down into the hole you see
a srall lift travelling up with incred-
ible rlpidity and Internal chatter bear
ing on it the immense projectile. weigh
ing more than seven hundredweight,
and. In another compartment, the two
cartridges Of cordite.
Up comes the lift. locks itself with a
crash and spills out the proiectile on a
metal tray in line with the open breech.
The golden tongue Of the hammer
shoots out again and pushes the pro
jectIle into the gaping breech, extend
ing itself apparently indefinitely until
the proiectile has disappeared. The
lift shifts Il little. bringing into line
with the gun It's other compartment,
which contains the two half charges,
each a cylinder holding 40 pounds OF
cordite. Out shoots the ram again.
with no more respect for them than II
they had been sponges, and pushes
them steadily home behind the projec-
tile. and. having done its deadly bust
ness. retires again out of the way 10 be
ready for another cycle OF the same OPP
eratiOns.
Half n turn OF the wheel. and the
breech block swings home with a sigh
and a click. Right gun loaded, sir"
Now you wait in suspense. and a voice
IN the coming tower gives the range
$500 yards. The gun layer in his quiet
corner has all this time never taken his
eye from the glass. He turns one
wheel. and the whole turret swings
round over the ships quarter; he turns
another. and with little hiss and sigh
of imprisoned water the whole mighty
tonnage OF the gun. sweetly balanced
on its trunnions, rises and Tits itself
10 the push Of the hydraulic press.
The range is decreasing by some thir-
~ yards second. since the target Is
a ship approaching us at a speed equal
10 our own-ffteen knots-and as the
falling ranges are given the gun metal
wheel is turned an eighth or a quarter
OF an inch. and the muzzle OF the gun
sinks down little as gently as a fall
ing leaf. The sights are reported "on,"
the gun laid. and the word we have all
been waiting for is sharply given
Fire The gun layer pulls a trigger
no bigger than that of pistol and
The projectile was a dummy one
made OF wood covered with leather.
and there was no cordite In the car
tridges. II 1t had been otherwise the
pictures that adorned the commanders
room. the mirrors and toilet accesso-
ries Oh the cabin tables and the va
rious elegant adornments OF the cap
tains suit would unless they had been
previously packed away have come
crashing down from their places. and
the navigating commander. who hap
pened at the time to be explaining to
an unwilling listener on the quarter
deck by what skill and foresight he
had avoided setting the ships stern on
20 the brenkwater at Portland, would
have been blown or the deck.
These things were unnecessary. for