The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1913-01-15
LOADING BIG Guns
STORY OF A PRACTICE DRILL.
What Happened After the Order to
~FireI- Was Very Different From
What Would Have Occurred Had
Cordite and ProieetiIes Been Used.

touches a lever, and with hiss mass
Of bright steel turns and twists back.
and 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. at your very feet.
hole gapes in the floor Of the turret.
there Is a slat and crash Of metal, and
as you look down into the hole you see
small lift travelling up with incred-
ible rapidity and internal clatter bear
ing on il the immense prujectie. weigh
ing more than seven hundredweight
and. in another compartment. the two
cartridges Of cordite.
Up comes the lift. locks itself with
crash and spills out the projectile on
metal tray in line with the open breech.
The golden tongue Of the rammer
shoots out again and pushes the pro
Jectile into the gaping breech. extend
ing itself apparently indefinitely until
the projectile has disappeared. The
| lift shifts a little. bringing into line
with the gun its other compartment.
which contains the two half charges.
each a cylinder holding 1870 pounds "
cordire Out shoots the ram again.
with no more respect for them than il
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 70 be
ready for another cycle Of the same OPP
eratiOnS.
Half a 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 a little hiss and sigh
of imprisoned water the whole mighty
tonnage Of the gun, sweetly balanced
on its trunniOns, rises and tits itself
to the push Of the hydraulic press.
The range is decreasing by some thir-
ty yards a second. since the target is
ship approaching Us at a speed equal
to our own-ifteen knots-and as the
falling ranges are given the gun metal
wheel is turned an eighth or 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 4 pistol and
The projectile was a dummy one
made OF wood covered with leather.
and there was no cordite in the car
tridges. II it had been otherwise the
pictures that adorned the commanders
room. the mirrors and toilet accesso-
ries on the cabin tables and the va
riOus elegant adOrnments Of the cap
tain's 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 10 be explaining 70
an unwilling listener on the quarter
deck by what skill and foresight he
had avoided setting the ships stern on
10 the breakwater at Portland, would
have been blown of the deck.
These things We're unnecessary. for
quite understood. The click and 81
lence that followed the word Fire
We're quite eloquent enough 10 ME Of
all the SCATTERING damnation they rep
resented-a projectile weighing $50
pounds hurting 10 its mark at the
rate Of almost a thousand yards a sec
ond.
But We in the turret would have
known nothing. for before il had reach
ell the target the breech block would
have opened 10 the screech OF the air
blast which cleans out the burning
fragments of cOrlite in the breeCh. the
rammer would have shot in with its
mop and out again. the ammunition
hoist would have come Gathering aud
screaming up. another projeCtile would
have rolled into the tray with another
two hundredweight Of death packed
behind il, the rammer would have
pushed il home with a kick. the block
would have swung 10 again, the great
gun would have been sighted and
swung in the air. again the word would
have been given, and again the frag-
ment OF concentrated power that men
had tOiled in factories and drawing Of
fees. in laboratories and toundries 10
perfect would have been sent winging
through the sea air TO spend itself in
destruction.
And only one man in the turret would
have seen its fate; only be with his
eye 10 the telescope. who had seen the
huh OF thar ship in the distance cover
ing the threadlike cross on his glass
as he pulled the trigger, would see and
guess when the distant target would
burst into yellow smoke what work
had been done.-London Standard.
Not at All Easy.