Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-09
AIMING AND FIRING
DREADN0UGHT GUNS
AMONG FINE ARTS
Operations Aboard Big Bat
tleships in Action Interest
ing and Thrilling-The
Range Finders Battery.

In London Answers is an interesting
| description of the operations that enter
| into the discharge of the great guns of n
dreadnought, those terrible 13.5-inch guns
that can hurl a 125O-pound shell a dis
tance of Is miles, and that can penetrate
the thickest armor at a distance of 5000
yards In the coming tower stand the
captain. his navigating officer, a mldship-
man or two and several other officers and
men. The coming tower is protected by
12-lnch armor. Above 1t is another pro-
teCted chamber, and here are the gunneIy
lieutenant and half dozen officers and
men, Surrounding them are the range
finders and other instruments essential
for craftsmanship when the object is far
distant. The man at the range-fnder,
with his eyes at the rubber eye pieces
keeps monotonously chanting out the dis
tances as the ship approaches the target
inside the turrets themselves the men
are grouped around their guns. The gun
layers, the men who sight and fire the
guns every now and then, twltch little
brass handles and the great breeches rise
or fall slightly as the sights continue
trained upon the target.
\ minute or two later, after an order
has come through from the control posi-
tion, the lieutenant in charge of the
foremost turret suddenly raps out the
order: Bring both guns to the readyl"
The men standing by the breeches flick
over their small levers. Fright gun
roady' Left gun ready" they report
in rapid succession. The range, mean
while, Is decreasing rapidly. and about
ten seconds later there comes the strident
VEN II IHFtFT - a1.FA Yt, -
signal to open fire. The gun-layer holds
his breath, sees the cross wires of his
telescope cutting the latticework of the
target, and then presses an innocent
looking brass thumbpieCe. AS he does
so there Is roar and, with blaze of
orange flame and n pail of brown smoke
projectile weighing more than half a
ton Is sailing through the air on It's way
toward the target. Outside the turret
the concussion is terrible, but inside 1t
Is barely felt, and the only means the
guns crew have OF knowing their weapon
has gone off Is by the rocking of the
turret and the recoil of the gun. Back
she slides. with the water whIstling and
gurgling through the hydraulic valves
far below. She stops, and then, as the
runninE-out springs exert their strength,
Is driven back to the firing position.
LOADING THE GUNS,
The men meanwhile are working like
demons. Some one, by moving a small
lever which actuates a hydraulic en-
gine has opened the breeCh. A cloud
Of acrid cordite smoke fills the tuSret,
but another man, turning a tap, sends
q jet of water spouting into the chamber
to eNtinguish any still-burnng fragments.
Everything seems chaos, but every one
knows what 10 do-they have done il
time after time, and in less than 30
seconds we hear n sharp order, Fright
Eun-load!' a man moves an upright
lever ana an arranEement looking like a
miniature lift climbs into view through
the floor. 1t has come up from the she'll
room below laden with the new charge
and prOlectile and stops dead in the
rear of the gun Reposng In a tray is
the shot itself Another lever Is worked
and a flexible chain hydraulic rammer,
looking like a snake, darts out OF its
resting place and pushes the shot before
1t into the hreech of the gun. II is driven
home with a dun thud The rammer Is
Withdrawn, another handle is pulled and
two enormous brown cylinders OF cordlte
fan into the tray Just vacated by the
protectiIe. They too, are rammed home,
and before we quite realize what has
happened the hammer ana lift have dis
appeared, the JTeech of the gun has been
swung nome ana the great weapon is
ready for firing. In the fire-control posi-
ton the guHneTy lieutenant has seen the
first shot tear Jagged hole In the
target, and promptly whispers an order
TO "A man at his side, The latter moves
a small handle, and 80 seconds later there
Is another discharge.
Probably the most important of the in
strumeuts employed in naval Ruunery
is the telemetre or range-hnder The
accuracy Of the shooting depends wholly
upon the accuracy OF judging the dis
tauce. for in long range shooting the
shell does not travel in a straight line.
but In a curve. II drops upon the target
Not only Is 1t absolutely essential 10 get
the proper range, but II is of vital inn
pOrtanCe 10 get il before the enemy. as
experience shows that the gun that first
gets the range ana frst sends a shell
against the enemy has secured a great
advantage The range Is found By trl-
augulation, and is a mathematical prob
lem worked out rapidly by the experts.
The length of the telemetre, which Is
precisely este1ninsd, forms the base OF
the triangle. OF which the point whose
aa - IA ~ ssaa Il. h.