The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-12-30
CONTROL ROOM is THE
HEART OF A WARSH'p


for the fray as the hearts OF any OIL
her crew. Yes, warship has Il heart'
The heart of a warship Is the control-
room deep down under the deck, sit
uated aft, usually abaft the second
funnel, says the Philadelphia Ledger
Even on the big fighting ships the
heart is small. Generally 1t Is only ten
by six feet, and is almost noise-prooi
and eerily quiet. 1t is really steel
vault, entered by door not unlike
the door of a burglar-proof safe.
From floor to ceiling the walls are
lined with dials, wires, gauges, elec-
trio bells, speaking tubes, switches,
and a great amount of other apparatus
which keeps the commander In con-
stant touch with every corner OF the
ship. 1t is the most wonderful and
| the most fearful room on earth and
sea.
II is a fortress within a fortress, a
steel cell within the steel walls OF
the fighting engine.
| To be in the control room during
active service is to feel like being in
a vault with the door locked on the
outside. This little compartment
which visitors seldom see, will keep
| alive as long as there Is living
soul on board able to hear and answer
a call
1t Is through the control room that
| the commander issues his instruc-
! tions, observes and notes how the
| battle is going, calls the gun crews
from place to place, directs the en-
| gineers, steers the whole fabric, and
| supervises everything. If subma-
through the control room that it Is re-
ported.
A little bell rings, "A voice far away
speaks Submarine on the port bow
sir! Two leagues off," In an instant
lne answer tHiilio the bun tit"S'
Ware submarine on the port bow!
Enemys craft Ready" The gun
ners have been ready for some time,
and when the chief gunner has laid
the gun to his satisfaction, bang goes
a message the enemy will not forget
If it hits him.
If gun has to cease fire, the order
comes through the control room. If
the enemy lands shell on deck or
anywhere in the warship, the doctors
that spot almost as soon as the men
have fallen. If the gun crew are dead,
it is from the heart of the ship that
the order is given for fresh men to fill
their places.
Though the captain himself is in the
coming tower above, he knows
through the officer in the control room
just what has happened to his ship
and the event of the damage; and If
the captain is killed in the coming
tower or on the bridge, the chief Of
ficer in the control room goes up at
once to take his place.
There are generally about six men
in this little throbbing heart OF the
battleship, including operators and
junior officers.
The chief officer gives directions to
the torpedo operators. the gunners,
the searchlight manipulators and the
officers in charge of the fighting masts
if such are part of the ships equip
ment But besides all this, there are
thousand and one things to attend
to during an engagement
Every order has to be given at an
instant's notice; given distinctly, firm
ly, without the slightest hesitation or
furry 1t is only in the control room
that one learns what the phrase de
votion to duty" really means.
Everything goes with automatic pre-
cision in the heart of a warship, and
as it is the most vital spot on board
special care is taken to preserve it
from harm.
Think of the steady nerves required
of those men, cooped up in this small
room when the shells are flying
around and the hull is being battered
by the enemys guns! a wrong sig
nal might mean disaster; but the or
ganization is so near perfection that
mistakes are practically unknown.
There is no rest for the officers In
the control room during a fight. They
must stay at the ships heart tele-
graphing and telephoning to every
part of the vessel without taking no.
tice of the wreckage that is being
heaped up on every hand. They know
that when the men in turret No. 1 or
| No . caoca ~ ran1u fn thair ciUpa1c