The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-02-12
IN A NAVAL FIGHT
Vital Work Is Done In the Con-
troll Room of the Vessel.
THE HEART OF THE wARsHIP.

Through This Steel Cell, Deep Under
the Deck, the Commander In the
Coming Tower Is In Touch With
Every Person and Event on Board.
When a warship sails into action her
heart pulses and throbs as eager for
the fray as the hearts of any of her
crew. Yes. Il warship has a heart.
The heart Of Il warship is the control
room. deep down under the deck, stu
ated aft. usually abaft the second
funnel.
Even on big fighting ships the heart
is small. Generally it is only ten feet
by six, and is almost noise proof and
eerily quiet. 1t is really a steel vault,
entered by a door not unlike the door
Of a burglar proof safe.
From floor to ceiling the walls are
lined with dials. wires, gauges, electric
bells. speaking tubes. switches and a
great amount of other apparatus which
keeps the commander in constant touch
with every corner of the ship. 1t IL
the most wonderful and the most fear
full room on earth or sea.
1t is a fortress within a fortress, a
steel cell within the steel walls Of the
fighting engine.
To be in the control room during &C.
tive service is to feel like being in a
vault with the door locked on the out
side. This little compartment, which
visitors seldom see. will keep alive as
long as there is a living soul on board
able to hear and answ q call. +,
1t is through the control room that
the commander issues his instructions.
observes md notes how the battle is
going. calls the gun crews from place
to place. directs the engineers. steers
the whole fabric and supervises every
thing. If a submarine is seen in any
direction it is through the control room
that it is reported.
A little bell rings. a voice far away
speaks. Submarine on the port bow.
sir. two leagues off," In an instant
the answer thrills the gun crews:
"'Ware submarine on the port bow:
enemy's craft. Ready!" The gunners
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.
II a gun has to cease fire the order
comes through the control room. If
the enemy lands a shell on deck or
anywhere in the warship the doctors
are notified that they are wanted at
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 I'll
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
extent Of the damage. and If the cap
tain is killed in the coming tower or
on the bridge the chief. officer In the
control room goes up at once to take
his place.
There r generally about six men
In this little throbbing heart of the bat
tleship. including operators and Junior
officers.
The chief officer gives directions to
the torpedo operators. the gunners. the
%searchlight ma%nipulators and the on
GERS in charge Of the lighting masts. II
such are part Of the ships equipment.
But. besides all this. there are a thou
sand and n things to attend to dur
ing an engagement.
Every order has to be given at an
instant's notice: given distinctly. firm
IL, 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 1t
from harm.
Think Of the steady nerves required
Of those men. coopea up in this small!
room when the shells ave flying around
and the hull is being battered by the
enemy's guns! A wrong signal might
mean disaster. but the organization Is
80 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
turret No. 2 cease to reply to their
signals something serious has hap
pened.
They know that even when the con-
ming tower has been smashed by shot
and shell and the bridge has been
swept away they must stick to, their
switches 80 long as there is an oficer
alive to direct operations. Not until
the ship is blown up or rammed are
they allowed to leave that little room.
and then they 60 down with her.-st.
Louis Globe-D Democrat.
Always Truthful.
docs your husband ever lie to your
'1Iovse."
"How do you know"