The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-08-12

sea, where there was not light to
warn of reef or shoal. Ltghtless them
selves, they CROPPED with deep sea leads
and sounding machines till they assur-
ed themselves of safe positions where
they might have sea room to swing
around In great closed circles at high
speed.
They would have to fire without
sighting their mark. They dared not
betray themselves to the waiting guns
on land by throwing their searchlghts
on the defenses, while the defenses
could sweep the sea necessarily, for
their searchlights were disposed along
miles OF coast far aloof from the bat
teries.
II the searchlights were effective the
ships should have to fee to the far
thest limit OF the coast guns range. At
that distance they in turn could not
deliver an effective bombardment OF
the land so long as it was dark. So,
| then, all the ferocious game Of war
centered for the time on the search
/ lights The death laden ships, the
death laden guns on land, had to wait
till it was learned what the lights
would do.
They had prepared for their game of
blind mans buff by long consultations
| over charts. Every ships officer was
provided with minute instructions for
every contingency that human wit
could forecast in the headlong game
of chess that is played with cannon.
The ships struck simultaneously all
along the line of defenses. They fired
close in north and south, and from
battleships out at sea. A plunging fire
went over Nahant and across into
Winthrop. The speeding ships missed
the defenses and their bursting shells
wrecked the town instead. As it's
flames redeemed the sky the flames of
Hull made a red reply. The quick
searchlights caught the ships. Again
and again the white light shafts fell
on veering. speeding vessels and made
; them hurry to get away before the fire
control OF the defenses could cover
them.
Still they returned. Each time they
approached at a new point in the hope
of developing defect in the light sys-
TEN. Each time they fired all the met
al that they could throw in the one in
slant before the beams fell on them.
There were few hits made by these
running ships, but they could afford to
waste ammunition since their contin-
ual attack forced the defenders to use
their own insufficient supply.
While half naked men in ships tur-
rets and half naked men at coast guns
and in mortar pits were toiling to
wreak brute destruction q game of
wits was being played just as busily.
This game was played not on the huge
armored ships, not in the formidable
engine batteries of the forts, but in the
lookouts of the American range finders.
Far northward, miles outside of Bos-
ton harbor, two ships stood into Ma
liant bay. Here In seven fathoms of
water they stopped and lowered their
boats. Manned by crack bluejackets,
the cutters moved toward the beach at
Little Nahant
Far away the harbor searchlights
played like summer lightning, The
sailors moved on in utter darkness to-
ward the invisible beach. They rowed
in in irregular formation till they could
hear the surf, then the foremost boats
lay still, tossing on the swell, waiting
for the others to draw abreast. Form
less, vaguely gray in the night, the
line made dash.
They were on the first lifting swell
OF the long waves that tumble toward
the land when fierce white light tore
| fov-rff1lry 10I, @ta 4ayhN nd
on them and around them.
Orange flashes ripped through it.
Little Nahant beach quaked with ex-
plosion. In the white light, as If the
tossing boats were spectral pictures in
a dissolving view, they melted amid
the roar of the shore guns. Black
fragments whirIed through the. steady
glare, and shells chopped the sea where
there were bobbing heads and clutch
ing hands.
The light stabbed the night in and
out It veered to sea with enormous
speed. A long, black silhouette with
three tunnels appeared full In the cir
Gle Of its artificial day. A funnel van
ished, and another. A spout of water
lifted alongside from a shell that had
fallen short. Another the next instant
smashed into its side and made it reel.
The destroyer turned suddenly and
rushed at the land. It's steering gear
had been shot away. Almost instantly
1t Strengthened out again. But Little
Nahant was raving. Little Nahant
was flaming without pause The
searchlight held the ship. It staggered
Ike stumbling animal, pitched twice,
each time little more wildly. and
went down bow first.
Have repulsed attack on searchlight