Evening star., 1915-05-09

approached at a new point in the hope
system. Each time they fred all the
metal that they could throw in the one
instant before the beams fell on them.
There were few hits made by these
running ships, but they could afford
to waste ammunition. since their con-
tinual attack forced the defenders to
use their own insufficient supply.
While half-naked men in ships tur-
rets and half-naked men at Goa st guns
and in mortar pits were toiling to
wreak brute destruction game of wits
was being played just as busily. This
game was played, not on the huge
mored ships, not in the formida Bile en-
sIne batteries of the forts, but a plac
miles away from either.
They We're insignificant little places
from the point of view of war-summer
settlements on friendly beaches, harm
less little coves. pleasant shores beset
with the fantastic hotels and fantastic
towers of American pleasure places.
In the summer days of peace probably
not on in any thousand of the happy
crowds that played and laughed there
ever ina gined that these serene, care
less places could have any Importance
some day in battle.
That night they were playing part
that was full Of danger to the venture
had esta blished portable searchlights
there, and made base stations and
range-f1nding points of them. Every
one of these insignificant outlying
points was endowing the guns in the
distant defenses with an added dead
illness of accuracy.
The modern rified gun is fred not by
sight but by mathematics. The posi-
ton of it's target is found not by guess
but by triangulation. Far away, on
either side of land batteries, are OBJ
servers The straight line from one to
the other is the base line AS soon as
they sight a ship each turns his In
struments on it and gets the angle
form his end of the base line. The ship
to be fired at is at the apex OF the
triangle thus obtained.
The men at the guns get this posi-
ton by telephone instantly. They
know to a foot what their weapons
elevation must be with a given charge
of powder and a given weight of pro-
jectile to reach that distant spot. They
set their mammoth piece, elevate II
above the parapet on its lift, nre IL ana
bring it back into concealment again.
To lombard these base stations from
the sea was nearly futile. The shells
that could sweep foreshore ana MAKE
it untenable for an army, might never
And these few scattered, concealed men
or these scattered. hidden, tiny sta
tions. A whole fleet might rave at
them for hours, and in vain,. There was
only one sure, quick way to cripple
them.7
X
Far northward, miles outside of Bos-
ton harbor, beyond the system of the
harbor defenses. two ships stood into
Nahant bay, until they were within
line drawn from Fishing point south OF
Swampscott to Spouting Horn on Ma
hant. Here, in seven fathoms of water,
they stopped and lowered their boats.
Manned with crack blueja ckets whose
oars were wrapped with cloth that
they should not make a sound in the
rowlocks. 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
boats lay still, tossing on the swell.
waiting for the others to draw abreast.
Formless, vaguely gray In the hlghe.
the line made a dash.
They were on the first lifting swell OF
the long waves that tumble toward
the land when a fierce white light tore
terribly through the night and blazed
on them and around them. 1t held them.
intangibly, tightly, like the hand OF
ghost 70
tie Nahant beach quaked with explo-
sion. In the white light. as II the TOSS
ing boats were spectral pictures IN q
dissolving view. they melted amid the
ments whirled 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
ont 1t yeered to sea with enormous
snead long. black silhouette with
three tunnels appeared full In tne CIR
Gle of its artificial day. A funnel van
ished, and another. A spout OF water
lifted alongside from shell tnat nau
fallen short Another. the next instant
smashed into its side and mace IL
The destroyer turned suddenly anu
rusbed at the land. Its steering gear
had been shot away. Almost instantly
IL Strengthened out again out ...,e ~
Nahant was raving. Little Nahant was
aaninr without pause. The searcnlisht
held the ship. 1t staggered. hke
stumbling animal. pitched TWICE. easn
time a little more wildly ana "eh'
down bow first. ,.h,,obt
station and observers at this point.
went the word from Baileys hlii On
Nahant to the battle coh'nahu
Eort warren NO losses. DESTROYER
and five ships boats Win
pletely eliminated"
SThey did not have time to cheer at
Eort warren. From Nantasket Beach.
.s FAR south as Nahant was north, q
landing was being attempted IN gieSt-
er force and with the determined ss-
sistance Of a destroyer division that
was living close to the beach.
Here there were 800 men OF Massa-
chusetts Volunteer Militia, Coast Ar
tillery behind barb-wire and d-Dag
defenses with two pieces OF Held ar
tillery and three machine guns. they
were being swept by savage nre from
the destroyers:
I'VE can hold the ships boats OFF.
Surf high and landing will be SLOW.
they reported to the battle commander
by field telegraph. But we must have
relief from naval fire or cannot con-
centrate efforts on landing parties."
Their officers sent tho exact distance
from the beach of the destroyers. In
the forts the hre commanders studied
their charts, plotted with diagrams of
the shore in sections. They calculated
the range. A dropping shot from
6-inch gun fell among the enemy ves-
sells one minute later. The next went
over The third struck destroyer.
Before 1t disappeared shells were fall
ing among the division too fast to
count Three guns were firing. They
minutes
Two destroyers were towed away.
CRIPPLED Another escaped from tho FIRE
zone, but sank at sea.
Undeterred. the boat parties tried to
run tho surf and rush the defenders.
But the sea was heavy, breaking with
a sharp overfall. Unprotected by fire
from the sea- unable to work their own
machine guns in the rough water. the