Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-27

for n purpose only noW-to take up
the work of the fire control tops for
the regents ships. officers in the
planes were watching the effect of the
fire, and as it wen over or fell short
of the American ships they were sig
mailing the corrections. That was how
the varon and the Floron could spare
their masts.
Bob recognized it. "Well, we knew
they were practicing that. It's one OF
the things we were going to get
around to-after awhile"
For himself he was incapable of Bit
terness at that, but impotent rage rose
In him as he tried now to encourage
his men when they fred and was told
only that they had missed. 81 was
'on!" Louden. the firing pointer, was
crying. 81 know, sir, 1 was 'onr And
1 fired when l was on sir! Sir. l
know that I was on"
az know 1t, too. Louden." Bob said.
"We'l try again."
"But they're hitting, sir! They're
hitting.' Louden was beside himself
as his mates begged him to be more
careful, to be sure to give it to EN-"
this time.
"We're firing over" Bob said as
calmly as he could. "Down 1907!
The floor of the turret was tipping.
He had noticed 1t some time before,
but now it told that the Arizona was
listing badly. Bob saw that his men
realized it and fought on the more
madly for 1t. Their turret now was
firing alone. The after turret had
ceased entirely. And now even the
voice in the speaking tube was silent.
1t had been their sole connection with
the rest of the ship. Its ceasing left
them isolated in the battle, alone.
But as they fired at the range and
detection which Louden and Bob
agreed between them the doors to the
handling room below continued to
push up and shells and ammunition
came up on the cars. Young Wayne,
the ensign, was working with his men
In the handling room, and in the en-
CINE room some crews had stayed to
keep power on the ship.
The Arizona was sinking. Every one
knew that, but "By -, sir, If
they'll stick in the handling room. If
they stay at the engines, we'll stick
herew
But there was really no use firing
now. The Arizona listed so badly that
the guns could not be elevated to the
target. A salvo of shells-those awful
fendish shells sent on signal from the
aeroplanes-struck all in a bunch
---.---I--z l-I1-x --l n aNrootxn 4ff
blew up, or perheps 1t was boilers
first. Anyway, the Arizona was going
down fast. AS she went there was no
escape from the turret through the
handling room. Instead Holt was
helping pull up Wayne and his men
into the turret. There was only the
small, heavy steel door which let out
the back of the turret to the deck. 1t
was found damned as Bob ordered it
opened. so some of the men cursed
and others cried that they didn't want
to get out, and some n yelled to
crawl out through the guns. and two
of the men tried 1t. Then the door
opened, and Bob stood back to order
his men out ahead of him, but-the
ship was going down then-Holt seized
Bob about the waist and showed him
through the door, and outside some
one else grabbed him and swan with
him away from the ship.
1t was the destroyer Wainwright
which picked up Bob and the sailor
who swan with him. The destroyer
had dashed In to try to find the ad.
miral in the water neal where the Ida
no sank, for the enemy was having
trouble himself at that instant The
Xerxes, which had been observed to
be listing for some time. was slipping
down after the Idaho to the bottom.
and the Floron had turned over and
was floating keel to the sky. The
Trajan, very tow at the stem, was be
ing taken in tow by another ship, and
two Of the Pharaohs-so men on the
Wainwright said-must soon sink.
Guns were still rumbling down the
column. -Four of the American ships
still we're fighting. They finished W
more of the Pharaohs before they
drifted, like the rest of the silenced
ships. waterlogged hulks, for the Thors
and the Zeus ships. which long before
had beaten the VermOnts n the Con-
n~ecticuts, closed in and finished the
task of the Pharaohs.
Bob Wendell stood on the trembling
deck Of the Wainwright, surrounded
by bright eyed, tense Tipped, exhaust
ed men. One of the battle cruisers OF
the regent and one of b ~destroyerr
seemed to observe the Wainwright and
that it was escaping from the battle
The destroyer gave chase. Bob Wen
dell watched the other destroyer DULY.
His head dropped. and he closed his
eyes. Then he opened them again and
reused himself. He was seeing things
which made him think again-Nellie