Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-02

At this instant only eighteen inche
\ away from you. just the other side .
the turrst armoe. You know they WEI
blown 70 bits, for shell had jus
burst outside there, and the funny III
tie tinkering and hammering with {
sledge which you heard the minuta
before was quiet. So you know thu
men were dead. but you could not pos
sibly have any feeling about Il Thu
voice In the speaking tube knew thu
men were dead. It was saying thai
another gang was being sent 20 clsal
away the wreckage.
That was the wreckage Of the fore
mast they were still speaking about
Garry undoubtedly was killed when Il
became a wreck. but no ono was SAT
ing anything about that Bob won
dered whether II he had seen Garry
fall he would have felt anything Of
whether now he was ever going b
feel anything again. Had Garry's
wife seen Garry safe in 4 dream, too
Had she, too, been sure that God
would keep Garry safe? What had
God to do with guns and shells and
ships which could stand what the All
coma now was getting?
As Bob had nothing to do. now that
his guns were loaded again. he was
listening to try to decide whether one
turret or two were firing astern. It
was only one, he decided. A shell
must have wrecked the other as we'll
As have killed the gun crews, and the
forward turret, No. must be wreck.
ed also. otherwise Bob and bis men
would be sent to 1t to fight.
How much moro, he wondered, could
the Arizona endure7 1t was not only
the varon which was sending shells
through the sides and ricochetinE
them up from the sea. the Floron was
firing also at the Arizona. It was
time that the prince would be concen.
trating all his dreadnaughts on tho
newer American ships. but he had only
twenty-five first line ships against thir-
teen-that wasn't quite two TO one.
The Idaho was fighting two ships; now
the Arizona was fighting two, and that
was hard with only one turret and
that commanded by Ross, probably.
who hadn't ever been In such turret
before. What was the matter with
the Pennsylvania? Wasn't she stand
ing up to her work. Standing up to
1t! Good God! She had three against
her. two Trajans they must ba, and
one of the Pharaohs. And the Penn
sylvania hadn't had her battle prac-
tice this year, for she had been de-
tached to Mexico. But II three ships
were against her. what was gone from
our line? The Oklahoma? That must
be it-there was a gap in the circle
back there. And was the New York
on Are? No; that must be the smoke
Of destroyers trying to screen ship.
but that meant the ship was beaten
It was no longer able to fight.
Some more shells disrupted 81 the
other side of the armor. They killed
all the men who were out there: but.
at the same stroke. they did the mems
work.
Holt, tho turret captain, was speak
ing. I'VE can train the turret now,
sir"
The voice tube which hopefully had
been telling the range and corrections
to No. 2 turet every time the after
turret fred spoke again. The sight
settlers, who had changed the sights at
each correction, once more made the
adjustments. No. 2 turret fred. Cor
rections came, and then again. the
sort Of corrections which confessed
that the guns were missing. Who WAS
spotting the shots aud missing the cor.
rechons and from what point Of OBJ
servation? The foremost was gone. Of
course; tho mainmast now also was
down. They must be. spotting tho fall
Of the shells and correcting the range
from the coming tower. only few
feet higher than the turret That was
why the guns were missing.
But the shells from the Varon and
the Floron were not Tying over or
shortl Oh. they were hitting the Ari-
IONA very hard! And the Varon had
had no masts for fifteen minutes, and
several salvos ago the Floron had lost
hers. But fire control officers were
spotting their shells from somewhere
where they could see.
Flashing specks fitted In the sky
between the ships. Bob caught sight
of them q couple Of times, and he
knew what they were-the enemy aero
planes, which had driven the American
planes away before the battle. The
enemy's planes were lowering there
for one 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 1t went over or fell short
Of the American ships they were sig
mailing the corrections That was how
the Varon and the Eloron could spare
their masts.
Bob recognized It. "WeI, 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