Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-16

CHAPTER XII.
Torpedoes Are Launched.

~ wave Of spray spurted into the
air: another nearer rs the en-
emy's shell ricocheted. 1t was by
without damage, and Bob Wendell
gave no more thought to it. He ig-
nored as completely the position Of
the destroyers dasling ahead on both
| sides Of the Arizona. He had forgot
ten entirely since the first loading OF
the gun to look for the American bi-
planes in the sky The shell from his
gun vas still in fight. The gun again
was reloaded and ready.
NO changed" the voice on the tele-
phone circuit cried. The visuals con-
frmed it. The voice through the
speakixg tube said it once more. mo
change!" That meant a hit.
Fire by7salros..s ~
salres! All sfx forward gun togeth-
er, both turrets firing at once. The
other guns in Wendeli's turret. hidden
behind their bulkheads, were ready.
They were bulwarked up. but they
were aimed as a unit. A pressure on
the firing key in Louden's hand could
fire them all together. The buzZer on
Louden's breast was sounding now for
the simultaneous discharge of all. but
the nan strained less as he stopped.
and he, waited only an instant before
his fingers closed IN the key. {,
up a hundred: one right, Up a hun
dred: one right Corrections were com
ing both for elevation and detection.
So all six shells had missed. They had
fallen short Il little and had gone
astern. Were the enemy's ships salts
fed with having drawn the American
ships out so far: Were they pushing
at full speed to run away:
Smoke-not the yellow. gaseous
clouds from the guns just fired again.
but a wide. black pail which did not
clear away. but rose higher and spread
thicker and thicker and blinded Wen
dells glass as his guns were ready to
fire again.. The smoke. blown by the
wind, clouGed ove the hattleship. and
more smoke and more poured up ahead
and on both sides and shut out all
sight from turret No. .. The forward
turret also was silenced. by it, STROUD
ed in b~lackness-a heavy, oil smelling,
sooty pali through which the Arizona
now rushed. 1t came from the Ameri-
can destroyers which had been trailing
only the usual streamers Of brown be-
hind them as they raced ahead of the
battleships.r Now they had flung them
| selves across the battleships' course
with tunnels belching up the black pail
which came to curtain the ship, and as
the AriZona's great, guns We're silent
the sharp, incessant .pang' of the de
| ~stroyers' quick firers. came back on the
wind. ~
Submarines. The regents subma-
rines." ~
The smoke as well as the clatter of
the torpedo defense guns proclaimed
that; the ~destroyers. sighting perl
| scopes, were throwing the screen OF
| smoke to hide the battleships. while
with their four inch guns they were
| driving the submersibles, blind. be-
low.
But. before they were fred upon.
| had the submarines taken q success
ful sight? Had they started their tor
| pcdoes straight on their ways through
the water? Bob Wendell turned. from
the smoky cloud outside the turret to
the light Of the battle lanterns which
showed him his men standing Idle.
staring at each other and helplessly
waiting beside the useiessly loaded
guns in the armored trap of the turret,
while. hidden in the smoke. the Arizona
| sheered suddenly and altered speed to
| try to escape, at the last instant. the
| strike Of the torpedoes which had
been launched.
There is a span OF minutes following
| the learning that torpedoes have been
dispatched at a ship in action and be-
fore the instant of their impact-or OF
their passing harmlessly-which re-
sembles few other intervals. The time
is not long, usually; but. since the ef-
fective range Of a torpedo has length
ened to more than 5000 yards, the
interval may be almost ten minutes;
and during those minutes there is lit
tie for n one-except the engine crew
and navigators-to do but to thine
All preparation for torpedo attach
had been made on the Arizona. Ions
before, when the gun crews were run
ming to their battle stations, their
mates below had closed every water
light door. isolated each fire room and
the engine room, and the heavy "col
lision" mat was ready to be brought
up and lowered yer the side and
drawn over the chasm, which a torpedo
would make, in an effort to stay the
first thrush of water. There was alb
solutely nothing for Bob Wendell to
do after his guns were loaded again
but to stand silent and cool before
his men, waiting either for the clouds
Of smoke to clear away and show the
gun pointers their target, or after the
crash and conclusion Of the torpedoes
to direct his division in order az the
bugles would be blowing the command,
Abandon ship"
The S::s!cs y they blow would mol
call for practice this time. And third
perhaps half-of the officers and men
might be saved; that was the English
experience with ~battleships hard hit
by mine or torpedo. The others would
20 down with the ship. Wendell's
throat contracted spasmodically as the
vision mastered him for the moment;
Neiiie was DefoTe him-his yuuns Wig
with wide eyes and brave little lips
rs she met him at the door when he
returned after the fight with Ingouf,
when she held the telegram OF recall
IN her hand. For a second Bob seemed
to feel her weight In his arms as he