The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-09-30

AA-A4/A AlAAC luC
n right OF the Arizona giant
~ wave Of spray spurted into the
air: another nearer as 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 dashing ahead on both
sides Of the Arizona. lie 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 was still in fight. The gun again
was reloaded and ready.
mo change" the voice on the tele-
phone circuit cried. The yisuals con.
flrmed it. The voice through the
speaking tube said 1t once more. "No
changer" That meant hit.
"Fire by salvos!'
Salvos! All six forward guns togeth.
er, both turrets firing ut once. The
other guns in Wendells turret, hidden
behind their bulkheads, We're ready.
They were bulwarked up but they
were aimed rs unit A pressure on
the firing key in Loudcn's hand could
fire them all together. The buzzcr OH
LOudens breast was sounding now for
the Simultaneous discharge Of ull, but
the man strained less us he stopped,
and he waited only an instant before
his fingers closed on the key.
up hundred; one right! Up hun
dred; one right!' Corrections were COM
ing both for elevation and detection.
So nll 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 wide, black pail which did not
clear away, but rose higher and spread
thicker and thicker and blinded Wen
dells glass as his guns We're ready to
fire again. The smoke, blown by the
wind, cloudcd over the battlcship, and
more smoke and more poured up ahead
and on both sides and shut out all
sight from turret No. Q. The forward
turret also was silenced by it, shroud-
ed in blackness-a heavy, oil smelling,
sooty pail through which the Arizona
now rushed. 1t came from the Amcri-
can destroycrs which had been trailing
only the usual streamers of brown be-
hind them as they raced ahead Of the
battleships. 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 were silent
the sharp, inccssant "pang" of the de-
stroyers' quick f1rers 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, We're 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 success
full sight? Had they started their tor
pedoes 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 uselessly 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. Mt the last instant, the
strike of the torpedses which had
been launched.
There is span Of minutes following
the learning that torpedocs have been
dispatched ut 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 tlnn G.OOO yards, the
interval may be almost ten minutes;
and during those minutes there Is lit
tie for any one-cxcept the engine crew
and nevigators-to do but to think.
All preparation for torpedo attack
had been made on the Arizona. Long
before, when the gun crews were run
ming to their battle stations, their
mates below had closed every water
tight door, isolated each fire room and
the engine room. and the heavy "col-
lision" mat was ready to be brought
up and lowered over the side and
drawn over the chasm, which torpedo
would make, in IN 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 as the
bugles would he blowing the command,
abandon ship!'
The bugles, If they blew, would not
call for practice this time. And third
perhaps half.-of the officers and men
might be saved; that was the English
experience with battlcships hard hit
by mine or torpedo. The others would
go down with the ship Wendell's
throat contracted spasmodically as the
vision mastered him for the moment;
Nellie was before him-his young wife
with wide eyes and brave little lips