El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-01

N7A5s1HINlGT I, NJ D - C, ~ april rl--
has improved within the last
year or so 40 per cent. Recent target
practice at Guantanamo indicated that
the big guns Of the ships engaged
could hit a battleshlp az least once
IN six shots at a distance Of nine
miles-this being the longest fighting
range in any sea combat OF the pres
said admiral Cameron MGR. WinslOw,
the other day: I'VE did our best shoot
ing in 1907 and 1908. Tnen guhhery
practice was anbandoned to great eX-
tent, and the shooting started down
hill. Now We are trying to get BACK
the shooting"
At the period OF the Spanish war our
big guns were not expected tot ire more
than one shot in three minutes. and
the craftsmanship was wretched- In
the sea-fight off Santiago, at an average
range OF less than three miles, fewer
than four shots in 100 scored. Ioday,
at twice that distance, each big rifle
should throw three shells minute,
and half Of them ought to hit.
Later on the British developed
system of rapid shooting. Progressive
officers in our own service urged Us
adoption; but the bureaus Of the navy
department. always conservative, OPP
posed the idea.
when we began this kinl Of shoot
ing" said admiral Winslow, the bureau
of ordinance said we would break cur
breech blocks: that there would not
be anything left, and that It ought not
to be allowed. They declared that what
the Britishc laimed as regards rapid1ty
and accuracy Of fire was not true phat
they. could prove matnemattLlc91liy ~ IL
could not be true. Nevertheless, IN
a short time we ourselves were sur
passing the results reported from the
British navy"
In ROoveyelts time our navy was
spending $4,000 900 a year in gunnery
practice But. after he had left the
white house, il was deemed pity TO
keep on throwing away so much money
in the shape Of ammunition. ana the
shooting was largely discontinued. Now
IT is being taken up again; for one
thing taught by the present war is
that big guns and accurate marksman-
ship are what decides modern naval
engagement.
knowing When to Fire.
Much of the skill of the naval gun
ner lies in knowing the right moment
to fire as the ship rolls; for most OF
the shots that miss go either TOO
high or too low. A battleship OF the
newest dreadnauEht type is 500 feet
long, but its "fTeeboard" is not more
than 80 feet above the water The
marksman, too must allow for the
speed at which both his own and the
enemy vessel are travelling, as well as
for the force OF the wind blowing
across the line Of fire
Then. Of course, there is the matter
OF ranges-meaning the distance OF
the enemy ship. the ggn-polnter,
it is the business Of the turret officer
to attend to the range. He gets his
information from dial Inside the tur-
ret. on which there is a hand that
points to a figure showing Just now
far off the enemy is.
This information comes from room
in the bowels of the ship, below
water-line. where there is master
dial" with a switch that governs the
dials in the turrets. 1t Is in that
room that the ranges are mathemati-
cally figured out from phone mes
sages sent down from a platform at
the top of the foremost.
The @Chief SpOtter."
On the platform is stationed the
"chief spotter," who does his work
with the help Of an ingenious optical
instrument called a range-finder. When
he looks through it. the effect Is eX-
actly as IL his eyes were twenty-one
feet apart II gives him two points
of view Of the enemy ship, separated
by that much. The p foot line serves
as the base Of an imaginary tri-
angle. the apex of which touches the
enemy vessel The instrument shows
the two angles at the base Of the
triangle. which. with the known length
of the base, gives the distance Of the
enemy ship-in other words. the range.
The chief spotter calls off the angles
to an assistant at the telephone. who
gives them to a man in the plotting
room" down below. where the ranges
are quickly worked out and commune
Gated. with the aid of the master dial,
to the turrets. When the fighting is
at short range. however. each turret
officer does his own spOtting, correct
ing the range by the fall OF his shells.
Projecting out through the top OF
the turret is a sort of crabs eye-a
periscope, in other wOrds-Which en-
shells fall. At long ranges, It is the