The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-23

4x0G CldIIeI or tue IOIWdTQ Isdculuc gum made his shout almost unheard. At the first shell from tho Falcon the crew had trained tlle gun upon the nearest of the approach nlanes. Tho forward five inch boomed it, deep- er and slower reply. It did not attempt to reach the enemy's cruiser, The Fall con, using it's nine inch rifles, was en- gazing the Salem from far beyond the c< remc range of the American fives, but the destroyers, faster even than the 'FAlcon, were closer, and at the nearest of the three torpedo vessels the Salem was sending it's shells. They struck clcse' the spray squirting up white before the first destroyer, and now, following shot, there showed no spray, the proof cf a hit!
 A cheer. a wild, cxuitant cheer, swell eti from tho American gun positions; q numhlng shock-a disruption which deadencd in Barrett all sensation, after { his gasp and blink at the blindink yei- low fash befoTe lina+-stifed the choer ] and mutcd the guns at the same in stant. Barrett stood moment inscr- sible: that he had been crushed, beat , en r,on by mighty blow which struck / head, body and limbs equally; that he had been battered and dashed down, <nl9thered and broken, was the first consciousness which returned to him: Ltt, es he sought to scramble up, as he struggled and Sroped with hands 10 clasp something which would pull him to his feet, he discovered after q s,oment .thut he was standing.
 "A high explosive shell-one of the Hsues from the Falcon--had struck and 1, lxir.t on tho deck below him. Barrett ;:azcd down dizzily. The long brown barrel of his forward i've. inch rifle lsojntcd straight ahead and at the ele- .f,v4tlon for long range firing, but as he watched to see 1t recoil and for the vel lSv pun oE powder gases to mushroom : if-nrn the muzzle the gun remained mo tiorIess, silent Its crew were dead. Thct relief gun crew-Gt once began serving the big ride.
 For few minutes after the first two hits the Gmners of the Falcon had not shortened their range as rapidly as : their ship and the Salem were ap- s rk6aching each other c1d so, for those z moments, the nine inch shells had been Z passing overhead Now they were hit ting aSain, but st1n . little high They passed through the tunnels, piercing without exploding. They swept away s.anchinns boats and davitS Nov z they shortened the range properly and were firing Spray-a white, vicious waye-spurt@d from the sea ~directly ahead The shell, pn the ricochet, struck the side of the Salem glancingiy fnir and squ1ro at the bow and went through. and the forecastle deck erupt- cd urward as the shell exploded below
 Fiame and smoke followed. and Bar 1ett-s glasses, focused on ti,s feet far far ahead, were useless He gazed overhead and saw that the masts of his ship stin ftood and the wires of the 5 radio stfn were horizontal from fore to 1 aftermast. He stepped to the tele phone circuit which communicated with the foretop and fastened the re. ceiver over his cara
 What do you make of them, Mir.
 sriswold?- he said to the boy officer in command there.
 'Twenty-twot drcadnoughts, I think sir; nve squadrons of four ships each 7 the boys voice came to Barrett stead fly. ~Four ships of the Zeus class, siz { of the Trajan, four of the Pharaoh, six of the Sarypn class-rI can see theiI 1nasts very plainly and the others looh like the Thor. Four may be battle cruisens of the Carthage class, but can't say about that at all, sir. They are farthest away.
 And the restT' Barrett asked
 "Twenty4six more in sight, sir, seem to be cruisers, col1iefs and destroyers.' Barrett took the telephone receivers from his ears and, seizing his pad, he wrote the figures fn code The ships As the boy had seen them. agreed with IifD own guess of their number and their power. Griswold had been 1n the best place to see and Barrett had stationed him there because of his cool ness and keenness of sight. Another shell from the Falcon had struck and burst at the bo--r- while he had been talking with the foretop. Now another pierced the Salem's side. It's erup ton smothered for an instant the flames which the shell the minute be fore had started; then the blaze leaped hotter and higher from the crater be low the deck, but Barrett, his mes sage coded. gave no thought now td the hull of his ship; the destruction o1 that he had conceded long before. He { looked up aloft to the wires of the radio and, seeing they still remained ao choked fn thanks to God. He look @z back to where. amidship, the radio apparatus was housed; that, too, still seemed safe. He Caught at Marston who somehow stf1l was beside him thour. every one else had vanished from the bricge. Marston seized the message without waiting for command and hurried away.
 Come back, como back, Billy. when k it's sent and tell me that it's doner Barrett cried after him.
 The obliteraticn of the men at the < after i've was the Falcons instant an aver, and flames, with men contorted in agony on the after deck, wher shells burst bslow 1t as tho Salem lied Barrett turning m his bridge, looked