The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-08-22

a moment S delay. One ship carried
into the Jutland battle an army officer
on. leave from France who was Calling
on a brother on board. He returned,
fortunately, published it, as his mature
and well considered judgment, thas ne
felt moro at home in the trenches. Two
destroyers conveyed the visitors around
the squadron There was considcrabl
fresh paint visible in splashes, more on
the German officially sunk Warspit
than elsewhere, but what that meant
in the way Of damage was Greek to- the
outsider. Two facts: impressed an
American. That the commanders of
the larger ships averaged about 10
years younger than the commanders
Of ships of the same class in the Amer
lean navy, and the number aud varie-
ty and adaptibility Of the supply craft,
the navy commissary department.
= The only thing approaching leisure
discovered was on some of the destroy
ers. These sea scouts work IN Shifts
Four lays OH active duty "a very ac-
tive duty, four days in port ready to
| start at the drop of the hat, and four
days Quitting with more or less shore
leave, is their program
Some information and scraps Of Cos
sip of the battle came out in the course
of talk. One item was that. Admiral
Beatty went through the fight on the
bridge and did not take protection of
any of the armored places which build
ers make for shelter in battle, and he
was under heavy fire. Another, that
when the Marlborough was hit by d
torpedo, and all believed that she had
only a minute or two to live, her com
mander issued two orders. One was to
close the watertight doors that she
might float as long as possible, and the
ohter to fire all guns at utmost speed
where there was reasonable target.
as she could at the last moment, think
ing with all the others on board that
the last moment had struck. There
leaked out seeming consensus of
opinion that certain high officer is
considered just, without bowels of
mercy for carelessness or slackers, and
yet men like to serve under him.
Then an incidental reminiscence by
a surgeon on one Of the ships which had
the good luck to escape, being hit He
was below of course. waiting for the
wounded, and playing the hardest part
if that can be experienced on ship in
action. Even harder than the engi-
neers and stokers in the depths, who
work without seeing or knowing what
goes OH above, and how goes the bat
tie, because he was neither working
nor seeing. The great guns were rock
ing the ship and none below knew
whether it was victory are all to the
in novel, paper covered and frayed
| Probably where heroic Algernon leaps
overheard and rescues blushing Made
line from the jaws of the shark. 81
| duIl1G l. thought IL was d D1uu. 11C
did not turn the page, and kept on
reading and turning them over. I was
thinking about home and mothef.''
On this big ship as on all the cruis.
ers and destroyers, there was one strong
reminder Of their work About all the
smaller guns were stacked shells; shells
lining the sides like Nankins plates and
on. the walls, Of a porcelain collector
and shells in boxes and in baskets
Shells, and more shells,'' apparently
is the motto of the navy, as it is OF
the army.
/ Not Yet a While?.
1t IS not supposed that Great Brit:
ain will carry the thing so far as to
declare q bOycOtt apairs+ +,,o-~t