Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-10-20
haps: but they could spare them. and

haps: but they could spare them. and
more.
up 2o0r The mockery came from
the fire control station. up! Upf'
The guns could not be elevated any
farther: the gun crews. sweating and
gasping. loaded frantieally. desper.
ately. TO give the Pera one more shot
for the Balch. boysf'-before the
enemy were beyond a chance. But
the officers IN the coming tower were
giving It up. The bugles blew:
"Cease iring."
Louden. the firing pointer, pressed
his fingers on his key. The gun be-
side him leaped back and the air out.
side was riven. 1t was after the bugle
had blown. Louden turned and faced
Wendell with eyes burning.
81 beg your pardon, sir. but I was
on and-my brother was boatswain
on the Balch,'
Bob nodded. The Pennsylvania had
ceased firing too. The sun had dis
appeared minutes before. and dusk
was settling swiftly. with clouds blow
ing up overhead. The enemy's cruis-
ers became only a spot of smoke on the
horizon. and Don the smoke disap.
peared. Wendell saw to the unload
ing of the guns which had been ready
The rifles of the torpedo defense-the
twelve inch-five gun OF each side of
the ship-were still manned. but the
crews of the fourteen inchers were
crawling out Of the turrets. AS Wen
dell stood again on the quarter deck
moving reefs, V which waves were
breaking. appeared off to the left-the
American X and L submarines steer
ing on the surface and making for the
shelter of Chesapeake bay.
Bob watched the tiny craft rolling
and tossing almost helplessly as they
struggled with the sea: they seemed
scarcely to move or hold Roadway
There no need to question. as one
watched them. why they had failed t.
gain position from which they could
have attacked the escaping Carthage
and the Peras; the ensigns In command
had all the. could do to manage thelI
vessels at all: indeed. the f1otilla com.
mander was signaling the Pennsylva
nia-Bob saw the winking light-for
aid. A light from the dreadnaughi
flashed in reply: the commodore could
not spare a destroyer to tender the
submarines now. but he was wireless
ing the roads to send a tender.
Wendell gazed back grimly over the
rough sea in which the American sub
mersibles were laboring. The regents
underwater boats were back there. too
but, instead of searching for aid. the
enemy's submersibles were forcing the
American battleships and destroyers
to keep on at twenty knots. to mar
every torpedo defense gun. and double
all lookouts. They had shown nc
more than their periscopes. but every
one knew what they were-great un
dersea cruisers capable of keeping tC
the sea In severe weathers and OF
maintaining themselves for weeks
without a tender.
"God help our KS and LIS" some one
muttered as the American submarines
disappeared into the darkness, IF they
run across the regents rs"
"Td swap them chances" some ont
else rejoined. We've five destroyer:
to ourselves and the Pennsylvania thi'
night"
Bob Wendell kept silent. but he fol
lowed the feeling of his companions
The X and L boats were taking ter
rible chances, but certainly neither tn
Pennsylvania nor the Arizona could
spare them a convoy. With the Balch
gone. five destroyers remained to dc
picket and outpost duty for two
superdreadnaughts. Four for each
ship would be a minimum for safety
the regent protected V his cruisers
of the Pera class with foul destroyers
each; 1t was known that the princes
dreadnaughts had six or eight destroy
ers apiece.