Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-02
:.
By -*
EDWIN BALMER
Copyright, 1916, by the Chicago
Tribune
CHAPTER XIV.

mo Emo OF Sno 0AttIOs
TSHD Idaho must be turning again.
Bob knew, to prevent being
headed by the Trajan. Yes;
the flagship was turning and
had signaled the others to follow. for
the Arizona was sheering of, it was
made plain, by the degree which the
turret had to turn to keep the guns on
the varon. That meant that the Amer
lean column was being crumpled back
into semicircle, with the enemy's
feet circling outside and able to con-
centrate the fire Of two dreadnaughts
upon one, but that was better than let
ting tho Trajan and the rest cross
ahead. They had the speed and sim.
ply were taking advantage Of it.
Again It was only subconsciously and
without bitterness that Bob recorded
this. He had too much which was ter
ribly immediate for his attention. He
had become aware that the telephone
circuit which brought the corrections
from the chief fire control station. had
been silent for several salvos. The
sight settlers were taking off their he'll
NETS, which fastened the telephone re-
ceivers to their ears. They were NOV.
ing In obedience to the visual signals,
which still were working. Now, after
those shells had struck again some
where without the visuals remained
unchanged, while the voice tube COM
manded q correction Of the range. So
connections to the visuals also were
cut. Only the voice tube remained.
Down 100; one leftw the voice In
the tube was commanding clearly,
loudly. Down 100; one left"
Bub saw to 1t, mechanically, that the
corrections were made.
It was becoming more and more
strange and uncanny to be shut up
there in the turret, dispatching salvo
after salvo Of monstrous shells at q
ship eight miles away and witnessing
your fire destroy foremost and funnel
and now mainmast on tho enemy's
ship. It was strange to recognize that
only two turrets Of the Varon now
were firing and not know Of your own
ship even how many guns were in &C.
tion other than those you saw loaded.
If tho Arizona's foremast-the mast
in the top Of which Garry had his bat
tie station-had fallen in different
direction Bob might not have known
for some time that It was gone It
would have been impossible for him
~ d,st,np ,,iah the crash Of It's fall from
the disruption which had become A.
most constant a., the varon's shells
struck and struck again.
Az it happened. the foremost fell
forward, and the steel supports OF its
"caee" interfered with the guns. The
turret could not turn to keep trained
upon tho varon. Bob reported to tho
voice in the speaking tube why his
turret did not IRE. and he received or
ders to keep his crew behind the ar
mor-other men would be sent to clear
the vreckege away.
The fall Of the mast meant that Gar
~ was gone, OF COURSE. Sob's brain
recorded that certainty without feeling
and wondered at the lack OF emotion
at the same time. Bob guessed It was
one Of the natural things about light
ing q turret. You killed n Thousand
men-a dreadnaught's crew, II you
had ;uo:k-:aa3. 9. yye.,r own ship men
were being killed BY hundreds. but
you never saw them. Only Q main
battery shell couId possibly enter your
turret, and then only II 1t struck very
straight. II Il got in It would kill all
your men and you, too. probably, 30 1t
would be all over at once. 80 you did
not see any one dying. You did not
90 .tha man who were blown to pieces