Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-18


to the great bulk Of the Pennsylvania.
showing in green silhouette as, the
lightning flashed. there were two other
great drcadnaughts and half a dozen
new dcstrovers: the Oklahoma and the
Nevada had rome mp
Except for the dim glnws retecting
directly down upon the water Ia shaw
their positions tn the other ships y.
the squadron. the great vessels steam
ed without lights: only now and then,
as a lightning fash seemed 10 show
something movil. over the waves. u
destroyer turned a %searchlight through
turned his glasses then back to the
roads and the bay beyond. What's
out ~fartherg"
Some Of the mine layers. We've
put out most Of the mines at night, of
course, but the regents aircraft were
here right after daylight and spotted
most Of them. so we're adding Il few
more now-mixing the dummies and
the real ones"
Wendell nodded. Aloft In an aero
plane at Pensacola he had seen how
distinctly the mines. hidden by water
from lookouts on ships decks, stood
out to the pilot and observer far over
head. Every mine at the entrance of
the bay might he spotted on such a
sunshiny day. but the observers in
the air could not tell the real mines
from the dummies.
$50 our friend up there"-Wendell
searched the sky for the blue streak
Of the enemy aeropiane-'isn't our first
visitorf"
mo. sir: I should say notw
Where have they been coming
from2"
Some say that they must be coming
from a secret shore base In a swamp
somewhere or a backwater along the
coast They're all bydroaeroplanes, but
they're more probably coming from
some mother ship which is with their
battle cruisers"
"Where are the battle c%ruisersy"
A flush stained Wayne's face as he
answered: Haven't you heard, sir?
They've been raiding the coast all day.
Two cruisers up above Boston, they
say, shelled Salem and Newburyport.
There's some more have been Smelling
Rhode Island and Long Island and
New Jersey. They're all battle cruis.
ers Of their Carthage class or armored
cruisers of the Pera type. six or seven
knots faster than anything we've got
except u ~destroyep. Our ships at
Boston and in New York have tried
to drive them away. of curse. but
we've got TO semi out our nrst line
ships to do that Their battle cruis-
r give Is the laugh and keep just
out Of range Of us and shatter the
coast Atlantic City was on fire this
noon, with 200 or 300 dead. and the
squadron down this way-which that
plane comes from. probably-shelled
Ocean City, in Maryland. this morn.
ing. and another ship killed twenty
women and children at Virginia
Beach"
Wendell gazed at the great dread
naughts lying In the roads. He felt
the hush which had famed to the en-
signs cheeks as he confessed the help
lessness Of the feet against the re-
gents battle cruisers now burning in
his own veins. The two tall cage masts
Of the Arizona. toward which he was
bound. showed above the other ship.
ping before Portsmouth, and the OBJ
jective Of the aeroplane, at which the
antt-aircraft guns of the destroyers had
been firing for twenty minutes. now
had become clear. Twice while the
launch had been crossing the James
the eneny's plane had dashed over the
city, but had turned in q long ellipse
to swoop back again. On the third re-
turn now the pilot appeared better
pleased with his position. As he pass
ed over Portsmouth something dropped
which glinted in the sunlight, and
where It fell flame and black smoke
and dying debris billowed up. At the
roar Of the explosion the anti-air craft
guns redoubled their racket. but the
aeroplane only banked" and swung
about short and dropped another bomb.
which blew up a second black cloud Of
destruction.
"He's deviling the Arizona. you see'
Wendell handed his glass over to
Ross. who was beside him-"or he's
trying to get the navy yard arsenal"
The red warning fag-the signal for
other craft to keep away while the
battleship took aboard its powder.
shells and guncotton-futtered from
the Arizona's halyards. Wayne steer
ed directly for the great ship. The
aeroplane Of the enemy had passed on.
From q field near the water an Ameri-
car b!plane whirred into the mir. 1t
was all white wings and brown. body