Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-04

.'They started it-without warningv'
/ Marston cried.
Barrett stared, his eyes glowing, his
lips tight pressed. A second sudden
haze from the Falcons forward gun
dimmed Its deck: hundred yards
closer to the Salem, but still little
to the left the shell shrieked into the
sea.
Fire. Barrett cried. "Give 1t to
them! Oh, give it to themv He turn
ed to Marston, restrained. "Code, The
Falcon has fred upon u.s. and get It
of quick"
The clatter OF the forward machine
gun made his shout almost unheard.
| At the first shell from the Falcon the
crew had trained the gun upon the
nearest of the approaching planes.
The forward FIVE inch doomed its deep
er and slower reply. 1t did not attempt
to reach the enemy's cruiser. The Fal-
con, using it's nine inch rifles. was ell.
| gaging the Salem from far beyond the
extreme 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 its shells. They
struck close. the spray squirting up
white before the first destroyer, and
now. following shot, there showed
| no spray, the proof Of a hit!
A cheer, wild. exultant cheer. swell.
ed from the American gun positions;
numbing shock--a disruption which
deadened in Barrett all sensation after
his gasp and blink at the binding vel.
low flash before him-stified the cheer
| and muted the guns at the same in.
slant. Barrett stood moment insen-
sible; that he had been crushed, beat.
en- upon by mighty blow which struck
head body and limbs,equally; that he
| had been battered and dashed down,
smothered and broken, was the first
consciousness which returned to him;
but, as he sought to scramble up, as
he struggled and CROPPED with hands
to- clasp something which would pull
him to his feet, he discovered after a
moment that he was standing.
A high explosive shell-one Of the
mines from the Falcon-had struck and
burst on the deck below him. Barrett
gazed down dizzily. The long brown
barrel of his forward five inch rifle
pointed straight ahead and at the ele-
walton for long range firing, but as he
watched to see it recoil and for the vel
low pun or powder gases to mushroom
from the muzzle the gun remained mo-
tionless, silent. Its crew were dead.
The relief gun crew at once began
serving the big rife.
For few minutes after the first two
hits the gunners Of the Falcon had not
shortened their range as rapidly as
their ship and the Salem were APP
preaching each other and so, for those
moments, the nine inch shells had been
passing overhead. Now they were hit
ting again, but still little high. They
passed through the tunnels, piercing
without exploding. They swept away
stanchions, boats and davits. Now
they shortened the range properly and
were firing. Spray-a white, vicious
wave-spurted from the sea directly
ahead. The shell, on the ricochet,
struck the side Of the Salem glancingly
and did not burst, but the next struck
fair and square at the bow and went
through, and the forecastle deck erupt-
ed upward as the shell exploded below.
Flame and smoke followed, and Bar
rett's glasses. focused on the feet far,
far ahead, were useless. He gazed
overhead and saw that the masts Of his
ship still stood and the wires of the
/ radio still were horizontal from fore to
aftermast, He stepped to the tele-
phone circuit which communicated
with the foretop and fastened the re-
aeiver over his ears.
"What do you make of them. Mr..
Griswold7" he said to the boy officer in
command there.
Twenty two dreadnonghts. think,
sir; ave squadrons Of four ships each, :
1 the boys voice came to Barrett stead
lily. -Four ships Of the Zeus class, stx