The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-28

~ his glass. The late afternoon
sun shone down upon the sea
Visibility, for the time of the day, was
at its best. The sunlight showed the up
per works of the enemy's ships in
clear, sharp silhouette to the Ameri-
cans, while TO the men on the Carthage
and the Peras the Arizona and Penn
sylvania must appear to be steaming
down a. dazzling lane OF light The sun
must be directly in the eyes of the
enemy's fire control spoilers. their sight
settlers and turret trainers and gun
pointers. 1t was impossible to think
that the enemy had chosen such a po-
sition to offer battle; it was impossible
to think that that force Of the enemy
had come to offer battle at all. Their
three broadsides did not equal the
broadsides Of the Arizona and the
Pennsylvania; armor protection was all
In favor of the dreadnaughts; speed,
and speed alone-an advantage of
seven or nine knots-adhered to the
enemy. They had come trusting to
that to save them when the American
ships should draw near enough to
threaten them; they had appeared. not
to offer battle, but to lure the slower
American ships out.
They're the cruisers which have
been coming down our coast" Ross
said to Wendell. They've sunk four
vessels and put the passengers and
crews in small boats in that sea to
row ashore, and they've been Smelling
everything in sight; they shelled the
hotels at
Bob nodded; he had heard Those
ships out there had bombarded help
less cities. murdered men. women and
children In little coast villages to at
tain the very end they now were
gaining-to force the American battle
ships to come out. After slaughtering
and destroying all day they had show,
ed themselves-a weaker. inferior force
before the bay, where the division
OF the newest and most powerful ships
of the American feet lay cleared for
action. Their spies undoubtedly had
relayed to their commanders by wire
less that the word had come from
Washington for the Americans to
move to the protection of the seaboard
The enemy knew that, whether the
American commanders wished it OF
not, the American battleships must
come out.
They're trying to draw us upon
mines, of course" said Ross.
"Or upon submarines.
well, IL they're playing that game
they'll find two at it, perhaps. Six of
our submarines went out submerged
couple of hours ago. They're wait
ing off to the south. That's why the
Pennsylvania pretending to wait for
us. We're giving the subs time to get
placed"
They're starting to withdraw to the
SOUTH" Wendell said, his hands
clinching tight as the forward gun OF
enemy's ships indeed were definitely
moving off. but not so swiftly as to
at once discourage pursuit. They re
manned just beyond or just at the limit
Of extreme range at which main bat
terry guns might hit. and as the Car
thage and the two Peras withdrew
shells from their turrets continued tt
squirt up spray before the Pennsylva
MIA.
That ship forced ahead faster, anC
now Bob Wendell felt the Arizona's
deck vibrating with the tremor of tur
bines pushed "full speed ahead" The
bow wave piled up in white crest
which splashed up and over the fore
castle as the great ship dipped More
lowing the Pennsylvania. altered it,
| course to the south in pursuit of The
nemy's ships. The men of the guI
irews, who had been below bathing
were crowding out now upon the fore
castle deck They were nude to thu
waist, and the hot afternoon sunlight
| cleaned ON the pink and brown fiesf
| Of their bodies and sparkled on thu
drops of spray splashed upon them.
Far ahead of the Pennsylvania ant
well away on both beams the Ameri
| can destroyers-the Cassin and Cum
mings, the Alwyn and Balch and TIVE
others-tossed and tipped as they dash
| ed through the waves on their watcl
| for the enemy's submersibles. Far IL
the air overhead two American bi
| planes circled, their wireless sendin:
back word that so far no mines and n
| enemy submarines had been sighted.
| Wendell gazed now and then at thes'
auxiliary craft, but the men of tn
| gun crews, crowding eagerly forward
| ignored everything but the Pennsylva
mia, which still was firing slowly AM
singly, one gun from No. turret, nov
a gun from No. 2 another gun from
No. 1, again from No. 2. The Arizo
mas gun crews pointed In their env.
and cried out to one another. Scrap
of their EXPLANATIONS came back t
/ Wendell on the wind. Puff Anothe
gun fired on the Pennsylvania. am
now, as soon as that could have beel
reloaded, all six guns of the two for
ward turrets went together In a salF'
which hid for a space of second all tn
fore part Of the ship. at the sight o
/ the great yellow cloud belched befor
the turrets a cheer burst from the gu
crews of the Arizona. The thunde
of the salvo came down the wind AM
swelled the cheer into a wild. eXultan
shout from the men below as well a
those above. For every one who coul'
hear or see knew what the salyo mean