The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-30


different from the banging resound Of
the guns Of the destroyers-came down
the wind; the noise of the tours
diminished.
Wendell tried again to make out
something through his periscope but
the smoke was still all about the
Arizona.
what do you make Of that, HoltT'
he asked of the turret captain. TOR
pedof
Eyes, sir; one of the destroyers gone.
I should say, sir"
One of the destroyers gone! That.
now, was plain. The smoke about the
Arizona was thinning and, as Bob's
field of vision extended a couple Of
hundred yards forward and to the
left, he saw a destroyer sinking by the
stern. 1t was one Of the newer and
larger Of the destroyers-a long, four
funneled boat with two masts and
with sharp PROV pointing to the sky
1t was the Aylwin, or the Balch. which
had been on guard ahead the few min
utes before, its guns going, its fun
nels belching smoke for the hiding of
the Arizona; smoke still steamed from
the forward tunnels as the destroyer
sank; but its guns were silent, leering
to the sky. Men were falling from It's
slanting deck into the sea, others chung
to stays or stanchions. They made no
signal to the battleship as 300 yards
away. 1t rushed by in the haze of
smoke which the other destrOyers sus
tanned. The Arizona bent on the de
struction of life, could not halt to save
men from the vessel which had been
protecting the battleship; the men on
the destroyer knew it; one of them
waved and Bob knew that he was
cheering. as the Arizona passed; then
he leaped into the sea.
The clatter of a machine gun; the
rattle Of another, replying. sounded
from the air overhead The turret
guns of the Arizona were still masked
and silent: the torpedo defense batter
les on the battleship still lacked a
became distinct. Two aeroplanes were
fghting-an American machine pur
sued by a monoplane of the enemy
and driven back over the American
ships. Bob saw the duel but a flash
ing second as the aircraft swept over
head The smoke was disappearing;
the destroyer, which had been belching
the pail, appeared again-or rather
three of them appeared where there
had been four.
Grange. one. nine, o double Or the
telephone transmitters in the turret
were talking again. The visual upon
the bulkhead displayed the range as
the sightsetters sprang to their sights
Commence firingv'
The Arizona had passed through the
zone where the enemy's submarines
had waited; the American observers In
the aeroplanes and on the destroyers
far ahead had reported no more sub
mersibles In a position of danger; those
which had been passed could not sub
merged, overtake the battleships. The
Pennsylvania, with its patrol Of de
stroyers ahead and on both sides, also
was safe. Far, far ahead the great
cruisers of the enemy appeared in
fight. A mast was gone from one of
the Peras, the third ship in the line
at which the Arizona had been firing
The gun crew cheered as Bob reported
it to them; cheered again for the
Pennsylvania as he told the men that
the Carthage lacked a funnel. The
enemy had been hit and were in fight
Boys. that was the Balch they tor
pedoed! Boys. for the Balch-and for
the Salem the other day.
The right gun leaped back in its re-
coil as the firing pointer pressed his
key. The roar of a gun from the
Pennsylvania doomed In rivalry over
the water. Both ships were firing but
one gun again to find the range before
firing by salvos.
up 5OO!'' The order came quickly
from the elevation Of the sight, and
after the sight was corrected and the
gun fired, up DOOR,
Up! Up! The Peras and the Carthage
were dra wing away. They had been
hit-hard hit-the Carthage battle
cruiser and the rear Pera. One had
lost funnel; mast was down on the
other. They must have been damaged
below, but they were drawing away
from the American pursuit. no mat
ter what the engine crews of the
Arizona and the Pennsylvania could
do. Smoke-the smoke from the fun
nels Of destroycrs such as had hid thv
American dreadnaughts frors the re
gents submarines-was rising in
cloud about the enemy's cruisers: the
no longer were tr-inc to lure the
American shi"E ont: they were NOT
firing back: thew wee trying only t.
get away. And they were doing IT
although they had been hit-hard hit
two of them-they were doing it. They
had lost couple of knots speed. per
hans: but they conId spare them. and
more.
up 200!'' The mockery came from
the fire control station. up! Upr'
The guns could not be elevated any
farther: the gun crews, sweating and
gasping. loaded frantically, desper-
ately. to give the 'Pera one more shot
for the Balch. boysr'-before the
enemv wore hevnpd chance RJ1t