The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-05-31

fleet ever under the American flas
when visited by a correspondent of tn
Associated Press. through arrange
ment with the committee on public in
formation, were working day an
night to bring about the defeat o
Germany on the sea. Ready for bat
tie, they are spending the waiting
period turning out sailor men.
The fleet, temporarily, is grea
workshop of war. Already it is turn
ing out one of its finished products
men who can fight. They are servin,
the guns on American armed mer
chant ships. Its other product-mei
who can run. the great merchant flee
the United States will use to feed thu
allies--will be ready as soon as tn,
ships
Five-inch guns, the kind principally
used against submarines, are there by
the hundreds. On the decks grea
turrets house long IA and 12-incf
rifles-three or two to turret. or
high platforms guns used for defense
against airplanes point to the sky
Brass is always shining, steel is al
ways polished, paint is always new
decks are always white with scrub
bling.
To Avense Killing Of Mates.
The men behind the guns have lost
shipmates in the war--they were gun
ners on merchantmen sunk by German
submarines. And other shipmates now
are on duty aboard the destroyers OPP
Grating with the British and French
fleets. The men with the Atlantic
fleet are working to prepare them
selves to avenge the killing of their
mates.
Here's what happened the other day
A crew was practicing with a five
inch gun A bluejacket about IL
he still had down on his chin-was
pointing. He grasped handles on a
broad brass wheel; his eye was steady
at rubber cup at the end of a long
sight, through which he saw the target.
His duty was to keep the gun on the
target so it might be fired any time.
Around this beardless youth were
grouped other guns crews ready to
fire when his crew had completed it's
period.
Hit the Target.
The breach snapped open, the load
was thrown home, the breach was
hurled back in place and then buZZer,
operated from the fire control station,
sounded; there was a flash, roar,
the hiss of a projectile speeding
through the air and the louder hiss
of compressed air blowing smoke -out
of the gun Miles away the projectile
struck the target.
Guess that's bad" said an old man.
o. war's-man looking on admiringly at
the third shot, as the guns crew got
the range and the pillar of white
water leaped into the air.
"How would that do for FritZy?
Suppose that had been submarine
and"
The buzzer, the roar of the gun and
the hiss of air interrupted him.
another hit! Gee whiskers that's
shooting"
On the after deck latest arrivals
aboard the ship were set to work that
day, and every other day, in fact, upon
the loading machines, They consist
principally of breach and block and
slide that carries away dummy pro-
jectiles and powder bags.
officers with stop watches in their
hands set one crew after another to
work; the idea being to develop ex-
IRENE loading speed by competition.
The newest members of the ships
companies work for days at these
loading machines. The next step in
their training carries them to the
guns. But they are not yet ready to
fire the regular charges. One pound
ers, that go off with sharp crack,
are dashed on top of the big guns and
firing, but instead of a big shell, lit
tie one weighing a pound speeds for
the target when the buZZer sounds or
when the turrett captains in charge Of
the bigger rifles yell "fire!"
Real Battle Practice.
After a period of firing with the
subcaliber arrangement the crews get
down to real battle practice. There
are few buster places than a turret in
action. Concave steel walls are all
around, and a steel roof is just above
the heads of the gunners. The point
ers sit far forward. underneath the
barrels of the guns. Little seats like
those on motorcycle are there for
them and on every side are instru-
ments. As the turret begins to fire,
a lift, bearing the huge projectile.
bangs up from below, great bags Of
powder slide from the magazines into
long brass trough. Husky blue
jackets toss the powder into another
brass trough that is slipped into posi-
ton at the gigantic breach. The pro-
jectile, almost as large as a man.
meanwhile has been rolled into the
trough, long automatic. rammer has
jumped from the rear and shoveled 1t
into the barrel. The powder bags are
driven home, man at the breach
swings a lever a ton OF steel swings