Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-25


under the American flag, when visited
by correspondent of The Associated
Press, through arrangement with the
committee on Public Information, were
working day and night to bring about
the defeat of Germany on the sea.
Ready for battle, they are spending
the waiting period turning out sailor
men.
The fleet, temporarily, is a great
workshop of war. Already it is turn
ing out one of it's finished products
men who can fight. They are serving
the guns on American armed merch-
ant ships. It's other produet-me who
can run the great merchant feet the
United States will use to feed the Al
lies-will be ready as soon as the
ships.
Five-inch guns, the kind principally
used against submarines, are there by
the hundreds. On the decks great tur-
rets house long fourteen and twelve
inch rifies-three or two to turret.
On high platforms guns used for de-
tense against airplanes point to the
sky. Brass is always shining, steel IS
always polished, paint is always new
decks are always white with scrubbing.
The men behind the guns have lost
shipmates in the war-they were guns
crews on merchantmen sunk by Ger
man submarines. And other shipmates
now are on duty aboard the destroy
ers operating with the British ana
French flets. The men with the At
lantic Fleet are working to prepare
themselves to avenge the killing OF
their mates.
Here's what happened the other day.
A crew was practising with a tive-inch
gun. A bluejack about seventeen-he
still had down on his chin-was point
ing. He grasped handles on broad
brass wheel; his eye was steady at a
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 the beardless youth were
grouped other guns crews ready to
| fire when his crew had completed its
period.
The breech snapped open, the load
was thrown home, the breech was
hurled back in place and then buzzer
operated from the fire control station
sounded; there was fash, roar, the
hiss of a projectile speeding through
tie air and the louder hiss of COM
pressed air blowing smoke out of the
gun. Miles away the projectile struck
the target.
Guess that's bad" said an old-time
raan-o'-war's-man, looking on admir-
ingly 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? Sup
pose that had been a submarine and
The buzzer, the roar of the gun and
the hiss of air interrupted him.
Another hit. &c whiskers that's
shooting
On the after deck latest arrivals
aboard the ship we're set to work that
day, and every other day, in fact, upon
the loading machines They consist
principally of a breech 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-
treme loading speed by competition,
The newest member of the ships COM
panies 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 reg
ular charges. One Founders, that go
OFF with a sharp crack, are dashed on
top of the big guns and the crews go
through all the motions of firing but
instead of a big shell, a little one
weighing pound speeds for the target
when the buzzer sounds or when the
turret captains in charge of the bigger
rifles yell "Fire!"
After a period of firing with the sub
.ealiber arrangement the crews get
down to real battle practice. There are
few buster places than 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 motor cycle are there for
them and on every side are instru
ments. AS the turret begins to fire, a
lift, bearing the huge projectile, bangs