The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-06-30


being injured by the sharp point OF
the heavy wheel. and which guides
the shell itself into the bore Of the
gun.
The brush being open and the tray
in place, the first sheIlman with all
his might hurlS into the opening the
shell that be has been holding, the
first poWderInan hurls after II bag
Of powder, and then even as the
| tray comes ont and the breech closes,
| the first shellman has turned without
| using his feet, and received from the
second shellman q fresh shell, and
| the first pOwderuan has turned ana
received from the second pOWderman
q fresh bag of powder.
That IS how the gun is loaded. II
| is a matter of seconds. In pracuce
| the shell and the powder bag (omis-
sion by censorD TO keys the junction
of two lines that cross each other at
a right angle on the exact center or
the bull's-eye. A third pointer does
the same thing with another pair OF
crossed lines, but the wheel elevateS
! the muzZle of the gun end or de-
the compartment Of that particular
| gun he is the luCkicSt, for he is the
only one who knows the exact mo-
ment when the bang IS coming. lie
causes it by pressing a button. AL
any moment while q certain buzzer IS
| I'd No
the bull's-eye, he is at liberty to fire
the gun.
Blast Of the Guns
We steamed slowly down the range
number of times, and all the com
partment guns on our side OF the
ship swung slowly from left to right
as the pointers kept the crossed lines
on the bull's-eye. And we all got
line because we knew that each prac-
tice run brought us nearer to that
real run when the awful blasts that
we anticipated would have to be en-
dured somehow.
We turned and steamed slowly TO
ward the range. We were in the
compartment, the gun crew and the
officer in charge, myself and twenty
or thirty fedgling seamen, who were
there to pick up what they could oy
eye and ear.
l have never in one time or place
seen so many forced smiles. One OF
them was mine. We had been served
with absorbent cotton and had plugged
10 a6
voices sound numb and far-of. 1t haC
J no effect whatever upon the voice o!
, the cannon.
The steel doors Of the compartment:
had been closed and locked. There
was no escape.
The range came over the speaking
tube. The first pointer repeated j
, and made an adjustment There
\ come q voice, even through cotton, .
: believing voice: Coming on thu
range! Coming on the range" Their
5 was q dead silence. Then low, clea
r and insistent like the deadly rattl'
| of our most infamous native snake
) the buzzer.
had forgotten about the gun il
> the next compartment. ! shall neve
forget it again. 1t went off.
Lifted by the Conclusion.
was sitting at the moment ant
my feet were swinging clear of tn
deck. l had nothing to jump into
But rose in the air and came down
Then our gun went. The flash wa
brighter than sunlight. 1t was of a
intoleIable brightness, and all but in
| tolerable was the bang that went wit
It. The assault was less upon tn
body than upon the soul. My ear
did not suffer ct all.
went out to see how many shot
were fred. l did not get used to Il
know that, for not once did ! Sc
the gun recoil and 60 back into place
Try as l would, that white, hot, deaf
ening flash shut my eyes tight for m,
watched q second run from tn
| bridge. 1t was pleasanter. The ban,
/ sticks were even farther off and 70
\ could see the tall, white splashes {
\ the ricochetting shells. / got SO thu
\ I could keep my eyes open.
\ have said that a battleship is
\ man. / have said that it is q cit,
\ It is neither. 1t is q romance. l r,
\ call searchlights that searched I'll
heavens and the face of the water
\ that crossed and crisscroSsed; I'll
\ | starry calls Of the bugles and I'll
\ sea-salt names of things. Have 70
lived In Arcadia? Well, / have live
s. In the Junior Officers Country"
r l remember a night of firing ,
u shells that gave off fire so that yC
{. could watch the long, lovely curv,
he of their flights; and of searchligh
;e which spoke to each other as east
70 and as freely Us q man speaks to
III man.
y. But what is best In our navy Is N
~ the machines, nor the drives, nor Il
III controls, nor any of the death-dealii
L or life-saving appliances. 1t is Il
~ spirit Of these men who, through di
r cipline and self-sacriflce, have learn,
III to find the true values Of life and Il
u true meaning Of that flag for viii,