Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

444 ENGINEERING WONDERS OF THE WORLD. THE “ DREADNOUGHT’S ” QUARTER-DECK CLEARED FOR ACTION. {Photo, S. Cribb, Souths^.) the coming fight, no doubt—will seem curiously skeleton-like and bare. To this exterior clearance work, which is much in evidence, but, though necessary, by no means the most essential, succeeds the preparation of the fighting power of the ship. This is of two natures—the making ready of guns and torpedoes, and the organ- izing of complete and dependable readiness in the engine-room. A breakdown of the motive power of a battleship during a fight would prove almost as disastrous as the failure of the guns. To take the guns first. Whilst the gun crews in the barbettes are giving a final look at their weapons, fixing on the telescopic sights, testing the ele- vating, recoil, communicating, gun-cleaning, loading, turning, breech, and other mechanism, the men two or three decks below have opened up the magazines, and, after exam- ining the fuses carefully one by one, have placed the various descriptions of shell—each being distinguished by a different coloured “ nose ” or “ cap,” such as yellow for “ high explosive,” red for “ armour-piercing,” white for “ solid,” etc.—in such a manner that they will be immediately ready for transportation to the “ hoists,” by which they are elevated to the base and breech of the gun being served. In the engine-room the engineer captain is testing personally all the working parts of his obedient giants ; whilst his lieutenants supervise the t*ie ’ ... . , . . Engine-room. oiling of this or that joint or part, and help in the stokehold or bunkers to encourage their men to maintain a full head of steam, so that, should the captain in his conning tower far above demand the maximum power from his ship, his engineers