LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 95, 19 September 1874, Page 3

LITERATURE.

ON BOARD THE DEVASTATION. We now ascend to the hurricane-deck, and stand beside a small sort of greenhouse, in which are four enormous wheels, uaed for steering. This steering apparatus is nearer the head than the stern, and the men steering can see well before them. On the table behind the wheels we can see a large chart of the coast of the Isle of Wight and the soundings at Spithead ; and the compasses and parallel ruler on the chart, indicate that ' cross-bearings' may be made use of at any time to determine the ship's position. At the word, the ship's cable, an enormous iron chain, begins to crawl round a revolving windlass, and to creep down a hole and disappear in the mysterious depths below. This windlass is tnrned by steam, and readily hauls short the cable, and finally brings up the anchor. The cable, which has lain on the muddy or sandy bottom, is not allowed to enter the ship without being well washed ; a powerful jet of water therefore plays on it just as it comes near the deck, aud thoroughly cleans it. This jet of water is also forced out by steam. As the strangelooking anchor comes on deck, the Devastation moves slowly ahead, and glides through the water as easily as if she were a ship, instead of being a sort of infernal machine created by some tremendous engineering mind, when in a state of nightmare. In fact, she is more like one's infantile idea of a bogie than anything we have ever seen. As the monster gets under weigh, we note that one man steers, and does so easily. ' Steam ?' we suggest, as we point to the man and his wheel. ' Yes,' is the reply. ' Have you Been the engine ?' 'No.' 'Then we will take a look at it before breakfast.' We descend into the bowels of the ship, and there is one of the twenty-six engines, all worked by the steam generated in the principal boilers. As we look at this, an 'eccentric' suddenly spins round in the most excited manner, and gives some twenty revolutions, then stops, and shortly again spins round. < We can steer from here,' says our guide, ' if necessary; this little wheel will do it all.' ' Steam, of course V ' Yes; steam.' We begin to add up, and we find that tha boat we came in is hoisted by steam, the turrets are turned by steam, the guns themselves are raised or lowered by steam, the ship is ventilated by steam, steered by it, the cable is washed by it, and the vessel, of course, is moved by it. We are surprised, when we sit down to breakfast, to find that an oversight has been committed by the designers of the Devastation, for the fowls on the table are carved by manual labour, and not by steam ; and even the bread has to be cut by hand. The morning continues bright and fine, as we glide through the water, pass the Warner and the Nab light-boats, and steering southeast, and then nearer south, pass the low land of the island, and come opposite the bold headland of Culver Cliff, then pass the village of Sandown, and opposite the highlying town of Shanklin, and then ease the ship's speed, in order to get out a target, for we are going to fire the mighty gunß of the Devastation. As we steamed from Spithead to the ' back of the island,' we noted that the Devasta-

tion rolled most palpably, although there was very little sea on ; that she would roll very much in a heavy sea, seemed fn>m tins experience very likely ; and wc asc irtaitu that she '■t.uld do so, she having i

already as much as thirteen degrees own way. The amount of the vessel's lolling » " pitching is ascertained by an apparatus, in vented by a gentleman named Froude, the term ' Froude's' machine being used to de signate this contrivance. We ascend to a rough wooden box of large size, in which are some balanced arms of wood : these arms, as the veasel rolls or pitches, are kept pointed at the horizon ; and a string attached to one end of these arms is connected with a pencil in a receptacle below, so that the pencil traces out automatically certain lines, which vary in length according to the pitch of the sea. As we steamed on, the spray broke over the lower deck, and a white-crested wave rose before her bows ; but there was not enough sea on to shew us the Devastation wave, aa it is termed ; and as the day advanced, the wind deceased in force, and the sea consequently calmed down. A tent-like apparatus is now hoisted over the side and lowered into the water : as soon as this floats, the 'tripping-line' is held taut, a wooden peg snatched out from between two loops, and a target floats on the sea. The monster vessel moves slowly away from the target; and we now have an opportunity of seeing the handiness of this craft, for she is turned in a small circle of not more than two hundred and fifty yards in diameter, and obeys her helm like the puniest yacht in the Solent.

And now a bugle sounds, and men and officers begin to bustle about, like ants stirred by a stick in their nest. Some rush down gangways, some haul themselves up ; each man has a station, and makes for it, for the signal has been given to beat or sound •to quarters.' The iron stanchions and chainß that did duty for bulwarks on the lower deck, are all removed, and turned down so as to be clear of the guns ; and we now note that each man and officer is armed with a cutlass or sword, whilst some dozen Sniders are placed handy on deck, with a box of Boxer's ammunition near them. It is suggested to us as probable, that when the hundred-and-ten-pound bolster of gunpowder is fired off, the light stock of the boat, such as oars, seats, &c, may jump out, and may came down on one head ; so we are recommended to take up a position in a small iron building on deck, from which we conld see the target and yet be safe from «windfalls.' In the floor of this building there is an iron grating covering a small den, in which a naval officer appears to be detained as prisoner : it is a very rat-trappy-looking place, a sort of catch-em-alive, oh. This officer's duty seems to bo to blow into some widemouthed pipes, which whistle cheerfully shortly after he has withdrawn his mouth from them : he then murmurs sundry messages, such as : ' Fore-turret, load ;' 'ls after-turret ready ?' &c, to which are given replies which we trust are not the result of his imagination, for we hear no voice or sound, and are left without other evidence of the reply than the statement of the gentleman in the rat-trap : everybody, however, seems to believe him, so we also give him all aith. As the monster turns slowly round, shewing its broadside to the target, the captain turnß to an active-looking officer who is armed with a sextant in one hand and a book of tables in the other. This officer has been engaged measuring the angular distance between the.horizon and the target. The height of the observer's eye above the sea level being known, the angle subtended as above gives the range, which can be ascertained by looking into tables calculated for the purpose. This method, termed * Byder's,' is now generally used on board ship to find the range, and was proposed about a dozen years ago; but was of course ignored, and the inventor snubbed, by ..the authorities. 1 "What do you make it ?' says the captain. ' One thousand and fifty,' says the officer. * Are they all ready V inquires the captain of the victim in the rat-trap. •All ready, sir,' is the reply. ' Independent firing,' says the captain ; and we note that themaiority of individuals put their fingers in their ears. We stand for some minutes with our fingers stopping our ears, looking earnestly at the target. The monster vessel slowly glides through the water, and gently rolls a few degrees either way, rendering accurate firing a matter of skill in judging at what instant to discharge the gun. Several minutes having elapsed without a shot, we remove our fingers from our ears, and at the same instant, the deck seems to jump under us ; a terrific shock to our whole system occurs, a deafening roar, and then, whirr-r-r, a shot, looking like a sea-bird, speeds just over the target, just touches the sea, sends up a jet of spray a hundred feet in the air, grander-looking than the largest fountain at Sydenham, and whiter than driven snow. On rushes the shot, its wicked, vicious noise distinctly audible, and again it strikes the sea, after a bound of about two thousand yards. Another column or water rises in the air, and slowly descends in spray. A third fountain arises as the shot thus * ducks and drakes' it along the sea ; and then the iron missile, that weighs a third of a ton, having lost its velocity, sinks beneath the surface, and is no more seen. Scarcely has the first shot disappeared, when we again feel the same terrific shock ; the deck leaps, there is a crack near us, and then a mass of smoke, thicker tliau the densest London fog, covers us, as the turret to windward has belched its one hundred and ten pounds of powder, and discharged its iron bolt at the target. We wait for the clearing, and we then see, from the mark in the water, that the shot struck short; not enough allowance for the roll of the ship having been made. In five minutes the guns are again loaded; but the Devastation has altered her position, and now she, the target, and a distant pilotboat are nearly in line ; and as the shot from the vessel will range five thousand yards, it is not safe to fire, as the boat is estimated at within that distance. The Devastation is sent ahead at full speed, the order to do so being conveyed to the engine-room by telegraphic signal from the upper deck ; she is turned in a small circle, and takes up a new position, where a clear horizon is before her ; and she again discharges, first one, then another of her monster guns in the fore-turrets, she lying head on to the target at the time. The aim, as before, is good, and had a ship been where the target wap, she shortly would have been at the bottom of the sea, To be continued.