landsmen, is the statute mile, 5,280 feet. A ship steaming 30 knots an hour would cover 34% of our land-miles in that hour. For rough calculation it is customary to figure a knot as equalling I 1-7 land-miles.

Q. What is meant by a “naval screen"?

A.-It means the sending out of scout cruisers and other very fast vessels with enough cruising radius and power to sweep far ahead and abeam of the main fleet (sometimes half a thousand miles ahead) to prevent the scouts and cruisers of the enemy fleet from finding out anything. If the screening vessels are sufficiently powerful, they may sink or drive back the enemy scouts. If they are weaker than the enemy, they try either to draw them off on a wild-goose chase, or else they race back toward the protection of their own fleet, sending wireless warnings as they go.

Q. What are territorial waters?

A.-Territorial waters are the harbors and indentations of a nation's coasts, and, in addition, the open sea to a limit of three marine miles (6,000 yards) from the whole line of coast. This distance of three miles was fixed long ago, merely because at that time the utmost range of a coast cannon was about that distance. It has often been proposed to extend this territorial zone to ten or more miles, but the three-mile limit remains in force. Within that distance of a neutral coast, enemies may not fight or take prizes, etc.

Q. Why are the German naval

guns not so big as those of the American and British navies? A.-The German naval principle was to depend on the very great power (ballistic property) which they deemed was assured by the Krupp method. They believed that this justified their reliance on 12-inch guns against the 14-inch guns which were being mounted in increasing numbers in other navies. But after the arrival of 15-inch guns in the British Queen Elizabeth class, the Germans also began to design 15-inch-gun ships. It appears reasonable to assume that our 16-inch turret batteries would heavily outclass the German ships of any date earlier than 1916.

Q.-Does the term "all-big-gun

ship" mean that these monsters carry no other guns?

A.-No. They carry plenty of other guns-rapid-fire guns, machine guns,

fighting-mast guns, anti-aircraft guns, automatics, and in addition a thousand or more rifles. Nor is that all. Peering from armored ports on each side are the "little brothers" of the great turret guns-a row along each side of the ship, under deck, of 5- and 6-inch guns. There are as many as twenty and more of these guns in the "secondary battery"-a battery which would have been considered as being super-armament for a cruiser of President Cleveland's time when we began our navy by building the famous "White Squadron." The heaviest ship of that squadron carried no guns bigger than 8-inch, and only a few as big as that.

Q. What is the battleship's most dangerous opponent?

A. Apart from its natural opponent, which is another battleship, the torpedo remains the one great menace to the battleship. In every engagement during the great war, whenever battleships (dreadnaughts) or battle-cruisers took part, they were harassed and endangered immensely by destroyer squadrons that maneuvered under thick smoke-clouds and launched torpedoes at long ranges.

have survived the gunfire of their equals Several big armored ships that might were sunk by the little craft. But, on the other hand, it is undeniable that the torpedo has failed to prove itself such "sure death" as its enthusiastic supporters had foretold.

Q.-Are

some American naval ships not named for flowers? A.-No. The ships you think of are Treasury Department vessels belonging to the lighthouse service. They are known as lighthouse tenders and are partly under naval rules-almost wholly so during war. These tenders bear such names as Myrtle, Golden Rod, Maple, etc.

Q.-Did an American vessel fire on

an Italian warship after the United States entered the war? A.-Late in the summer of 1917 the United States gunboat Nashville was in the Mediterranean on cruising duty when a submarine emerged suddenly. The Nashville broke out a signal which should have received an instant reply from a friendly vessel. No reply was made and the Nashville opened fire, killing one of the submarine's crew. Then there were signals which showed that the submarine was Italian.

a cruiser?

A. In the old days of sail, and even in the early days of steam, almost any warship that was on active cruising duty was referred to as a cruiser. When steam and armor-plating came in, the term became strictly limited to certain types of ships, fairly large, swifter than other types, more or less protected, but not as heavy as the real armor-clads.

Now, with the vast and phenomenally swift increase of our navy, the term has begun once more to be very wide. We have powerful ships known as armored cruisers, ships almost as big, but much less powerful, known as scout cruisers, and very light ships (scarcely protected at all except for a thin plating of extra steel around vital parts) known as light cruisers. In addition we have little motor-driven patrol vessels that are called scout cruisers, though in former days they would have been known merely as patrol-boats.

Then there is the new type of ship known as battle-cruiser, which, actually, is bigger than the battleships of a few years ago, mightily armor-belted and laden with turret-guns.

Thus we may say that the term "cruiser," used by itself, has quite lost any specific meaning now.

Q.-At what range can a gun fired

from a battleship hit an object?

A. In the naval battle between von Spee and Craddock, off the coast of Chile, the two squadrons opened fire on each other with deadly effect at 12,000 yards. In the running fight off the Falkland Islands, most of the execution was done at a range of 15,000 yards (81⁄2 statute miles).

ican ships?

A. On the heaviest all-big-gun ships the armor belting is composed of steel plates 16 and 18 inches thick. A rough and ready naval saying is that armor must always be at least the same as the diameter of the gun that may attack it. Thus, 14-inch armor for ships that may have to fight 14-inch guns, etc.

Q-What service is required of a naval hospital apprentice, first class?

A.-The Hospital Apprentice First Class renders services required from a hospital orderly, with a training of six months in one of the four Hospital Corps Schools. He is enjoined to "study the methods of the Nurse Corps and learn all he can about the care of the sick." At sea during the past few months the hospital corpsmen have had very hard work.

At shore stations beyond the seas the hospital corpsmen have been kept a little over the usual 18-month period. They may serve today on Asiatic stations, in Europe, and with marine forces on expeditionary duty. Physical and litter drill and first-aid instruction has been given to all hospital corpsmen.

Q.-Have we established marine zones for coast defense?

A. Yes. An executive order of April 13, 1917, established defensive areas at the entrance to chief harbors of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, Gulf of Mexico and insular Colonies. No vessel may enter the limits of these areas except by permission of the harbor patrol and by following certain definite routes. No vessels not belonging to the United States Navy may enter at night. Vessels disobeying are subject to detention for investigation.

A.-No. It protects them only relatively. That is, at extreme fighting ranges these modern ships can receive the fire from the heaviest naval guns (12-, 14- and 15-inch guns) and survive. But when the range falls to from 6,000 to 4,000 yards the armor-piercing shell from big naval guns can perforate the armor on super-dreadnaughts.

In warship construction, armor and gun have run a race for many years, with the gun always keeping a little ahead.

black scarf?

A. This scarf is worn in memory of the sailors who have died in previous wars. There are four stripes woven in the edge of this scarf, representing the four great wars in which our Navy has participated.

Q. Why are a sailor's trousers made wide at the bottom?

A. There are two reasons. One is that in landing through surf from ships'

boats, sailors must be ready instantly to leap into the sea when the boat gets into shoal water, to drag it up before the breakers swamp it. To do this, it is necessary that they shall be able to roll up their trousers above their knees with

ease.

The other reason is that one of the daily duties aboard ship is to "swab decks," and that is always done barefoot and barelegged when the weather permits. The very wide, flaring trousers are, therefore, a matter of efficiency.

Q. What is the significance of the thirteen buttons on a sailor's trousers?

A. These represent the thirteen original states.

Q. What is meant in the navy by the word "brig"?

A. It is ancient navy slang for the ship's prison. Every naval vessel has a group of cells for offenders.

Q. What other navy slang is there?

A.-There is hardly anything in the Navy from the captain to the hold that is not known by a nickname. The captain is always called the "skipper" (except before his face or before an officer). A sailor is known as a "Gob." Hash is always called "Ballast." A battleship is known as a "battle-wagon." The hammock is called a "dream-bag.". Leaving the ship without leave is "jumping ship." An anchor is a "mud-hook." The electrician or wireless man is called "Sparks." The ship's carpenter is always called "Chips."

different detachments of fleets. Important actions might take place, but it was often weeks before the Admiralty knew anything about it. Now the governments are in actual touch with every warship, no matter in what part of the world it may be. Every torpedo boat, even, has its wireless installation and can receive the admiral's orders direct. The submarines are similarly equipped. This makes it possible for the great battleships to lie far away from the coasts and yet be always available when wanted.

Q-Do aeroplanes have wireless?

A. The most up-to-date have, but the range is small; ample, though, for scouting work. Owing to the noise of the motors it is impossible to receive messages on them, because aerial messages have to be read by sound. Therefore they can only send. Dirigibles, however, are fitted with wireless, which has a wide range, and can both send and receive.

Q. What is meant by "jamming" the wireless?

A.-"Jamming" is generally resorted to by weaker ships trying to escape. They send a storm of electric waves through the air with such rapidity and strength that the pursuing ships cannot get messages of warning through to other vessels of their fleet.

The famous cruisers Goeben and Breslau, which were apparently penned in the Adriatic by a big squadron of British ships, jammed the messages of the vessels that sighted them, and did it so successfully that they succeeded in getting out of the straits of Otranto and running into the shelter of the Dardanelles.

The Karlsruhe, when exchanging shots with the British cruiser Bristol, during a running fight in West Indian waters early

war on the sea?

A. In the old days an admiral sailed away with his fleet, and was entirely responsible for its movements. Each individual ship, in addition, sent on special service, had to rely entirely upon itself. One of the greatest difficulties was that of communication between the ships and

radiograms so that the British cruisers Lancaster, Essex, Berwick and Suffolk, which were all in those waters, did not succeed in getting the Karlsruhe's location in time to come up with her. result was that she escaped into the South Atlantic and conducted disastrous raids on British commerce for many months.

The

using?

A. The standard American military rifle is the Springfield army rifle, so named because it is made in the government armory of Springfield, Mass.

There was a sufficient quantity of Springfields on hand to arm fully the expeditionary forces that went to France in 1917. When the first draft went into the home camps, the government had about 600,000 Springfield and 100,000 Krags in hand. The Krag was the army rifle used before the Springfield was adopted, and still is a good rifle. These Krags are being replaced with Enfields, and the men who paraded in New York on Lincoln's birthday carried the latter weapon.

Q. Is it better than the British

Enfield rifle?

A. The British Enfield is a famous arm; but in January, 1918, Secretary Baker of the War Department testified before the Senate Committee on Military Affairs that just before the outbreak of the European war the British government had decided to remodel its Enfield rifle to gain some improved characteristics such as those that exist in the Springfield, an especial point being a change to enable it to take a rimless cartridge which is one of the notable features of our Springfield rifle.

Q. Did the country have enough Springfield rifles to arm all the troops?

A.-No. But there has been a quantity quite sufficient to supply the expeditionary forces in France from the very beginning.

Q. Is it not true that the United

States ordered Enfield rifles?

A. Yes. There were many American factories that had facilities for making the Enfield model, because they had been filling orders for the British government. To change this machinery so that it could make Springfields would have been in many cases impossible and in all cases a matter of too much time. It was decided, therefore, to order the Enfield model to help out in the quantity.

ferent caliber?

A. Yes; but it was found possible to change the machinery to make the Enfields take the same ammunition as the Springfields. The British rifle was .303 caliber. The Springfield is .30 caliber. The magazine of both rifles is loaded with a single motion by simply shoving in a "clip" with the requisite number of cartridges. The clip for the Springfield holds six.

Q.-What is the principle of the Enfield rifle?

A. The British rifle is built on the principle of the famous Mauser riflethe rifle which the Boers used against the British in South Africa and the Spaniards against us in Cuba.

Q-Does the Springfield rifle shoot as fast as one can pull the trigger?

A.-No. There are some patterns of sporting rifles which shoot that way, but no army rifles are made on that automatic principle. The army rifles are repeaters, but the soldier must throw each new cartridge into the breech by pulling down a little lever. It is an almost instantaneous operation.

Q. Why do armies not use automatic rifles?

A.-Partly because the automatic rifle has a very much more complicated mechanism than the army rifle. This is no great objection in a rifle for sport, because sportsmen generally are experts. The soldiers in an army, however, as a whole, are not experts. Besides this, the army rifle has to be used much harder than the sporting rifle. Therefore, it is essential that the parts of an army rifle shall be as few and simple as possible. Another objection to the automatic principle is that soldiers are prone to waste cartridges extravagantly once they begin firing.

Q.-What weapons in this war are American inventions?

A. The submarine (discovered by an American, Bushnell, in 1775), the torpedo,

How were the catapults operated?

A.-The giant cross-bow was bent by drawing back the "bow-string" of rope or sinews with powerful levers. The ballista was a huge beam or plank set in a

ensen's "phalanx"?

A.-A wedge-like tactic of General von Mackensen's army of attack around Cracow (Russian Poland) in the campaign of 1915. By the phalanx tactics, his army was fashioned into a mobile battering ram, battering its way by narrow front breaches, opened by the heavy guns, through the Russian line. The Russian line, which was of long, thin formation, was pierced and crumbled under the wedge-like ram. The tactic was used largely on the Eastern front, where the opposing lines were of great length.

Q. Why is a big gun called "Big Bertha"?

A.-It is a slang term invented by the German soldiers (and adopted by the opposing armies) to characterize large Krupp cannon, because the present_owner of the Krupp works is a woman, Bertha.

Q. What sort of weapons were

utilized before cannon came into use?

A.-There were many engines designed to fire arrows or hurl stones by mechanical means. The machines finally produced were very powerful, and for a long time held their own easily against gunpowder. They worked on the catapult principle. One favorite weapon was a gigantic cross-bow, the predecessor of the cannon of today, and another was the ballista, which was the howitzer of the Romans. These weapons were used for siege warfare, and seldom appeared on the battlefield. Small catapults were occasionally used in the field, but the ballista was only used when attacking towns and fortresses. It was large and heavy.

principle of a modern gun-trigger. To "set" it, it was hauled backward to firing position by men who operated stout hawsers with levers or winches. When this tension was released, the plank was jerked forward with vast violence by a "spring" made of ropes or sinews that had been twisted to the utmost degree possible.

Q.-What weapons did soldiers

use during recent wars?

A.-At Waterloo the British used the old Brown Bess flint firelock. In the Crimea they had the same gun, converted to use caps. Rifles based more or less on the Mauser mechanism are now most generally used. In fact, the French Army is the only one which has stuck to the far less convenient tube magazine. This French Lebel magazine rifle is an excellent weapon, but the mechanism is more liable to get out of order than that of the more simple Mauser. The Mannlicher rifle is used by the Austrians, the Italians, the Greeks, the Bulgarians and the Dutch. The Mauser is used by the Germans, the Belgians, the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Turks. The British use the Lee-Enfield, the Russians the Nagant, the Americans the modern Springfield.

Q.-When was a breech-loading rifle used for the first time in war?

A. In the Austro-Prussian war, of 1866, the Prussians used what was called a Zündnadel Gewehr (literally meaning "fire-pin gun"). They used the same gun in the Franco-German war of 1870-71, but the French had a better weapon, the chasse-pot. The German artillery was