The Wasp, 1918 · page 316 of 330
The Wasp — 1918 — page 316: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **narrative text only—no cartoon or illustration visible**. It appears to be from a serialized fictional story about a naval battle, likely from the Spanish-American War era (The Wasp's publication period). The text describes a sea engagement between English ships (the *Breda* and *Ruby*) fighting against nine enemy vessels. It focuses on James Burnham, a gun-captain on the *Breda*, whose artillery crew performs exceptionally despite heavy casualties. The passage emphasizes Burnham's dedication and skill under fire, noting that even with a third of his men dead or disabled, his guns never fail to fire when targets appear. The narrative celebrates naval heroism and disciplined military performance rather than offering political satire. Without visible cartoons or caricatures, this page functions as straightforward adventure fiction rather than satirical commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE WASP oe. captains. His spars continued to stand as if by magic; and every broadside of his wrought havoc to the enemy aloft and below. The Ruby was not quite so fortunate, and just before sunset drew aside from the core of the unequal fight. The Ruby returned to the fight at dawn, and all day the two did battle against the nine, while the other English ships hung off and watched. By the third morning James Burnham was in command of all the guns on the Breda’s upper deck, starboard and larboard; and never be- fore, perhaps, had guns been served so furiously, yet so faultlessly. A third of his men were dead or disabled, and yet the fire of his artillery never failed when a target was presented. Now he set his own hand to the tackle. His coat was gone, his fine shirt was torn, and blood and powder-smoke begrimed him. Henry Todd, who had deserted his sheltered but harrowing tasks in the cock-pit, fought and sweated at the gun- captain’s elbow. In a lull in the cannonading the admiral des- cended from the quarter-deck and picked his way among the dead and wounded to where _ the gun-captain stood a little withdrawn from the crew of the nearest gun. James did not see the admiral, but was staring off across a splintered comichooks.com