Why older warships accepted cross-firing turrets

Why did ships use cross-firing turrets despite blast damage?

They were judged better than nothing because broadside gun count mattered more than clean firing arcs.

Cross-firing turrets were an imperfect answer to the constraints of the period. Designers wanted the maximum possible number of heavy guns in a broadside and accepted awkward placement to obtain it. The useful firing arc could be narrow, and firing across the deck risked severe blast damage. Those disadvantages were visible, while the alternative placed fewer guns on the target. The layout survived because broadside weight ranked above clean arcs and damage to the ship's own upperworks in the design priorities of the day.