Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-05-06
THE ROAR OF GREAT GUNS
THE ORDEAL OF SOLDIERS WHO
SUPPORT A BATTERY.
The Effect of Terrific and Continu-
ous Cannonade Upon Man, Beast,
Bird and Fish

M twelve, six and nine Founders
in all-iring as rapidly as
they can be loaded. The re-
ports blend into roar, and you must
raise your voice as If hurricane was
howling about you. You are not i'm
pressed, but rather aggravated and
annoyed. There's snap to each
report like the cracking of great whip
IA spiteful sound which reminds you of
dog following at your heels with his
yelpl yelp! yelp!
There is no more trying situation for
soldier than to be lying down in sup
port of a battery. He is only few
yards in front of the guns, and he not
only feels the full force of the conclusion
as communicated to the earth, from the
''kick" of the gun, but the report itself
seems to strike the spinal column and
travel up to the back of the head. Then,
too, there is the fear of shells explod-
ing prematurely or of grape or canister
ter ''dribbling" to cause wounds or
death, and 1t is positive relief to see
column of the enemy break cover for
charge. The roar of the guns does not
linger for hours after, as is the case with
mortars and siege guns, but you find
your nerves on edge and your temper
spoiled for day or two. The men who
lay in lines with battery firing over
them probably endured more mental suf-
fering than the enemy at whom the guns
were pointed. The fire of great guns is
terribly trying for the first few minutes,
but this feeling gradually gives way to
one of awe and sublimity.
There is something terrific and appal-
ling-you feel yourself so atomless in
comparison-that you would speak in
whispers If the roar could suddenly ease.
Yoli are an onlooker; if assisting to
work gun, physicalactivity would take
away from the mental strain. When
Admiral Porter got his twenty mortar
boats, each armed with an eight and
half-ton mortar and thirty-two pound
rifle cannon, at work against the forts
below New Orleans, aud the big guns in
both forts had opened in reply, there
wes something akin to the sound of
heaven and earth coming together. The
mortar shells weighed over 200 pounds
piece, and the rush of them through
the air made ones hair feel as if it
crawled. The venomous hiss of big
skyrocket was magnitied thousands of
times, to be followed by crash which
seemed to split the sky open into cracks
and crcvices.
When the iring-iad continued until
all reports had been merged into one
steady roar there was little short of an
earthquake on land or sea for ten miles
around. The earth shook as il great
steam hammer was pounding it few
yards from your feet. If standing near
tree, you could feel the roots letting 20
of the soil with sound like bugs crawl
ing over dry leaves. On the water great
mud spots rose up here and there to
show where the earth, forty feet below
had been disturbed. Iu the Mississippi
River Itself huge catfish leaped above
the surface in fright and pain or floated
and were carried along with the current,
gasplng for breath. Out on the blue
water air bubbles as large as dining
plates tloated TO tle surface aud burstei
with snap, and fish of all kinds exhi-
Thirty miles away the roar was like
that of gale sweeping over pine for
est. Horses aud cattle sought 10 hide
away, birds flew about uttering cries OF
distress, and dogs pointed their noses
toward the sky and howled dismally.
Birds and fowls felt the air aud earth
waves long before human beings did,
and their actions were so queer as to be-
come alarming. The coming of the roar
to those afar of was preceded by jar
ring OF the earth and u moaning in the
air. Springs ovetliowed, and the water
IN wells circled around as in II whirl-
pool. The widest species OF bir Is left
the woods aud thiekets aud came flying
about the houses, AMI rabbits deserted
their burrows aud sought the companion.
ship OF domestic animals. The thun leg
storms OF score OF years combined
could not have rent the heavens nor dis.
turbed the solid earth as that cannouade
did.
Ii the beginning was painful aud ex-
asperating the ending was something TO
be remembered for its grandeur. One
eH|ff" "tASf .H"saeit quo Eisat gun hlieF
another, was sileneed by order. The re.
verberations bad travelled through air
aud earth aud water a distance of llfty
miles. They now seemed To return
back 10 the guns. The rent aud riyen
skies had kept up constant moaning
aud complaining. &c These sounds gradu-
ally died away, AS man Ia pain finally
drops of to sleep. The earth resumed
its solidity again, the sun shouc forth
ia is old familiar way, aud the bank OF
clouds pilei up ia the west and tiuged
with gold al along their loser edges
seemed proof 10 the eye that the world
still stood as we had lived in IL the day
before those monsters awoke and de
manded human blood and wreck sad de-
struesion a. the price et their silence, -