The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-07
The PenIs of the Gunner.

The Penls of the Gunner.
Not one man in 1000 has q clear idea
OF just what happens when a big cannon
is fired. The physical manifestations are
numerous Even professors OF chemistry
and physics are stumped when they want
to dinerentiate all the gases set loose and
the peculiar effects they induce The
purs of whitish smoke the fash OF fire.
the roar. and the recou are all familiar;
but back of these is complex mass OF
phenomena most bewildering TO the mind
OF any but~an artillery expert
First. the cubes. disks. hexagons. or 'r-
regular Jumps of powder are chemically
transformed into a powerful expanding
gas the instant firing takes place Then
there are innumeTaole hy-products that
even chemists do not understand
The explosion of gun-powder is divided
into three distinct stages, called the lgnl-
ton, Inflammation, and combustion Inc
ignition is the setting on fire of the hrst
grain. while the Inflammation is the
| spreading OF the fame over the surface
of the powder from the point OF ignition
Combustion is the burning up or each
grain. The value of gun-powder is due
to the fact that when subjected 10 sum-
/ Gent heat Ii becomes a gas which eS-
pands with frightful rapidity. The So
/ called explosion that takes place when a
match is touched 10 gun-powder Is merely
a chemical change. during which there IS
I a sudden evolution OF gases from the orig
| inal solid.
II has been calculated that ordinary
! gun-powder on exploding expands about
| 5000 times, OF fills a space this much
! larger as a gas than when in solid form.
When this chemical change takes place
I in a closed vessel the expansion may be
made 10 do a work Ike that Of forcing
| a projectile along the bore of the great
| gun or test tube in the line OF least re-
| sistance.
| The hardest work a gunner is called up
| on TO do is 10 stand the tremendous shock.
| The forces exerted by these gases in ex-
1 panding seem to radiate in all directions
/ from the cannon as ripples are caused by
/ dropping a pebble In A pool Of stu water.
/ AS d matter OF fact, II has been discovered
/ that these lines Of forces are exceeding
| ly complicated affairs. and play queer
/ pranks about the cannon As result
/ few people know just which is the safest
/ or the most dangerous position for = gun
ner 70 take beside his gun. In the case
| OF the great 13-inch guns on our monitors
/ a position back of the gun IS much easier
than one nearer the muzzle.
! In addition 10 this force there is an i'm
/ mense pressure eXeTted on the side OF the
/ cannon. SO that another distinct series OF
1 shocks also radiate outward from the bars
/ rel of a gun. These lines OF force are
| influenced, besides. by the recon OF the
| gun, which tends 10 make the lines curve
outward and intenslhes the shock. These
are in turn more or less compensated by
| the forces OF air opposing them as il
rushes into the mouth of the cannon when
/ the projectiIe leaves 1t. As a result OF
| all these forces atmosphere Is
of course. violently disturbed AL
| though no projectile strikes the
| gunner, who must stand by, II
will be seen that the air is fun Of mis-
siles in the form of invisible lines of force
or vibrations, which lombard as 1t were
every part Of the gunner's body az the
| same time
An examination and analysis OF the ef-
feet produced upon the human system
and the mind by the firing OF cannon is
most engrossing. Men generally accounted
courageous tremble violently in theu
knees; others feel nauseated; some have
severe headaches; few have had their
ear-drums split or the action OF the heart
| affected
Take the vital organ-the heart-first,
| In the space between the right auricle
| and ventrice is a set OF fine. thread-iIke
! cords called the tendinae. The Concus-
| sion makes them tremble like timbers In
a building when there is an earthquake
/ In a weak man the chamber Of the heart
! is left open for an instant; the opening
and closing springs lose their control; the
| heart shakes; possibly the chordae ten
| dinae snapped; contraction OF dilation OF
the organ snsues and in some instances
death follows:
Deafness induced by an explosion may
be traced 10 the sudden pressure upon ths
| inner orifice OF the ear and the tremndou.
| vibration set up. The thin. transparent
! fairly bright membrane called the drum
of the ear is burst( like a piece Of tissue
paper held taut and forcibly blown upon
/ Sounds are conveyed by the beating ot
a tiny mallet upon this anvil II tn,
beating is too rapid and too forcible the
1 membranes may be ruptured. a tempo.
! rary disturbance of the mind occurs and
/ the sufferer becomes dizzy
When the knees tremble It is due 70 tn,
nervous shock produced in the cerebl
! lum. All the nerves and muscles are
! thrown into atomic contractions and re-
/ taxation and the knees appear 20 Civ,
/ away.
Nausea is also caused by the physiolog
! ical change that takes place in the brain
| There is a pressure Of blood there. anc
! the stomach, responding, tries to empty
| Itself