The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-28
THE VOICES OF rRoJEcTrLEs.
A warning Note Tint Makes the
BraVest Veterans Duck.
From the Minneapolis Times.

KraNeSt veterans DuCk.
From the Minneapolis Times.
One of the naval officers off Santiago
was talking about ducking the head when
bullets or shells came uncomforts oily close,
and as he was never known to finch be-
fore any duty and had heard the song of
projectiles innumerable in the civil as well
as in the Spanish war, what he said was
listened to.
Il ducked yesterday" he said, land
ducked hard. when a 1S-ineher from the
Oregon went over our deck forward, and
pretty close, too, during the bombardment.
Help it? OF course l couldn't. Neither
could any one else. The pregnant hinges
of the knee work involuntarily in rever-
ence 10 one of those roaring monsters.
You duck as you would wink if a fell
low made a pass at your face or would
sneeze if you stuck a feather up your
nose. VIII power isn't any good as a pre-
ventive; hasn't time TO work. Your head
hobs down and your legs bend before you
can say to yourself, Don't be a cowardly
ass Funny, too, and also Involuntary,
I think, is the quick look that follows
the bobbing to see if you have been OBJ
served. OF course you have been, and
equally, of course, nothing is said because
every one knows by experience how ID is
himself"
How about rife bullets-Mausers, for
instance?" l asked.
oh they're different. Generally they
come too fast for ducking, and you quick
ly get used to their ping or their zip. You
know, too that if the sound is whine
the bullet is a good way off. and If it is
the sharp psf it's too late to move as
the missile has passed you. Besides, the
rife bullets are usually expected while
/ never knew the close arrival of a big
projectile to be anything but surprising.
l think. too, the windage must have some
thing to do with the effect on nerves and
muscles. ] have often heard the question
discussed as to how close an s, 10, u or
13-inch shell in full flight could come to
man without knocking him over by at
mospheric conclusion. There doesn't seem
to be any rule seems to depend on the
man, or his position at the time the shell
passes I do not believe, however any
one could keep his feet if a high caliber
shell came within five feet of him. I
have no ambition to try.
did you ever notice the difference in
the character of the sound made by an 3.
10, or even 12-inch shell. and that which
accompanies a 13-inch. 1,10O-pound fellow"
l assured him ! had not, as when nm
kind fate made me an attendant at such
diapason orchestral feats l thought cf
sins, not sounds.
"Wen, it's very marked. Now your sub
caliber projecules, and even the bigger
ones, below the biggest have a petulant
sort of wall with them. There is a good
deal of the squeal mingled with their
shrek. Sometimes I've heard an S-inch
cry as if in agony, and the cream of its
fight, as it left you, sunk into sob al
most human. But the 13-inch means red
war, and says 50. IFS tone is horror made
manifest, but the horror that is inspired,
not that which Is felt. There are few,
or none OF the higher notes heard as the
devil makes his twelve-nile leap. An an
cry, dominating roar a demoniacal
spread of sound, a very cleavage of the
frightened waves of air-thats what the
thirteen tells to the tympanum But, bless
my SOUL what rot I'm giving you! AL
most poetical, declare. After ALL though
if the greatest poetry is that which most
deeply stirs the heart imagine the thren-
ody of the big thirteen is not prosaic."
Thinking over this queer dfferentia ton
of projectile sound-as If some shells felt
regretful over The work they had to do
while the most destructive of all fairly
gloat through space ON their missions of
DEATH understood better the full pur-
port of SIMPSONS message to Toral, when
the admiral told him: Il have been firing
Pinch shells into Santiago to-day IN
less you surrender, the Oregon, Massa-
chusetts and Indiana will open on you with
13-inch shells tomorrow, commencing
about noon
Toral surrendered as you will remember
and in his dispatch to Blanco mentioned
this Sampson u.timatum.