The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-01
warming Note that Makes the Arayss
Veterans Daek.


warming Note that Makes the ArAYss
Veterans Daek.
one OF the naval officers of Santiago
was talking about ducklng the head
when bullets or shells came uncomfort-
ably close, and, as he was never known
to finch before any duty, and had
heard the song of prUjectiles innumera-
bic in the civil as well as in the Spanish
war, what he said was listened TO.
Il ducked yesterday" he SAID, accord
ing to the Minneapolis Times, land
duclped hard, when a lS-incher from
the Oregon went over our deck, forward,
and pretty close. too. during the bonn
bardment, Help IL? OF course /
couldn't neither could any one else. The
pregnant hinges Of the knee work IN
voluntarily In reverence TO one OF those
roaring monsters You duck as you
would wink II fellow made q pass at
your face or you would sneeze u you
stuck a feather in your nose. VIII pow
er isn't any good as preventive; hasn't
time to work. Your head bobs down
and your legs bend before you can say
TO yourself: Don't be cowardly ass.
Funny, too, and also involuntary.
think 1t is the quick look that follows
the bobblng to see II you have been OBJ
served. OF course you nave been, and
equally Of course nothing is said because
every one knows by experience how It
ls himself.
How about rifle bulIets-Mausers, for
instance?" was asked.
"Oh they're different. Generally they
come too fast for ducklng, and you
quickly get used TO their ping or their
Zlp You know, too, that II the sound
Is a whine the bullet Is good ways of,
and IL it's the psf it's too late too
move, as the missile has passed you.
Besides, the rife bullets are usually eS-
Dected. while / never knew the close
ARRIVAL OF a big projectile 10 be anything
hut surprising. / think, too, The wind
age must have something TO do with
the effect on the nerves and muscles,
/ have often heard the question dis
cursed as 10 how close an s, 10, i or
t3-inch shell in full flight could come TO
a man without knocking him over by
stmospheric conclusion There doesn't
seen to be any rule; seems TO depend
on the man, or his position at the time
the shell passes. do not believe, how
ever, any one could keep his feet II a
high calibre shell came within ilNe teet
OF him. have no ambition to try.
"Dld you ever notice the difference
in the character OF the sound made by
an s. 10 or even a l2-lnch shely ana that
which accompanies a lS-lnch, LOO
pound feilow?"
/ assured him had not, as when
unklnd fate made me an attendant at
such dlapason orchestral feats thought
OF sins, not sounds.
"Well, it's very marked. Now, your
sub-calibre proiectile. and even the big
ger ones below the biggest, have pet
ulant sort OF wall with them. There -
a good deal oft he aqueal mingled with
their shrek. Sometimes / have heard
an S-lnoh shell cry as n In agony, and
the scream of Its flight as II left you
sunk into n sob almost human. But
the l3-inch gun means red war, and says
so, IT'S tone is horror made manifest.
but the horror that Is inspired not thai
which Is felt. There are few, or none
Of the higher notes heard as the devll
makes his 12-mile leap. An angry DOM
mating roar, a demOnicul spread OF
sound, a very cleavage OF the fright
ened waves OF the air--thats what the
iS-lnch tells to the tympanum. But,
bless my soul, what rot Pm giving you.
Almost poetical, declare. After all.
though. II the greatest poetry Is that
which stirs the heart, imagine the
threnody OF the big 13-inch Is not pro-
snlc"