The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-19

and drills imposed upon him as the heavy
artillery service is at present organized.
In the first place, a heavy artilleryman
drills.
Up to within few years. ago the heavy
artillery branch was Handicapped by the
Even at the present time many artillery
men in the heavy batteries have had no
opportunity to drill upon modern breech-
Loading rifles such as are at Fort Point
and will be at the Denver resurvey and
Bolivar Point Notifications. There is all
the difference in the world between a muZ-
zle-loading and breech-loadng great gun
and the drill on each gun is entirely diff
ferent.
1t requires about two-thirds of an entire
battery to operate one of these big guns.
The men are drilled on them by numbers.
The gunner gives the command and each
man has certain work to perform, but each
man is required to master the duties of ey-
cry member of the guns crew, and for this
purpose he is shifted about from one num-
Der to another
AS there are a thousand and one or more
movements to be executed in getting a
great gun served and into firing position,
the mastery of the big-gun tactics is no
small matter for a heavy artilleIyman.
But there are SO many auxiliary. drills be-
SIDES the infantry formation and drills on
the big pieces. The drills called mechanical
maneuvers are the bane of soldiers in this
branch of the service. Properly, mechan-
ical maneuvers belong TO the engineers.
They consist of mounting and dismountng
the big guns and the heavy artilleryman is
phernalia required in this work almost
every style of gin, jack and tackle. 1t is
very hard labor and besides it is dangerous.
There have been some serious and few
fatal accidents in the army caused by the
attempts of heavy artilerymen, unfamiliar
with the work, to mount and dismount big
guns. aw
Another maneuver that drives to desper-
alton heavy artillerymen recruits, and
sometimes me; old. timers. too. is the instru,,
ment drill. This is sprung after he has had
time to become familiar with few of the
other drills.
1t is i'm this instrument drill that the
heavy artilleryman is expected TO develop
into a fair amateur scientist. Some of the
artillerymen become interested in the in
strument drill, or rather, the drills on in
struments, and take to the study of mathe-
MATES for solutions. But the majority of
them listen to the elaborate scientific ex-
plantations of the officers as to the uses of
the instruments. their mechanism. etc. and
promptly forget all about them until the
Text instrument drill. The instruments are
OF all Sorts-the &erometer, for example.
which is used i'm heavy artillery for the
purpose of ascertaining the strength of the
wind in its possible DETECTION of projectiles;
instruments for measuring the initial muZ-
zie and other velocities of projectiles; in
struments for measuring the power of pow
ders; sighting instruments. range finders,
search lights, electric firing apparatus and
other numerous small gear of scientific
character too varied to mention.
When the heavy artillerymen l. We got
ten we'll into. way with simple labors and
studies, which appear to the average man
as a lifetime study in themselves, they take
up the block and tackle drill BY this they
are required to learn how to rig any sort of
pulling, hauling or lifting apparatus. con-
ssting of enough pulleys and ropes to puz-
Zle the brains of even an old-time sailor
The heavy artillerymen who successfully
worry through all these trying periods and
ordeals with the greatest proficiency receive
gunners medals for first and second classes
in accordance with their respective degree
of merit.
These are a few of the hardest problems
in the life of heavy artilleryman, whom
the uninitiated too often envy as having
such soft Jobs" with nothing to do and
little TO learn beyond the knack of firing
one of the big guns that adorn the emplace-
ments al Fort Point. Soldier life is seldom
earns his pay and more, too. and his lot is
not a bed of roses even in times of peace.