The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-05-28

| the first privateers to leave the port re-
| turned In few weeks with a French
West Indiaman worth $1OOOO0; other
equally valuable prizes followed in quick
succession. "They the whole country be-
came mad after privateeering.' and the
mania even spread to the colonies. The
Liverpool Dr1vateersmen, second to none
| In courage and seamanship, made many
prizes, but, on the whole, the result OF
war to the merchants was disastrous.
IN the first four years alone 143 vessels
belonging to the port were captured by
the French, and this more than counter
balanced the gains of the prvatcers.
The experiences Of the seven Yeas war
were repeated during the American
war for independence. The Americans at
the outset sent forth fleet of pcivateers,
and soon the trade of Liverpool sank 20
sn all diner sions. Yet it was only when
the French and Soaniards joined in the
war that Liverpool entered with it's old
energy into the privateering business.
But, once started, so great was the zeal
displayed that between August, ITS. and
April, 1879, 12O private cruisers were fitted
ou1. An entire stop was rut to the com
mercial progress of the port, however
and beyond the occa sioral hustle Of nu-
merous sales by auction of the cargocs
of prizes taken from the enemy, there was
little business transacted It was, in
deed, only the activity and success of the
privateers that saved many of the Iiv-
erpcOl merchants from ruin.
The greatest of Liverpools privateer-
1t. AS result of all these forces thu
atmosphere is, of course, Violently dis
turhed. Although no projectile strikes the
gunner, who must stand by, 1t will be-
seen that the air Is full Of missiles in the
form of Invisible lines of force or vibra-
ton, which lombard, as it were, every
part of the gunners body at 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 ac-
counted courageous tremble violently in
their knees; others feel nauseatcd; somo
have severe headaches; a few have had
their eardrums split or the action Of their
heart affected.
Take the vital organ, the heart, first.
In the space between the right auricle
and ventricle are a set of fine, thread
like cords called the tendineae. The con-
cussion makes them tremble ike timbers
in building, when there is an earth
quake. 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 tendineae are snapped; contrac-
ton or dilation of the organ ensues and
in some instances death follows
Deafness induced by an explosion may
be traced to the sudden pressure upon
the inner orihce of the ear and the
tremendous 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 con-
veyed by the beating Of tiny mallet
upon this anvil. If the beating is too
rapid and too forcible, the membranes
may be ruptured, a temporary disturb
10 In tod o,,1 <I@
bcomes dizzy.
When the knees 'tremble it is due to the
nervous shock produced in the cerebel-
lum. All the nerves and muscles are
thrown, in atomic contractions and re-
laxations and the knees appear to give
way.
Nausea is also caused by the physio-
logical change that takes place in the
brain. There is a pressure of blood there,
and the stomach, responding, tries to
empty itself.
The whole nervous system, which re-
sembles a mass of fbrous roots running
all over the body, is affected when can
non as large as an s-inch gun is fired in
close proximity. The nervous tissue Of
the body is divided into two different
structural substances-the vascular,
| which is grayish and the fbrous. which
| Is white. In the former nervous impress
sions and impulses originate; by the lat
l.
forms the essential constituent of all gan
glionic centers. A third structure-chiefly
in the sympathetic system-is called gela-
tinous nerve tissue.
The nervous substance is again divided
into two different systems. TIE first, con-
nected directly with the great central
mass inclosed in the skull and spine, Is
called the cerebro-spinal system; the
other, called the sympathetic system, con-
sists of a double chain of ganglia with
| the branches that go to and come from
them. The large brain, or cerebellum,
| is the center of disturbance when the WIS.,
| ible effect is seen in trembling knees. The
fusion succeeds the shock OF the explo-
sion and nausea ensues.
Other outward manifestations occur
| when gun goes off. For instance.
| clothes may be torn or man even
knocked down by the conclusion. At
| the battle of the Yalu Capt. Philo Nc
| Giffin, who was standing near e-inch
gun, had his trousers torn INTO ribbons
| on one leg and long rent in the other;
| his uniform was as full of holes as a
moth-eaten jacket, and, he was nearly
blinded ard stunned. Yet. he knew the
| gun was going to be discharged, but he
| did not realize how close he was standing
/ to the muzzle and how the gases nber-
ated by. the combustion radiated in all d.
rectiOnS.
When the new battleships Kentucky
and Kearsarge have practice drills In
1 uunnery an interesting situation will arise.
/ trhe gun turrets are placed directly over
one another. II both guns are discharged
simultaneously the men In the metallic
confines Of the turrets will occupy unen-.
viable positions.
Not Lucky Name.
The name OF the ex-Empress Eugene way