The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-23
WAR PEN PICTURES
WHAT a BATTLE is LIKE UNDER
MODERN CONDITIONS.
Grim Realities and Shocking Scenes
Nothing Is Seen. No Men. No Smoke
The Noise is Internationally
Sinhts and Awful Sounds,

one OF our war correspondents. In
HE course OF private letter 10 "A
iripud gives some vivid pictures of
,hC realities ot war under modern
conditions.
"\~ regards my oWa feelings ia n
ight II Is very hard To describe; |
know when the thing is all over AMI |
lm an right feel much happier ANY
muu Who has been i'm a modern tight,
whore men are being knocked over nll
around. aud says hc likes II, Is n liar
lu former days II must have been diff
forrut. The enemy could bc seen, the
smoke could hc seen, and rifles had
lu hc reloaded after every shot At
! 600 yards you were In comparative
safety The infantry. after receiving
puc NollrN. could charge. knowing
that until the enemy had loaded
again each man was practically safe.
Nowadays that Is all changed.
Nothing rs seen No man, no smoke.
The only thing seen is the dust
thrown up 10y the hIllcts. like u rain.
rturm on the surface OF lake. the
artillery throwing shells. and the
,hclls bursting In contrast 60 this IL
the noise which is infernnl' with oc-
rnsirnal lulls II sounds ms If "a million
kcttlcdrums were being played a con.
etnnt trn rn ra. with the boom. boom
of the big guns and the hnrshcr sound
Of the pumping Of the MaNlms, Max
ln.No'd, ntcldls, and machine guns I'm
general The dlscord In appalling. as
every gun has different sound. and
each shell going through the air huns
or whistles according 10 It's breed. Az
ter time you can tell what Is com.
Ing, or n II is one of your own, what
IL going
"Thr most terrifying OF the cncmy's
gums ~ u sort of lIotchkisS. which
fires about hyr rounds ~ time AMI
throws oncpound shell, which
bursts You are safe nowhere. ns a
bullet fred M an object at 800 yards.
which missed hits and kills at 1000
or 1000 IL practically means with
these rifles that n bullet is never
spent until II hits something and re-
mains there When a bullet strikes.
YOU hear nothing; IL goes right
through u man and probably travels
on another 1000 yards. You hear "A
gruut or gurglc. ana the man col.
lapscs and doubles up; sometimes II
hit In The arm or leg he spins around
nud ral-. and probably gets up again
ns II is only the shock which knocks
him down AMI he hardly feels the
bullet ~ Moddcr river | went down
with three guns OF the Eighteenth
BATTERY 10 within 1900 yards and
saw lis" men 80 over. one after the
other. but only one killed
"Thc worst thing is "A bullet wound
I'm lhc stomach below the navel which
h mortal The pnin II eScruciating.
AMI they howl II u shot hare. II
sounds Ike child screaming. and II
horrible But you see such n lot ~
honstly sights and hear such u lot Of
ho9rircndlug sounds that you become
accustomed to them and cnllouR
found - wounded Bocr at Mngcrsfon.
tniu who WA shot evidently while
lying down through the top OF the
head above the right ear: the bullet
had travelled through his head and out
~ the bpok ~ lis law ON the left side.
n hrd thea broken hIs collar bone and
taken turn travelled round his ribs,
and out 20 his side Ilc was not pretty
10 look pt hui lid not seem much the
worse and while I gave hlm water
lr p'p'Hiucd 10 me The course of the
bullet Some Of the rccoyerics are per.
fcrily marvellous I suppose after the
thing % 0yrr the doctors viii publish
rrmr ~ ihr 'nIrlluary cases which
la.n u"#acd through their hands -.
OBJ 20 Nrvt.