Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-12
Tambour Lace Curtains.
PROTECTION FROM BOER Guns.
british in BesieGed ToNnsFind Rei
ure I'm Subterranean Vaults.

An expert in gunnery writes: we stay
at-home people do not realize the amount
of grim hard work our soldiers who are so
manfully defending Ladysmith, Matekins
and Kimberley have had to do, and prop
ably many of US wonder how 1t Is that the
vigorous bombardments of the Beers, with
Long Tom and other more or less formld-
| able weapons produce so little effect.
"One day Mafeking reports: -Four hours
Commandment; dog killed. another we hear
that the net result Of the days cannonade
was the death of one poor, unofending
Kaffir woman Is the Boer shooting, then,
with big guns so much below the standard
their old reputation allows them with the
rife? Or have our troops some means OF
protecting themselves from the shot and
shell of their aiverSarieS? The latter is
the true explanation, and those readers of
the Daily Mail who have not been trained
to war may be interested to know by what
means Tommy Atkins immunity Is secured.
The gallant defense of PleEna by the
Turks in 1877 is now ancient history TO the
| civilian. but our officers have in their text
books descriptions, plans and sections OF
the Plevna redoubts in which the Turks
We're able to Withstand fer months tcrr1hc
cannonades from the Russians, and, time
after time, manning their earthworks. to
beat off infantry attacks when the bonn
bardment ceased. The Turks thus enforced
anew lesson of the past-'that an army
Ito quote Col. Maurice 'hghting in a we'll
chosen and well-fortitied position, acting on
the defensive. may inflict serious defeat
upon forces superior to it in numbers.
THE lesson of Plevna has been learned
by all our officers, and 1t has doubtless
been by similar means to those adopted by
the Turks that our troops have obtained
shelter from the projectiles of the enemy.
They have it cannot be doubted, thrown up
mighty banks of earth thousands and thou
sands of cubic yards in bulk, and eXcavated
subterranean galleries with shell-proof, or
l la, li,tar Of 40 1r n
ported on timbers or iron rails; and 1t is
under the cover of these that soldiers and
townsfolk took refuge. Would Col. keke-
wich have taken the enormous response
bility of allowing women and children to
stay in Kimberley during the bombardment
if he had not provided the means of pro-
tecting them from the Boer shells?
There is a recognized pattern of earth
work, with a field casemate,' as these UNI
derground barracks are called. When one
considers the number of soldiers and civil
ians to be protected one must feel a new
respect for Thomas Atkins in his capacity
as the NAVY and builder who has toiied so
hard and to such good purpose. The result
of much toll is battered and knocked out
of shape by bombardment. but our men
turn out at dark, spade and pick in hand,
and repair the breaches, making all tight
and snug again ready for Long Tom and
his lesser brethren.
You may be tempted to say. But If our
men are so snug in their underground quar-
tiers, why do they waste valuable lives by
sorties and battles, instead of sitting at
ease, peacefully smoking and waiting until
relief arrives? Simply because life of
such inaction in face of the enemy would
not only inevitably ruin the morale of the
best troops, but would at least equally put
heart into the enemy and improve his mo-
rale. An army In such a situation Ito again
quote Col Maurice) must lose all the ad-
vantages of its success IL 1t is not able to
advance and act extensively when the op-
portunity is presented to it And so each
of our beleaguered garrisons is acting on
the 'offensive-defensive.' never losing a
chance of dealing blow at the enemy,
striking hard, but not following up advan-
tages gained too far; then retiring into his
works, where it can calmly await relief
with ample supplies and such comforts as
the old campaigners experience or the
mother wit Of TIE young can devise
THE 'rooibaaties.' It may safely be said
are not, as a Boer report states sheltering
behind trusses of hay. Hay is too precious
and too infiammable. They are behind
earth. which, in suitable thickness, is the
best bullet and shell stopper, even though
the labor Of constructing parapets. parados
classmates, redoubts and lunettes be encr-
NOUS