The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-08
~ HAT Is a modern battle--how does
II look and sound7

YTlHAT Is a modern battle-how does
Ill u look and sound7
Really the field OF operations II
80 extensive and the range Of mod
srn guns IL so great that battle conditions
have altered until there IL no longer any
general clash of battle" or even any POS
sibility Of srasping or viewing an engage
mont from any single point, There " no
Ureat rernundlns noise In war nowadays
Yoa hear one OF our biz guns looxed three
miles cveS on tho right and another one
swo mites on tho left II you are near one
II makes O tremendous noise yet 1 have
not heard ono explosion as loud as a good
Aronx clap of thunder You hear the suns
IT the enemy cough far In front Of you,
md their shells burst Within your lines
with a nearer, louder sound-but not n real
~ great or dsAfoninE noise by any means
Our guns create almost no smoke, though
Our iyddite shells throw up clouds OF dust
and smoke whore they fall miles away
Because the Boers are using old-fashieaed
powder IN rhsir esnnons thsre IL small
white cloud wherever one Is hred. and
spurt of red shnd where their shells dig into
the veldt. The smoke OF wsr therefore and
the so-eailsd 'roar OF battle are both alike
occasional. scattered. inoonsderahle.
sounds OF the Battlefield.
The rife hring has been principal Tea.
ture 81 our battles. II sounds like the
frying OF fat or like the cracking and
Hnapplng Of green wood In a bonfire II
you are within two miles OF the front
you arc apt TO be under Ere and then
you hear the music or the individual
bullets. Ther song Is like tho msgnined
note OF - mosquito, ''Z-s-E-x-R' they go
over your head. "E-z-E-E-p" they finish
a. they bury themselves IN the ground.
This ~ a sound only TO be heard when the
bsftie,s are very close. You pick up your
haa an n HxsEAFaA mr. "a Nffss
yards and you hear nothing but the gen
efal crhrkis OF rits nrc IN and before the
eweA0hes The "puts-putt COZ vickers-
Sory1enfeldO gun ~ able 20 interest YOU
NJ "a distance Of three miles, It's exPio-
riors are best described b. the nickname
given 80 the sun b. one regiment. the
blooming r-knocksr" tts hullets or
shells ara e. his as ths bowl % a large
hrar root plps sad they tear and split
tho air with terrible sound cxpiodfng
when they strike The firing 81 the gun
was heard an over the largest OK cur hat
tieislds and rho explosions OF the shells
sound long way because they are apt
70 take place on tho auiet edge ef the
nslA The whiss that even thosv missiles
make IN aYing however "a like tho whis-
pered anawcr ~ maid ia love. only ia
~ heard by ths favored individual who
is especially addressed
In "a weird. there Ia not much noise Ia
EeANEA NAtNheH 4NaaF NiAiNlNAAA Sounds
OF whtch I spaak ARE not iaua enough 10
Mend TIE csowlng. ALI PerVal4rr noises
nae those ~ tho guns ant the riAe fire.
ard on the vast Veldt spread over q d1u-
Bile line ~ uva 90 seven mites tn length
asly those that sre near are very loud
A Birdfs-Eyo View.
Tho rcone q os1ttlo--;hs general view
n exceedingly orderly. There may te a
Gcvl 81 a scriu4nHEs where "a company
or sWo are sIormRg a kopgr tut level
reuv Elass ga such a hil and what 40
yea sees A fringc Of tiny tets 20 IRE
fTarn the tcp where the BoeTs arc. aud
"a lat 81 our men m KHAKI rising ana
reclining aud occasionally hFiak ss they
make their way upward The great gcn-
eEal Wow ~ 0f a. aTrangeinvut as me-
thadicRi as Chesaboard Thetc ARE sew
eTal battAllouS Eat on their faces Ia two
~ thfas Icing lines ONor here rs "a bal
terry ia perfect order with its lmher ana
horEss ~ rest near by AnstheF bat
terry. equally we'll arranged. as ~
10 have its pAotosTaph taken, is 70 be
sean Ia the middle heli third Is On the
further side Tho cavalry ia sweeping
ocrose ths Vslds IN perfect rank sni
aHgansnt There IS no confusion any
Shsfs-slethihg is helter- SHELTER. I remem-
her only two muaeQtary dls,lH Dances Of
shs Aisciplips OF whish l speak One was
Ia the -efssrnoen during shs AedSes river