The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-03-25
EFFECT OF BIG GUN SHOTS
Men in Turrets and Barbettes Expe-
rience a Feeling of Illness
After Firing.

0ALCA |
Fleet Surgeon John Floyd Thomas, OF
the royal navy, thus discusses the effect
of big gun firing upon the men who en-
gage in it on ba%ttleships:
In modern battleships the gsn is in
side a barbette, turret, or easement, and
in that way is housed in all around. In
other ships there are guns mounted on
the upper deck and not surrounded by
steel walls. 1t is a very moot point
whether the men serving the gun inside
the easement or those working on the
upper deck battery suffer most from the
effect of the firing, for there are two
distinct factors to be taken into account.
l.. The effect of the explosion at the
muzzIe Of the gun, commonly know ms
the blast 2. A violent shaking in che
breech Of the gun at the seat of ignition
of the explosive, which shock is trans
mitted from the gun to the walls and
roof of the easements, n thence to
the bones of the head, etc., etc. 1t is
enough to remark, however, that they
are so distributed that they would prob
ably not damage the drum of the ear,
although they do produce distinct con-
c~ussions of the skull, spinal column and
the larger joints, and give rise to head
ache. tongue-bites and general shock.
The blast is the form of conclusion
which has far-reaching consequences
upon those who come within its radius
of disturbance, and it is only necessary
to be on a level with the muzzel-on
either side-and within a given distance
to experience it's u~npleasantness; to be
in advance of this plane intensifies the
shock, and to stand over or be on n
| side of and in advance of the firing point
causes most painful symptoms. Elk
amples of this are seen in the case OF
men standing close to any opening in the
ships side in tn" vicinity of the explo-
sion, such as ar open port, when the
membrane tympani can be easily rup-
tured. Doors are wrenched from their
hinges and iron stanchions bent. Bar
bettes and turrets have sighting hoods,
consisting of more citadels, from
which gun-fire is directed, and having
a lifting roof so as to form a slot for TAX
ing observations-this in a line with the
face. Much suffering may be exper-
fenced, while inside n of these or in a
easement, especially where a big gun is
fired from aft, forward, or vice versa,
close to the ships side and in her length.
The occupant suffers at first a feeling OF
much shock, while cotton wool has been
torn out of both ears. Officers who have
been subjected to this say that in addi-
ton to the violent shaking there is a feel
ing Of great depression at the pit of the
stomach, followed by a tendency to be
sick"
DR.. Thomas offers the following ex-
PLANTATION of the severe effect on the
men of the blast ~concussion:
ct is probable that while the missile
is passing and practically certain that
when the air is forcibly displaced by it
and by the gases which impel it, that a
severe compression Of the body surface
takes place, the abdomen offering less
resistance han does the chest with its
cage in the form of ribs. A partial vac
uum succeeds during an almost imper-
ceptible period, and the effect produced
must be one of suction. Briefly, the
effect at first is one Of compression, and
secondly one of suction. Modern guns
tend to greater length than the Older
, armament, and it will be obvious tha1
, for those men who are working at tht
rear of the gun the blast will have lesE
disturbing effects. Speaking generally
all ships guns are fired at low levels
| and there the air density is creates
n the intensity of air vibration il
relatively increased accordingly. Again
conclusion and air vibration are know
to be more violent over water INT fla
surfaces than on rough and broker
/ areas, so that under this head it woul'
t appear as proved that the blast in a
guns is greater that it would be in a SINH
lar gun on shore. The actual shock o
vibration which is transmitted to tn
gun and it's mounting at the moment o
firing is not so great afloat as it would b
- on shore. because of the resiliency whicl
the water lends to the platform fror
s which the gun is fired"
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