Evening star., 1914-10-25

lication. was encountered by the road
side. awaiting repairs to the heavy trac-
tion engine in whose train It travels in
sections along the country roads. while
the German SA Inch t21 centimeter) and
the Austrian 12-inch t305 centimeter)
batteries were seen in action.
The heavy German battery lay snugly
hidden in a wood on the rolling heights
OF the Cote Lorraine Better OF than
the French whose aviators had for four
days repeatedly scrutinized every acre
OF land in the vicinity looking for these
guns. we had fairly accurate directions
how to find the battery. hut even then It
required some search and doubling back
and forth before 1anguid cannoner,
louneing by the roadside. pointed with
thumb over shoulder toward the hidden
guns.
These and the artillerymen were enjoy
ing their midday rest a pause Which
sets in every day with the regularity of
the luncheon hour in factory.
The guns. two in this particular posi-
ton. stood behind a screen of thickly
branching trees. the muzzles pointing
toward round openings in this leafy
roof. The gun carriages were screened
with branches. The shelter tents of
the men and the house for the ammuni-
tion also had been covered with green
and around the position hedge of
boughs kept off the prying eyes of pos
sible French spies. wandering through
the woods
Anxious to Show Guns.
1t was the noon pause, but the lieu
tenant in charge of the guns. anxious
to show them OFF to advantage, volun-
teered TO telephone the battery com
mander. in his observation post four
miles nearer the enemy, for permission
to fire shot or two against a village
IN which French troops were gather
ing for the attack This battery had
just finished with Les Paroches, a
French barrier fort across the Meuse,
and was now devoting its attention to
such minor tasks
Only forts really counted, said the
lieutenant, recalling Fort Manonvilliers
near LuneVille, the strongest French
barrier fort, which was the battery's
first bag" of the war Its capture,
thanks to his guns. had cost the Ger
man army only three lives. these of
three pioneers accidentally killed by the
fire of their own men. Now Les
faroches was heap of crumbled earth
and stone. In default of forts the guns
We're used against any worthy target"
worthy target" being defined as a
minimum of fifty infantrymen
At this moment the orderly reported
that the battery commander authorized
Two shots against the village in ques-
tlon: AT command the gun crew sprang
to their posts about the mortar which
little less than six miles away. the
gun muZzle pointing skyward at an
angle OF about sixty degrees AS the
gun was fired the projectile could be
seen and followed in its course for
several hundred feet. The report was
not exceedingly loud.
Ready to Fire Again.
Before the report died away the crew
We're busy as bees about the gun. One
man with the hand elevating gear
rapidly cranked the barrel down to a
level position. ready for loading. A
second threw open the breech and ex-
tracted the brass cartridge case. care
fully wiping it out before depositing
IT among the empties: four more seized
the heavy shell and lifted 1t to Il
cradle opposite the breech; a seventh
rammed it home; number eight ginger
~ inserted the brass cartridge half
hiied with a vaseline-like explosive.
the breech was closed and the gun
pointer RAPIDLY cranked the gun again
into position. In less than thirty
seconds the men sprang back from the
gun, again loaded and aimed
a short wait and the observer. from
his post near the village, ordered next
shot fifty meters nearer" The gun