Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-10-29


side, pointed wish thumb over shoulder
toward the hidden guns
These and the artllerynen were en-
Joying their midday rest, a pause which
sets in every day with the regularity
Of the luncheon hour in a factory. Tho
guns-two, in this particular position
stood beneath a screen Of thlckly branch-
ing trees, the muzzles pointing toward
round openings in this leafy roof. The
gun carriages were screened with
branches, tho shelter tents of the mon
and the house for the ammunition had
also been covered with green. and
around the position a hedge Of boughs
kept off the prying eyes of possible
French spies wandering through the
woods.
1t was the noon pause, but the lieu
tenant in charge Of the guns, eager to
show them off to advantage, volun-
teercd to telephone the battery com.
mander in his observation post, four
miles nearer the enemy, for permission
- fire a shot or two against a village
in which French troops were gathering
for the attack This battery had Just
finished with Les Paroches. a French
barrier fort across the Meuse, and was
tasks
only forts really counted, said the
Lieutenant, recalling Fort Manonvilliers
near Lunevllle, 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. those Of
three prisoners accidentally killed by
10 fire of hot
Paroches was a heap Of crumbled earth
and stone In default Of forts the guns
were used against any worthy target"
worthy target" being defined as a
minimum Of fifty infantrymen.
FIRING OF BIG GUN.
At this moment the orderly reported
that the battery commander authorized
two shots against the village in question.
At command the gun crew sprang to their
posts about the mortar which was al
ready adjusted for it's target little Lass
than six miles away, the gun muz2lo
pointing skyward at an angle Of about
co degrees. AS the gun was fred the pro
jeCtile could be seen and followed In the
course for several hundred feet. The re-
port was not excessively loud.
Before the report died away tho crow
were busy as bees about the gun. one
man with the hand elevating gear rapdlv
cranked the barrel down to n level posi-
ton, ready for loading A second threw
open the breech and extracted the brass
cartridge case, carefully wtping it out be-
fore depositing It among the emptes four
more seized the heavy shell and lifted it
to a cradle opposite the breech seventh
IA mined it home. No. g gingerlv inserted
\ o1f q - DIT
, line-like explosive, the breeoh 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. or
dered: Next shot fifty metres near
err" The gun pointer made the slight
correction necessary, the mortar again
sent It's shell purring through the air
against the village, which this time,
1t was learned. broke into flames, and
while the men went back to their
MONDAY rest the lieutenant explained
the fine points of his beloved guns.
One man, as had been seen. could
manipulate the elevation gear with
one hand easily and quickly; ten Of
his horses could take the mortar
weighing eight tons, anywhere; It
could fire up to 500 shots a day He
was proud Of the skilful conoealment
of his guns. which had been firing for
four days from the same position
without being discovered. although
| French aviators had located all the
sister batteries, all of which had suf-
fered loss from shrapnel fire.
Along the roadside through the Cote
/ Lorraine were here and there graves
with rude crosses and pencilled In
/ scriptions. At the western edge OF
the forest the battle panorama of the
Mouse valley suddenly opened out. the
hills falling away again steeply TO the
level valley bed The towns below st.
Mihiel and Bannoncour seemed abso-
! lutely deserted, not a person being
visible even around the large barracks
in the latter town,
While the little party Of officers and
spectators including the correspondent,
were watching the artillery duel on the
far horizon or endeavor!ng to pick out
the infantry positions a shrapnel sudden
ly burst directly before them high in the
air There was a general stir, the as
sumption being that the French had
taken the group on the hillside for bat
terry staff picking out positions for the
guns but as other shots We're fired 1t was
seen that shrapnel was exploding resu-
larly above the barracks. a mil, and
| half away. the French evidently suspect
ing the presence Of German troops there,
a ten-mile ride southwark led to the
position Of the Austrian twelve-inch bat
terry The two guns this time were plant.
ed by the side of the road screened only
| In front by little wood, but exposed
to view from both sides, the rear and
above For this greater exposure the
battery had paid correspondngly, severa
of its men having been killed or wound
| ed by hostile fire,
| Here, az in the German batteries me
war-work in progress went on with a ma
chine-like regularity and absence of spec
tacular features more characteristic of
rolling mill than a battle factor Th'
men at the guns went through thei,
work with the dizziness and absence o.
confusion OF high-class mechanics.
FINDING TARGET AT SIN MILES.
| The heavy shells were rolled to the guns
| hoisted by a chain winch to the hreecl
opening. and discharged in uninteresting
succession. n short pause coming after
each shot until the telephone report from
the observation stand was received Tn,
Lionville, range 9,4oD metres, and the bat
l