The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-15
DANTE'S PICTURE
IS NOT ADEQUATE
thousand Sounds Disturb Stiffness;
German and British Fire Differ
ent; Sentries; Voices and
Songs at Night
BY WILBUR S. FORREST.

| tunited Press Staff Correspondent
| London, May 26.-(By mail to New
York)-That old expression, "The din
of battle" is dead.
It's a blatter and crash, spit and
screech, and Hell let loose" doesn't
half describe the noise of combined
rifle, machine gun she'll fire and bombs
In this day and age" said soldier
| back from the battlefield of northern
France. today.
If any one could properly describe
modern battle Dante's picture of In
ferno would represent peace in con
trast.' he added, explaining the sounds
that the modern soldiers ear has come
TO recognize
German fire sounds different from
the British and there are a thousand
different individual sounds to break
the stiffness. Distant individual fire
represents the patting Of clay with
spade; distant rapid reminds one OF the
purring Of powerful motor car The
German bullet cracks" and the British
sounds like the bursting of a soft paper
bag. Sometimes a German bullet.
richocheting in the sand "bizzes;"
sometimes its lightning flight sounds
like man half whistling, half kissing
through his teeth. CHANGING off metal
1t pings" then "screetches" until IL
stops. Passing close by bullet gives
crack" and it may deafen the near
est ear for days. Like their rifle shots
the German machine guns sound less
muffled than the British. They sound
like the infinitely swift rapping of a
door knocker. Ours might be likened
to carpet being beaten by very dex-
ferrous and energetic spring cleaners
armed with canes.
The sounds of shell fire are varied
The Germans pipe squeak" and
sometimes scream Little Willie
High explosive shells are tickle; some
times they burst with binding flash
and little sound and again they crack
like thunderbolt. Some shells 'swhir-
tie" and some pass through the air
like moaning wind Anti-aircraft guns
"ping-ping' and the bursting of their
shrapnel most often "clatters;" but IL
it is lyddite it crashes like collapsing
brick smokestack.
Might sounds in the trenches are
many and varied A sentrys strained
ears may catch the sound OF shovel
ing with spades and the tap of a NAL
let on wooden stakes This comes
when the enemy's trench is near and
denotes that he is driving sap. dig
ging an advanced trench. or construct
ing wire entanglements. Some times
comes the whir of dynamo 1t is a
sure sign that the enemy is working
an electrical trench digger. If the
trenches are close one may hear the
movements of enemy reliefs or rein
forcements behind their lines. 1t is
generally possible to hear sounds of
guns or transport being moved. On
a quiet night this sound is audible for
miles. It's the same with the human
voice. The sentry is sometimes greet
ed with good English from German
trenches or with song. The strange
sacred cries Of flying lapwings. the
meowing of homeless cats and the
whining of dogs are but few Of the
wierd sounds that greet the lonely SEN
try at night The novice has often,
been rudely scared by the snoring song
of a soldier-pal at peace with the whole
world, the Germans included
BY United Press.