New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-09
Earth Quivers as
Giant Guns Wage
Battle at Arras
Nightingales Sing in She'll.
Scared Wood Behind
Field of War

British headquarters in France, May
s.-One OF the most marvelloug spec
tacles Of night firing the world has
ever seen was staged on the Arras
battlefront last night IL was a night
made for terror Great. angry clouds
scudded across the sky Eventually
The heavens opened and poured forth
torrent OF rain upon the hot cannon
and the flames raging along the blood
red line OF battle.
4 thunderstorm in its greatest fury
could have broken above this appalling
artillery duel. however. and been com
pletely swallowed up - its electric
flashes lost in the binding corusca-
ton Of the guns. It's thunder peals
drowned in the reyerberating waves OF
the crashing Illumination which came
from believing cannon snd bursting
shells with almost equal violence.
Nature withstood the terrific lombard
ment until nearly dawn, wnen heavy
fog shut down and put stop TO the
dangerous uproar as suddenly as if
some word of supreme command had
been shouted aloud above the din Of
battle.
For the most part il was a giant
test Of strength among the "heayies."
But always above the roar Of the big
guns could be heard the crack Of the
bursting shrapnel and the petuiant
whine OF leaden bullets sent in show
ors from the shells.
Ground Shivers from Shock
1t was not until after the gathering
gloom of darkness reflected each sepa-
rate flaming cannon mouth that the
full intensity of the long-range fight
ing could be grasped The ground.
ever vibrant with the drumming
rhythms Of guns, shivered and shook
anew from the shock of mammoth
weapons. The onrushing roar Of
shells was for all the world like that
OF an express train as it dashes into
. tunnel. After what seemed an in
terminable length Of time, the swish
o. the fHrreachiug shells ended with
Il great, dull. red flare on the horizon.
The staccato ripple Of the machine
guns came all along the fighting line,
the windings Of which could always be
traced by glowing rockets and flares
sent up by the Germans in long, slow,
graceful loops.
Modern cannon speak with a white
hot breath; hostile shells break with a
heavy red glare The noise Of the
cannon is a sort of concentrated smash
or hammer knock; shells burst with a
Aatter and more open sound. The
Germans always break their shrapnel
very high in the air. and the lesping
fash Of the exploding shell is fol-
lowed by little twinkling stars.
Nightingales Sing
Leaving the zone of the guns at mid
night fora brief respite from the ear
splitting roar. one walked but short
distance back 70 reach a bit of she'll
scared but still living wood, now green
with the first tender leaves of spring.
In the fringe of this wod were several
nightingales singing with all their lit
tie hearts. Their chants were still i'm
mature, but in them was the promise
of the full-throated lay that will come
with a fortnight.
The woods were lighted with gun
flashes, and the crack and the crash
Of artillery reverberated in the near
distance. but the mating birds seemed
entirely oblivious to the world madness
raging about them. Still deeper in the
woods a jealous old owl would screech
hOarsely now and again.
The battle fared with full fury till
nearly 3 o'clock this morning, when the
exhausted men flung themselves into
the deep sleep of overpowering fatigue
beside their hot guns