Weekly journal-miner., 1917-11-28

CAMP STANLEY, Texas, Nov. Y, l9H.-In a huge amphithcatre of scrub-oak clad hills, the l600 student officers at Camp Stanley witnessed ;heir first artillery barragc here yes tcrday Students officers of the four batteries of field artillery conducted the firing. and the HOO infantry students were spectators.
 Just picture low round topped hill with every bare spot near its summit occupied by ranks of khaki clad meR Near the crest and hidden by the brush was the Battery Commanders s station, with its lines Of field telc- phone wires running in four dircc- tions. Far away on the sky lines, at ranges varying from $500 to 5000 yards were five hillS-perfcct targets. On each hill had been placed the sil- houettc figures. representing in two cases, lines of infantry creeping for ward across open spaces, in one a machine gun company, in one bat tery of four field pieces and in one a siege gun emplacement
 The air was hay with the dust of traffic on the Blanco and Fredericks- burg roads, for during the preceding twcnty-four hours, innumcrable Tim bcrs. guns, motor and mule trucks had arrived, bringing a regiment of field artillery to the camp for train ing. The light was dimmcd by tho dust cloud, but the scores of field glasses in the hands of the clean young artillery officers and students pierced the haze and revealed the targets.
 \ young Arizonan from Nogales sat between two giant range finders, flanked on one side by the periscope operators and on the other by his assistants, armed with pads and pen cils and cross section paper. These men were to measure the angles and figure the firing data The comman- der was to decide on his orders and transmit them to the four hidden bat tories by means of the telephone.
 The instructors had determined that the infantry students were to - learn by actual sight the nature Of the havoc caused by shrapncl and high explosive shells. So, after din ncr. they assembled the two rcgi- mcnts and marched them up the hill, a good five miles from barracks There, they stacked arms, removed their packs and dcployed along the crest of the hill to take in the spec taclc. An artillery officer, armed with huge megaphonc explained briefly the targets, which were in visible both to the gunners and to the witnesses, but perceived plainly enough by the artillery observers from their station
 The first battery to fire was com posed of 3-inch guns. They were stationed in hollow below the as scmbled students and completely cam ohagcd, so that when thc first salvo was fired. the men located them for the first time by sound, and by the bursts of grccnish flames that dartcd out of clump of innocent bushes.
 Look"
 Far to the east and almost directly over the tiny white flag that marked the machine gun cmplaccmcnt, d soft flcccy cloud of shrapncl smoke burst out Almost instantly, the dust of the hillside below was driven into the air by the strike" of the two Ilun- drcd and fifty two 4 calibrc bullets that were hurled forward and down by the shrapncl casing A second gun spoke and the witnesses could hear for an instant, the shell as it rushed through the air. Another burst of white smoke above the tar get and another flashing of the dust on the hillside $500 yard away. In turn, the other two guns of the bat tcry sent their messengers, and after the last shrapncl had burst, the sound of the first one came drifting back a lor boom, followed by three others. Trained to estimate distance by the time II takes sound 10 travel many of the students had their wat chcs out Seven seconds it toos for the boom of the shell to reach the car, after the sight of its burst had re- gistcrcd on the eye.
 In the silence that followed, could be heard the low, calm voice of the Arizona boy as he repeated his cor rcctions to the gunncrs.
 Up fifty. On first piece close by two one zero. Three thousand five hundred. Fire
 With their glasses, the observers had measured the distance the first four shots and each of them had miss. ed the four targets. The corrcc- lions had been calculated with in- conceivable rapidity, and long before thc guuners had cjcctcd the empty shells and had prepared the new ones, they had been told how 10 defect their guns so as 10 bring the next shots nearer the objective.
 Ten seconds later, the battery was firing its second round. The corrcc- ton had been too much. and the