New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-13
The Sounds Of Gunhre

The peculiarties of gunfire as 1t reaches
the ear are the subject Of an interesting
discussion in the columns of The London
Times" Facts and theories are commln-
gled, and, as to the latter, there is room for
debate. The apparent vagaries of SOUNDS
produced by the firing of high-velocity
guns are established beyond question.
The most striking point which all OBJ
servers agree upon is the double sound
coming from gunfre. In the first letter to
"The Times" raising this point the cor
respondent, who was eighteen months in
the trenches, thus describes the phe-
nomenon:
One of the most wonderful and, indeed,
majestic of all sound phenomena IN con
nection with artilery-but which ! have
never seen described or even referred to,
as. when first heard, the novice is unable
either to explain it or decide upon its
nature, and afterward the ear becomes so
used to it that it passes unnoticed-is the
great "roll" that follows the discharge of
a high-yelocity gun. To hear this at its
best one must visit part of the front
landscape is well wooded and where
houses and other excrescences are album
dant. as at Arras The report of the can
non is followed at once and continuously
by a majestic echoing roll that may be
compared to a mixture Of thunder and the
music of a mighty bass orchestra.
This observer unquestionably gives an
accurate description of what he heard, for
his account agrees with that of many other
soldiers. But his explanation is another
matter. His surmise was that the first
sound came from the actual explosion and
the second, the roll" was chain Of
echoes. For this he was promptly taken to
task by a scientist, who pointed out that
the second sound was in truth the sound
of the explosion and that the first and
sharper sound was produced in the air by
the travelling shell. To give his explana-
ton in detail:
First, for the facts, which any one who
cares to walk across the line of fire OF one
of our 1S-pounders, or, better still, 90
FOUNDER, can easily verify. / he sound pro-
duced by high-veocity gun, as heard in
front oil the piece, Is uOuOle, Colslat'HE VI
a sharp crack, which is very distressing to
the ear, followed at an interval (Which
for the 60-pounder may be two or three
seconds if the listener is in the line OF
fire. by dull boom, which is the true
sound of the firing of the piece. This
boom is a much duller and heavier sound,
which shakes buildings, but does not hurt
the ear. The sharp crack is not produced
by the gun directly but by the she'll dur
ing its flight, and then only if the initial
velocity of the she'll exceeds that of sound,
as is the case with all modern guns.
The double sound is never heard with a
howitzer, where the velocity of the shell
is low The interval between the two
sounds is greatest in the line OF fire; as
one walks to flank it becomes less and
less, until finally only one sound, that of
the gun itself is heard, the same sound
that is heard behind the gun.
The phenomena are, of course. compli-
Gated by echoes, the whistle % the she'll
which reaches one from other points OF
itr path after the crack, and other such
minor things
To 20 back to the original observer, Inc
interesting point is made by him that TO a