Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-16
THE ARTILLERY RANGE

The artillery range over against
Kings Mountain, has become a source
Of unfailing interest and attraction
for visitors from all the country sur
rounding for a distance of many miles
and automobile parties increase in
number with each succeeding sun
day.
The range is to the southwest OF
Gastonia, and York county visitors
from the south and east reach 1t by
way OF Bowling Green. following the
road that branches of there TO the
northwest over in the direction OF
Crowder's mountain.
The targets are about seven or eight
miles northwest OF Bowling Green, and
the batteries are located at different
points to the northeast OF the targets.
the three inch batteries something less
than two miles and the larger batter
les. consisting OF guns OF slightly un-
der tive-inch calibre are close to three
miles away.
The targets are not within view of
the guns at all. They could be seen
probably except for the intervening
hills and woods; but direct view Is
not desirable. The firing is directed
from an observation tower between
the targets and the gunners, and in
view of both: also from wireless
station on top of Kings mountain.
The targets consist mainly Of a row
Of boards about two feet wide with
intervals of ten or twenty yards be-
tween, and these have been pretty
we'll riddled with shrapnel, while all
the wheat field surrounding has been
pretty we'll torn up with shell holes
from a foot deep to two or three feet
deep. very suggestive Of the conditions
along the front lines in France, es-
pecially in No Mans Land.
Along in front Of the targets are
barbed wire entanglements. and these
have been pretty we'll cut UP by shells.
Also included among the targets Is a
regulation machine gun emplacement,
consisting Of a deep hole In the ground
built up with logs and covered over
with dirt. 1t was built as a target,
and II has been pretty well demol-
ished by a five-inch shell.
Just behind the row Of targets there
is growth Of timber including pine.
hickory, oak, dogwood and the like.
This timber has been riddled. Pines
twelve or fifteen inches In diameter
have been cut down by q single shell
and other pines have been bored
through as by a three-inch augur.
Practically all OF the trees have been
riddled by shrapnel bullets and some
have been barked and broken by
ricocheting shells.
There are a number of houses In the
line OF fire, some OF them more or less
dilapidated and some of them in very
good shape-one or two OF them
handsome homes in fact. All have
been abandoned. Several of these
houses have been completely riddled
with shells and shrapnel: but some
are still untouched.
The ground around and especially
behind the targets Is Uttered with
three inch shrapnel shells and also
with pieces of AZ explosive shells. The
shrapnel is made to explode from a
time fuse. 1t Is supposed to explode
just before II reaches the target and
send forward a shower Of leaden bull
let's. The case in which the bullets
were inclosed Is supposed to con-
tinue forward from a hundred to a
hundred and fifty yards after the dis
charge OF the missels; but the case
does not break. The AZ shells are
supposed to explode on contact and
burst into many pieces. a certain
per cent OF both kinds Of shells fail
to explode and many of them are ly-
ing. about where they have fallen.
There are points on Crowder's
mountain from which spectators may
view the practice with safety. From
here they may see the firing Of the
batteries and the explosion Of the
shells about the target. From behind
the batteries the shells. especially the
larger ones. may be watched in their
flight until they drop down under the
hills that lie between the batteries
and the targets.