FRENCH BIRDMEN HUNT GIGANTIC GERMAN GUN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14590, 27 April 1918, Page 9

FRENCH BIRDMEN HUNT GIGANTIC GERMAN GUN

LONG RANGE BOMBARDMENT CEASES ABRUPTLY.' '

PARIS, March 25. The long-range bombardment of Paris was resumed at 6.30. o'clock this morning, but was interrupted..- after the second shot. • ... - .. .-••...,

After a brief interval two more shots were fired. The bombardment was again suspended at 9.10 o'clock. ' <• ,

As was the case yesterday, the people did not, take to; shelter. Cellars which were filled on Sunday remained empty this morning. Little interest was shown m the bombardment. .* ; Soon after they' were awakened by the first shot, the people were brought to the windows by ,th'e rattling of drums. Policemen circulated, through each quarter, of the ciiy introducing the new systeW of alarm, .which is distinguished! from the alarm m the case of air raids. The police came m for ji great amount of- chaffing, the people being greatly amused at their lack of proficiency with the drumsticks. This appeared ;to mark their limit of interest m "the bombardment. Work was resumed • under normal conditions. All the transportation lines were rujining. The streets were full of people, whoso sole object of conversation was the, new. battle of the. Somme, which is generally compared with' Verdiin. An American corporal of marines was struck m the chest by: a splinter of one of the first shells which. , fell during SatomJayV bombardment of. Paris by the Germans. He was, wounded seriously,; but his life probably was saved by the, defection, of the spftnter by , a, cigarette case.' ' So"' far as ' has beeri. reported, he is the only American victim of the ! bombardment. , . -.■.'» ; ,— . ! '

i The Matin sayp. one of the shells fired m the direction o,f Paris yesterday struck .it church m, the suburbs.'. Several persona ..who were : attending a Palm Sunday service we're killed.' Twentyrf our : shells reached Paris on Saturday andy twenty-seven yesterday. '* The < interval between shots was reduced from fifteen or twenty' minutes on Saturday to? an average -of nine minutest yesterday. „•■'• ■ On two occasions there -was- an interval of. only .-one:- -or- .two minutes. Shelly fell at 9.15 and 9.16 o'clock*, and at 9.46 > and .9.47, ' Thia was. accepted: as confirming the theory that at least two guns were firing. , ; 3Jhe ; time of flight ,.of the sheila is estimated, at 10 minutes, at the least ; the CTjrye traversed at 120-, miles, and the mnximum height attained, at fifteen miles

It is to be hoped that ,the gun which shellied Paris will very shortly be silenced, says the -Figaro, which' gives the,,. following quotation from a. man who .was said to be m a. position to know : —

"The 380-millimeter gun which bombarded Dunkirk* two years ago from ai disttenae *5f twenty-five miles was located' by our airplanes and soon put of . action: "The same methods will Vie adopted with regard to the 240-milli-meter gun which has been bombarding Paris for the last two days. Since Safrirday our : f airplanes have been looking for it, and the fact that Ax,

stopped firing is due,, perhaps; to their-, arrriyal. 'It will 'not* be long before the gun is. definitely placed, then its career will soon be 'over.' 1 -

The military authorities, according to another morning newspaper, are ' convinced that ,the , Germans are using two new guns* while. Richard Arapu. the military expert of L'Oeuvre, believes there is a whole battery of them. -