. Autobiography and personal reminiscences of Major-General Benj. F. Butler; Butler's book . arm to the workmen. At a mile and a half distance itis not easy to drop a shell with any certainty into a space threehundred feet long and ninety feet wide. The soil, as I have saidbefore, was very hard on the sides, so that along the banks we coulddig caves, or, as they were called, bomb-proofs, in which the work-men could take refuge whenever there was any danger of a shell 748 BUTLERS BOOK. falling where the explosion would be injurious to them. The linewhich a shell describes on being thrown for th
. Autobiography and personal reminiscences of Major-General Benj. F. Butler; Butler's book . arm to the workmen. At a mile and a half distance itis not easy to drop a shell with any certainty into a space threehundred feet long and ninety feet wide. The soil, as I have saidbefore, was very hard on the sides, so that along the banks we coulddig caves, or, as they were called, bomb-proofs, in which the work-men could take refuge whenever there was any danger of a shell 748 BUTLERS BOOK. falling where the explosion would be injurious to them. The linewhich a shell describes on being thrown for the purpose indicated, isa parabola of about two miles. I was familiar with this matter, for I hadwatched the bombardment of Fort Jackson, on the Mississippi, duringthe considerable part of a week, and thus made its acquaintance. The first thing to do was to station a couple of well-instructedmen at points from which every shell could be watched during itswhole flight. These observers could tell after a little practice almostprecisely where the missile would land, that is, whether it would. Bomb-Ppoof Quapteps at Dutch Gap Canal. come in our excavation so as to do harm or not. While the menwere at work these men were on watch, and a shell being seen com-ing, if it was likely to fall in our way, the watchmen would call out Holes! whereupon the workmen would at once protect them-selves by rushing into their adjacent and convenient bomb-proofs,to come out and resume their work aorain as soon as the shell hadstruck and exploded without harm. If the shell was not to strike within the excavation or near to it, thewatchers allowed it to take its course and the men were not alarmed. BUTLERS BOOK. 749 So that substantially all the damage we suffered was to our singlemule tipcarts, which were used for removing the earth. A numberof mules were killed or wounded, and some of the carts were stoveup, but under the circumstances the work was successfully prose-cuted.
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