The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-16 00:00:00

FRIO,' 4d.
STAMPED sd.

the charges in them cannot be accidentally let off.
The needle which fires the cartridge is shielded by the
perforations, and it is only when the peg of the
trigger hammer is plunged into the cavity upon it
that the charge can be exploded at all. Moreover,
the advantages of this method applied to artillery
should not be left unconsidered, for although the
weight of corresponding slides of charges for heavy
ordnance would be considerable, yet as horizontal
motion only is required to bring the cartridges and
shot into service, effective mechanical means could
be readily devised for this purpose; the only pos-
sible question that can arise being how far joints are
pmnissible in large cannon, and, in fact, whether
breech-loading artillery is possible at all, for if it be
then guns on this principle would present less me-
chanical difficulties than
yet devised, while, at theany of the other plans as
same time, it would per-
mit of a stronger application of material.
SUpposing the principle applied to artillery the
main advantages would be a rapidity of fire equal,
we should think, to at least tWo shots a minute for
very heavy guns; and if in casemates or ships, secu-
rity from danger of rifle shots from the enemy dur-
ing loading, as the embrasures would only require
to be open during the actual period of firing; and if
aolip indeed
a
in the field, some very decided advantagesorx
ed
e
over the present artillery. Suppose, f
battery charged and taken by the enemy, the de-
fending troops being obliged to retreat, leaving their
guns but carrying off their ammunition. These Gale's
slide guns would be useless to the enemy, because
ordinary cartridges could not be fired in them. Even
had the enemy adopted the same kind of guns the
slightest difference in the size and construction of
the slides would render the ammunition of one army
unsuitable for the artillery of the other, and so
guns might be abandoned without much danger of
their being turned, as would now be the case, upon
their rightful owners in their retreat. Again,
another point suggests itself prominently to the
mind. If ten or any other number of shots could
be fired with great rapidity without change in the
position of the gun at one spot, say of a ship's plated
side, what would be the effect of such a rapid suc-
cession of blows ? If a 600-pounder were aimed at
a ship, and struck, the damage desired would be
effected ; but if it missed the fire would be lost and
wasted. With a gun charged with one of Mr.
Gale's slides containing six 100-pound shots and
their powder charges all of them could be fired
within the space of time it would take to reload the
600-pounder, and 'with this advantage in Gale's
method, that if the first shot did not strike right the
least modification of the training would bring the
gun to bear more accurately, and the second or, the
third and the following shots would take effect as
intended. It is fair, then, to consider what would
be the effect . produced. The consideration is a
novel one, and not by any means irrelevant, for as
six light blows of a hammer might drive home a
nail as close as one strong blow driving it home at
once,.so six or more quickly-repeated blows of 100-
pound shots upon the same spot might produce a
very considerable destructive effect, which, although
it might not be equal to that of a 600-pounder
direct, might be more certain of being accomplished;
and, in the conflict of warfare, the certainty of doing
a given amount of harm is perhaps preferable to the
chance of doing a greater amount of harm or of
doing no harm at all.
Altogether the contemplation of Mr. Gale's sys-
tem raises so many new considerations and suggests
so many modifications in military operations as to
tend to carry one's thoughts into the realms of spe-
culation, and to render the keeping of them within
the boundaries of legitimate conclusions very
difficult. To hear the rapid discharge—as fast as
the reports can be counted—of one of these slides of
cartridges in any small arm is to realise better than
words can give an idea of the murderous rapidity of
weaponS a single regiment of infantry would literally
and absolutely pour forth a veritable storm of bul-
lets ; for assuming such a regiment to be 800 strong,
it could certainly throw 48,000 bullets in the face of
its enemy in a single minute of tune; and, as few
men would relish facing a body of weapons which
gave him GO shots a minute as his own particular
chance of death, with a reasonable probability of an
extra, and large percentage of chances against him
'as his comrades fell, we only hope that this inven-
tion may be an additional link in that chain of de-
structive powers which may in the end make war too 1
dreadful a game for nations to play at. llowever,
while a probability of battles having to, be fought
rmaills we can well understand the appreciation of
this invention which has been expressed to the Com-
mander-in-Chief, Generals Hay and Scarlett, Col.
De Bathe, and other of our high military authori-
ties, by Mr. Gale.

The Murder of Mr. Bum.
-4,-

In The Sun of Friday and Monday last an account
was given of the disappearance of Mr. James J.
Blum, one of the masters of the High School at
Bradford, on Saturday, the 28th of last month, and
the recovery of his dead body on Monday, the 30th,
in a lonely spot on the shores of the Mersey, near
Hoylake. The following particulars have since
transpired :
Mr. Blum, the deceased, wag born in Germany, but
was brought up in England. His father is dead, and
his mother and sisters reside in Prussia. He was an
undergraduate of Laudon University, and was in-
tending to take the science degree. lie has a brother
at school in London. He has also another brother,
who went under the name of Paul Bloomfield, a
sailor. He served as a soldier in the American war,
but was in Bradford in the latter part of last year.
No one then saw him but Mr. Blum, mho said he
met him in the street, walked with him to a railway
station, and saw him off somewhere. He then had
come from Hamburg. In December last, and pro-
bably not long after the occasion referred to, Mr.
Blum helped him with money to go to Australia.
He has, however, been seen in London since, and
said he was wrecked.

On the day when Mr. Blum disappeared he at-
tended
school as usual from 9 to 12 o'clock, and
after leaving met Mr. John Anderson, the singing
master of the school, with whom hemade an appoint-
ment for the Monday evening following. He after-
wards called at the shop of Mr. H. B. Byles, book-
seller, where he ordered " Babington's Manual of Bo-
tany," and took away with him the second volume of
Dickens's " David Copperfield." He next met, about
1 o'clock, inMarket-street, Mr. Cooper, of Bradford,
who asked him what he was going to do with him-
self that afternoon and evening. He stated thatafter
going home to dinner, about half-past 1, he should
have about two hours' writing ; that he should then
go to the laboratory of the school and make some che-
mical experiments, and that if Mr. Copper did ot
call at his lodgings before 7 he would meet him at the
Theatre Royal, where Mr. Phelps was perfoire
wasg
that evening. After Mr. Cooper left
ihisubehrens,
seen at 20 minutes past 1 by Mr.
Clla)rir. Blum cut
13;1 butitlthati
who stopped and spoke to him,
hie:ell:ester
and
a.
hshuorrrtnthaen,cloinlavderislaottiohnnebtyo
spare,statitt
be noticed
Lip
e ropmo le) l 'addi-
tionalandin the direction of Bridge-street.
and Yorkshire
::.:
ysl he wasc a
ii
onn
ga
that a train leaves the .
Lasiiltcuged in Bridge-street,
Railway station,
at 1 30 p.m. for Nv
M3,ther of the other stations for
that no train leaves LI 2 and 91 r s
any
• has been obtained regarding the
information
ts of Mr. Blum on Sunday the 29th of
movements destina,tion before
April, the day following that of his disappearance
from Bradford, and preceding that on which his
body was found on the Redstoues. About half-past
2 in the afternoon two young men saw a person on
the rocks, but tkey were at too great a distance to
be able to distinguish his features. lie was without
his hat, and was apparently enjoying the sunshine.
From his movements it was conjectured that he was
smoking.' Two young women, sisters, on their way