Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-01-25
VOLUME VIII.---NO. 80.

shell flied with lead will produce grca-
ter blow than an iron shot Of the Same
diameter, dischared with the same quantity
of powder IT may also be made to range
further. from being better able TO overcome
resistance TO the air. At Tie siege Of Cadi.
the French used shells filled with lead,
which, discharged with Il velocity of 1000
feet per second from howizers, ranged TO n
1iStaecc Of three miles. An instance Of.
the rapid and terrific effects Of lombard
mcnt took place in India, in the reduction
Of the strong fortress Of nattrass. The
Bengal Artillery had thirty-two :nortars in
battery, and expended upwards Of 5000
shells. They opened fi,c at o'clock, and
scarcely ten minutes had elapsed when
several fires were discovered in the fort.
AT 5 c ;lock the great magazine, contain
ing 100000 pounds Of power, blew ur,
with an awful explosion. The lofty and
massive walls in comparison with which
the walls Of our forts are mere Shells ceased
to be impregnable in less than twelve hours
and the garrison sought safety in flight that
night. The more recent siege Of Moultan,
in the runjaub, in 1910, is another exam
pie of The power of artillery in reducing
strong places.
In breaching, no gun Of less cali Ire than
"a c%ntler should b. used. The best meth
cd Of forming breach is, first to cut the
outer wall (rcvetment), which supports the
emhankment, towards the bottom, BY a
horizontal line, and at various distances by
vertical lines, to shake afterwards each po7-
ton Of the walls, between two Of the vcr-
teal lines, TO cause it to crumLle into tho
ditca or water at the foot. The destruction
Of the outer wall being thus prepared, it IS
only necessary TO break the mass between
the vertical lines to shake these parts and
dIsunite them; and the tumbling to pieces
will soon take place. batteries 10 breach
fire as quickly as they can with precision
about 25 or 80 rounds per hour.
at the siege of St. Sebastian, $500
rounds were fired from o guns in ST hours
great accuracy Of range being at the samo
time Observed. An exposed wall may be
preached with certainty a! distances from
500 TO 1000 yards, even when elevated 100
feet above the preaching battery. At the
siege Of Badajoz, a breach of 100 feet was
made with $500 shot, at distance Of $50
yards, through n caserated wall At tho
siege oSCiudad Rodridgo, tho main breach
OF 100 feet was created by G,l0O shot, at a
distance of $50 yards, through good ma
sonry. 1t appears, from series of nine
years experiments made at Metz Stras-
bourg and La Fere, from 1916 to 1925,
that, at range of AGO yards, the droga-
bility of biting with Il twelve FOUNDER and
x-pounde' is as TO 8; of the eight pout-
der and sixpounder about the poportion tf
8 to 2. This practice shows the SUPERIOR:
ty Of the heavier guns in point of accur-
r,cy.
We have cndeavorcd to show in the
foregoing that Notifications, however scien-
ti6cally constructed, or OF whatever mate
rial or cost, can not withstand, for any con-
siderable time, the effects of the shot or
shell. There are Zines, however, when
these fcycvs can not be brought to bear ex-
'cept at the expense Of great labor and
time; but even ratification so situated
has not been found able to hold out against
the desperate valor Of disciplined troops.
Forlresses .perchcd on almost inaccessible
heights have been stormed repeatedly
surrounded by water, they have been scaled
from boats. The sacrifice Of life is some.
times awful in such cascs-whole COM
panies, and regiments even, beng swept
away in the discharges from the fort; but
the dead bodies of the advance serve as
bridge for the reserve over which they rush
to victory. The Peninsular war, and, later
our own troops in Mexico, especially at
ChepulIepr, tue English and the French ir
the Crimea and in India, furnish many OK
amples of the weakness Of the most power
ful notifications when assailed y determin-
ed men. 1t was one of Napoleons max
inns that fortified place could only pro-
tect garrison and arrest the enemy GER
tain length Of time. Gibraltar and Cron-
stadI will one Gay be added to the examples
Of this rule.
4oT, BUT GooD.A good deacon recen-
tly, addressing a Sabbath School, made
point by the following anecdote: -
children continued the deacon, you all
know that I went to the Legislature last
year.J Well, the first day got to Augusta
I took dinner at the tavern; right beside