New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-04
NEW INVENTIONS IN ARMS.
The Chassepot, Needle Gun and the Wall
Rifle.
From the New York World

SNsseSSSROsS
Rifle.
JFrom the New York World
1t becomes daily more evident that no
only France, but also Prussia, has for {
number of years silently but steadily made
the most active preparations for the great
struggle for European supremacy which has
Just now commenced between them.
This is not only indicated by thorough
reorganization Of both the French and the
German armies, but also by the strenuous
efforts Of each to produce weapons more
improved and of greater destructiveness
than possessed by the other.
1t is claimed by the French that the
Chassepot is an improvement on the Fund
nadelgewehr, and, as long as the latter
served them as model, they are probably
all right there. Besides that, they have in
troduced into their artillery service light
feld-piece, kind of revolving cannon
called the mitralleuse said to be most
effective against infantry and cavalry.
All Of a sudden one hears however, OF
several new inventions quietly introduced
by Prussia, land first among them gun
which can be fired twenty-five times a
minute with ease, and said to be q decided
improvement ON both the acknowledgements
and the Chassepot. In connection with
this they have an improved arrangement
for carrying two hundred rounds of ammu-
milton.
The superiority of this new gun becomes
at once self-evident, inasmuch as the pres
ent needle gun can only be fired off about
ten or twelve times a minu te, and soldier
carries only sixty rounds of ammunition.
1t is, therefore, at least twice as effective
as their present style of needle gum and a
considerable number of them has already
been manufactured, and are ready to be dis
tributed among the army. Another new
invention of which the Prussians seem to
think much, is kind of heavy and very
large rifle, with cast-steel barrel four and
a half feet long, and mounted on two light
wheels very much like piece OF ar
tillery.
It is named the wall buechse or wall rife,
probably because similar very heavy and
long rifle has been in use during the middle
ages for the defense of the walls and turrets
of castles and other Notifications. This
wall rifle has been distributed extensively
among the infantry, every battalion of
which has now a number of them. 1t is
aimed and fired off by a soldier kneeling be-
hind it.and catching the recOil, in order to
steady the aim, by means Of a padded cush-
ion or saddle. The distance at which this
new gun carries is very great, the same as
that OF the heaviest artillery. 1t shoots
with great precision and seems to be more
. particularly destined to be used against
the enemy's artillery, for the killing Of the
men serving the guns, their horses and the
explosion of ammunition chests, although it
may be also used against infantry and
cavalry. The projectile is two and a half
inches long, of cast iron, hollow, and filed
with highly explosive substance It ex-
plodes, however, only when it strikes with
its point, which is furnished with slightly
projecting knob pressing needle into the
charge, and thus causing an immediate ex-
plosiOn.
Besides these new inventions, numerous
improvements have been introduced, par
ticularly in the artillery Of both nations
and most of them of such destructiveness
to life and limb that this war will probabl,
become the blOodiest on record.