Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-08-10

From the London Globcl
To destroy your your enemy in the
shortest time, in the easiest manner,
and the least possible expenses the first
maxim of war. The stone that Whistled
from David's sling, the bullet of the
'zundnadelgewehr,' and the vOlleys of
the 'machine-gun' had all the same OBJ
iect. Since the days of Roger Bacon the
aim of all improvements in firearms
has been to carry the greatest possible
number of deaths to the greatest pOssi-
BILE distance. Grape, canister or case,
and shrapnel, all contain bullets, and
all are means for multiplying deaths,
The field-gun mOWs down its hundreds
by showers of case at close quarters, or
at longer distances rains bullets from
the bursting shrapnel. The mitrail-
leuSe or machine gun, on the contrary
sends large number of small prOjectiles
independently, and with precision, to a
considerable distance. We may divide
arms on the latter principle into two
classes-irst, those which discharge
their bullets from a single barrel, fed by
a many chamber breech; and, secondly,
those in which each cartridge has its
corresponding barrel, the charging and
discharging of which is direct, and
more or less simple. 1t is obvious that,
for rough usage and continuous firing,
it is better that large number OfrOunds
should be fired from a considerable
number of barrels SO placed as to sup
port each other and add strength to the
whole machine. The French Mitrail-
Ieause, as well as the Belgian, MOntigny
belongs to the second class, and the fol- |
lowing brief description is equally ap-
plicable to both arms: The machine
gun consists of a cluster of barrels, either
bound together or bored out Of the solid, /
and mounted on the same principle as
an ordinary field gun. At a few hum /
dred yards, indeed, it would be difficult |
to distinguish between these weapons, |
as far as outward appearance goes. |
To the barrel is attached a massive |
breech action, capable af being opened |
and closed by a lever. In the MOntigny |
arm the cartridges are carried in steel /
mates perfOrated with holes correspond !
ing in humber and position to the holes 1
in the barrel. This steel plate, in fact, |
forms the went piece of the system. /
The central fire cartridges being drop |
ped into the holes in the steel plate, |
stand out at right angles from it, and F..
the plates, thus ready charged, are so
carried in Timber and axletree-bOXes
specially fitted for their reception.
When the gun comes into action the
breech is drawn back, steel-plate full
of cartridges is dropped into its CORES
ponding SLOT and the breech-blOck
thrust forward and secured. The gun is
now Oh full cock, and contains from
thirty to forty cartridges, which are
fired by 'barTel-Organ' handle, either
one by one as the handle works round
click-clack, or in a vOlley by rapid
turn of the wrist. When the gun is
empty the bFeech-block is again with
drawn; the steeI-plate, carrying the
empty cartridge cases, lifted out, and a
fresh plate dropped III Unnecessary. The
possessed by the machine
gun over over infantry fire is that it is
never in q fumk, Bullets Nay rain
around, bursting shells may fill the air
still the thirty-seven barrels of the nit
railleuse shoot like one man, and at 4,
800 or l 1000 yards will pour vOlley after
vOlley of deadly concentrated fire into
a circle of from ten to twelve feet In di- ,
ameter. No boring or fixing of fusses is
necessary, and the whole operation is
performed so rapidly that two steady, /.
cool men could maintain a fire of ten
discharges per minute, On the other i
hand, the mitrHiIleuse could not we'll ,
compete with the field gun, and it is
with this weapon it will assUredly be e.,
met Its bullets would have cOmpara- (
lively slight effect at the ranges at ]
which field artillery prOiectiles are pre-
haps the most effective, while its size
would offer very fair mark to the gum
ner. The fOreigli press ARE welcome to
write fo9gdrOTHaol6S about the sudden ]
death of wretched horses at incredible ]
distances. This is peace practice. The ,
horses came from the knackeT's yard, {
not frOm the banks of the Elbe, and {
there were no Unlans sitting on mem.
We are also tempted on such occasions {
to take the square root of the reported '
as the actual range. The fq- '
ture of the mitrailleUse, however, de- {
pends on coming facts. The days eX- S
periments are over; there are hundreds '
of machine guns trunding towards the {
Rhine. The drum-like roll of their vol !
Ieys may ere long be heard in the vine |
yards of Rudesheim, or in the edge of y
the Black Forest; and the 'thud' of the
bullet may strike something softer than {
wooden target. Yes, the machine gun G
is en- route for the Rhine; the experiment I
will now be on a gigantic scale; and q
Mr.. Cardwell may adjourn his special {
until after Christmas, at any i
rate. By that time the voice of war s
will have give the verdict; by that time [
the ChassepOt, the acknowledgement a
the shrapnel and the volley gun will t
each be credited with a ghastly account, d
and we shall know which engine des- 9
trOys human life in the shortest time, G
the easiest manner, and at the least pos t
sible expense.