Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-10-14
PRUSSIAN SIEGE ARTILLERY,
Enormous Range of Their Cannon
Modern Inventions i'm Gun

mouerh Ahsehhohs IN VII"
n merry.
From the Neue Frcie Presse.
4 Considering the important part which
the Prussian siege artillery may be called
3to play in the present war, it will moi
3be out of place to put briefly before oui
3readers its composition and powers Of
6service.
The Prussian siege guns consist of SIX
twelve and twenty-four- pound cannon
3twenty-fve-pound bomb cannon, and
aflty howitzer, as also twenty-five and
a6fty-pound mortars. Recently the sew
lenty-two-pounder cannon and breech-
3loading mortar have also been added Ia
the siege artillery, but there can only be
IA few specimens of this gun.
4 The siege guns send forth hollow balls,
4grenades, bombs, fire grenades, fire
3bombs, and other ammunition answering
Hto the size of the tube. The grenades
Fare long shots, with arch-like points. The
ashrapnels are hollow balls filled with
leaden bullets, and these are exploded.
8The destructive power of the grenades
3is very great. Even with the six-pound-
Bers weak masonry may be destroyed, and
5this caliber is only employed when neces-
~, s%,y ~, eomrnon1Jar 'mo cronados anv % no.
sonrv;s destrovaJ and ;ndeed in ~ com
norot;velv sbort time Wornover an
9three calibers are adapted TO the destruc-
st;on of eartbworks and the dismountinc
: of guns. The twelve and twenty-four1
Gpounder calibers penetrate, moreover,
niatnTgf rFfSe ~ ~ '
Igagnst sbnt.un troons all col;bers mn
N ; non naces cap f he femunioyad Tbs
ny 7l;inT innJn J;stance wb;cL tan be reached
~ ali oaiibers annroaebes 3 0co naoes
.aiouf two and n half miles In exoenl
i,ionaI oases eyen tbis distance oan be
somswbat exceeded The sbrannels ara
3onIv emnloved against troons and Ia !
bnt ago;nst these With mnch
e.S, ooae.S, e. 4, ;ha distances are nre-
. S;sely % known and if the troops, through
4 the he POSITION Of the nlace. are compelled
.ne poo''ai% ioOa o nndpr Gre The maxi
~ , reinGn d;atonaa % Co.. ,be nse of sbrannels is
5febH qss' q"". Tho cortr;dge shots are
IVY IdRgaJ R~SSr m y See 80
1Iho %Hoy twerty6 wv az q 6ve n ndnn5er 5r homh cannon
.Laots soi;J oa5en holls and hnmhs fIIed
,1;tb ieo1 As q rnIe tbev Are used
V,,a;rst ,,osonrv with aosal cbarges
Il" solid Ieaden hall has Ereater peneI
.tret;ng s mr. mower than tbe lead bombsi new
sartbaIeesgs gftb AZ esennt ~ iha alatter on ma
sonrv IL Greater heoanss ~ bV Tbafina 'ibe
wall II 1oosens ;ts comnosition more
The oreater distance Of range il $500
noces Tho greatest distance at which
1aocontr;c oranades can he launched from
4 tbe twenty,6ve nonnd bow;tzer ;s aboni
4 i90o naces and with tbe fiffv mound
lboudtzer 49oO naces The 6re.bails are
so tbTowrn 1G Gndssible a. 10 remain lvinr
<beyond the object 70 he set az n1En Erne = tbs
{ 6re rrenades IRE nreferred n tho object
10 be set an fre can only he strnck III Il
rort;coI Gre and against those ob;acts 40
wb;cb hurn;nr halls do NOT eo os;Iv adhere
T1 Pie hombs thrown from the mortars
s1Il rnle amrjovad against bor;gon-
ltaI or oovered o5;ects ~ IfTaHs' annSe,ls nS,l ~
carty-eva degrees With tbe tphs az
greatest distance reached hv N. o.
sonnJor mortar ia 2 aoa and Iv tbo IA
ponnJor . Soo s,ans IT, IL ol, ~
Z, axcont;nnol coses-for ox.mnia bon,
WV 99i's3s VI 'O"ee' i""teS Inn" i'-VV
paTess' pTs ,--..,
in. s.re"s'n ol park of siege afil7
,tsr;, 'nas - 70 say the humoei .e OIL guns,
tneir Squlpluele WIN alnhuhl.loh'e .Iu 'evc'' y
u u eacI I case aunpieu ,. 10 Ine strength ol
Lne place a1'acheu' IN any ease,
present suaS STATE Of Srtery h.h service, mon