Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-08-03
CHASsEPOT, NEEDLE GUN, AND
WALL RIFLE.

It bee mes daily more evident that
not only France, but also Prussia, has
for a number of years silently but
steadily made the most active prepar-
ations for the great struggle for Euro
pean supremacy which has just now
commenced between them.
This is not only indicated by thor
ough reorganization of both the French
and the German armies, but also by
the strenuous efforts of each to pro
duce 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
acknowledgements, and, as long as the
later served them as model, they are
probably all right. Besides that, they
have introduced into their artillery ser
vice light field piece, kind of revolv.
ing canon, called the mitraleuse, said to
be most effective against infantry and
cavalry.
All of sudden one hears, however,
Of several new enventions quietly in
troduced by Prussia, and first among
them a gun which can be fred twenty
two times a minute with ease, and
said to be decided improvement on
both the acknowledgements and the
Chassepot. In connection with this
they have on improved arrangement
for carrying tive hundred rounds of
ammunition.
The superiority of this new gun
becomes at once self-evident, inasmuch
as the present needle-gun can only be
fred off ten or twelve times minute.
and soldier only carries sixty rounds
of ammunition.
1t is, therefore, at least twice as eff
fectiye as their present style of needle
gun. and a considerable number of
them has already been manufactured
and is ready to be disturbed among
the army. Another new invention of
which the Prussians seem to think
much is a kind of heavy and very
large rife with a cast-steel barrel four
and a half feet long and mounted on
two light wheels, very much like a
piece of artillery.
1t is named the wall buechse or wall
rife. probably because a similar very
heavy and long rifle has been in use
during the middle ages for the defense
of the wall and turrets of castles and
other Notifications This wall rife
has been distributed extensively among
the infantry, every battalion of which
has now number of them. II is
aimed and fired off by soldier kneel-
ing behind it and catching the recoil,
in order to steady the aim, by means
of padded cushionfor saddle. The dis
lance 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 used against
infantry and cavalry. The projectiIe
is two and half inches long, Of cast
iron, hollow, aud filed with highly
explosive substance. It explodes, how
ever, only when it strikes with lis
point, which is furnished with slight
ly projecting knob pressing needle
Into the charge, and thus causing an
immediate explosion.
Besides these new inventions, mum
erous improvements have been intro
duced, particularly in the artillery OF
both nations, and most Of them of such
observation-disclosures to life and limb, that
this war will probably become the
bloodiest on record.