Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-08-17
THE MKTR8ILLEUR,
FuI Description OF the "CEuster {
1anbancso-Whai Two Steady M
may Do Il5&
From the London Globe.

the greatest possible number of deaths to
the greatest possible distance Grape
canister or ease,- and -shrapnel, all contain
ouiieCs' ana are all means for multiplying
aeatnS. Inc held-gun mows down its
hundreds by showers of case at
close quarters, or at LONGER dis
/. tances rairs bullets from the BURSTING
shrapnel. The mitrailleur or machine
gun, on the contrary sends a large num-
Der OF small proJectiles Independently and
I with precision, to q considerable distance
, we may divide arms on the latter princi-
pie, into two classes first, those which
discharge their bullets from single bar
. rel, fed by many chambered breech; and,
: secondly, those in which such cartridoa
: : has its corresponding barrel, the charging
! and dlscharging of which IS direct and
! more or less simple. +. 1t is obvious that,
Tor rough usage and continuous firing, it
ls better that large number of rounds
| Snould be hred from q considerable mum.
Der OF barrels so placed as to support each
other and add strength to the whole ma
chime. The French Mitrailleuse, as well
as the Belgian Montigny, belongs to the
second class, and the following brief de-
cnphon IS equally applicable to both arms:
Ihe machine gun consists of cluster of
barrels, either bound together or bored out
OF the sohd mass, and mounted on the same
principle ias en ordinary field gun. At a
lew hundred yards, indeed, it would be
difficult to distinguish between these weap-
ons, as tar as outward appearance goes To
the barrel is attached a massive breecb
action, capable of being opened and closed
by lever. In the Montigpy arm the
cartridges are carried In steel plates
perforated with holes corresponding
IN number and position to the holes
IN the barrel. This steel plate,
IN fact, forms the ''vent piece" of the sys-
tenn. The central fire cartridges being
cropped into the holes in the steel plate,
stand out at right angles from it, and the
plates, thus ready charged are so carried
IN timber and axetree boxes, specially fit
ted for their reception When she gun
comes into action the breech is drawn
back, a steel plate full of cartridges is
dropped into it's corresponding SLOT and
| the breech block thrust forward
and secured. The gun is now on
full cock, aud contains from thirty to for
! ty cartridges, which are fired by a
barrel organ handle, either by one as
the handle works round click-ciack, or in
a volley by rapid turn of the wrist
When the gun is empty the, breech block
| is again withdrawn the steel plate, carry
ing the empty cartridge cases, lifted out,
and fresh plate dropped in, if necessary.
The advantage possessed by the machine
gun over infantry fire is that it is never in q
funk. Bullets may rain around, bursting
shells may fill the air, still the tbirty-seven
barrels of the Mitrailluese shoot like one
man, and at 800 or one thousand yards
will pour r volley afterhi vollev of
OF deadly concentrated fire into circle
OF from ten to twelve feet in diameter. No
boring or fixing OF fuses is NECESSARY and
the whole operation is performed so rapid
~ that two steady cool men could main-
tain ire OF ten discharges per minute
On the other hand, the Mitrailleuse could
not well compete with the field gun, and
1t Is with this weapon twill assuredly be
met It's bullets would have comparative
~ slight effect at the ranges at which field
artillery projectiles are perhaps most
effective, while its size would offer
q very fair mark to the gunner.
The foreign press are welcome to write
fant0r0nnddes about the sudden death of
wretched hersesiat incredible distances.
lhls Is peace practice The horses came
from the knaekers yard, not from the
banks of the, Elbe, and therR were no
Uhlans sitting on. them. We are also
tempted on such occasions to take the
square root of the reported distance as the
actual range. The future of the Mitrail-
leuse, however, depends on counting facts.
Ihe days experiments are over; there are
ling towards the Rhine. The drum
like roll of their volleys may ere
long be heard in the VINEYARDS
OF Rudesheim, or on the edge of the Black
Forest; and the Fthud' of the bullet may
strike something softer than wooden tar
get. Yes, the machine-gun is en- route for
the Rhine; the experiments will now be on
gigantic scale; and Mr.. Cariwall may ad-
journ bis special committee until after
1hFIC Ct11NoC of 70 Dr. 4I,,k Al.
voice of war will have given the verdict: by
that time the Chassepot, the zandnadelge-
wehr, the shrapnel, and the volley gun will
each be credited with ghastly account
and we shall know which engine destroys
human life in the shortest time. the easiest
manner, and at the least possible expense
Struck by LIghning-HoW it Feels.
A correspondent of the Charleston, IS.
60 Courier, writing from Colleton, gives
the following interesting details of ar un-
usual accident: 81 met Allen, Willis to-day,
who, you remember was struck by light
ming few weeks ago, and he gaveme sub
stantially the following account Of the
occurrences: He was walking home with
two little children, girl of about six and
boy of about four, when rain came up
suddenly and he went under a pine tree to
protect the children until it WAS over. He
took off his coat and wrapped it around the
little girl, and bent over them to shelter
them from the rain close to the body OF
the tree. ALI he remembers OF the stroke
was a brilliant light that blinded him.
When he revived, he found himself lying
on his back about SIX feet from the tree,
feeling as if he was in a deep fit, and that
some large weight was crushing out bis
breath. sa1aaf# tdal 1A -
He attempted to rise, but fell back. At
last he turned over on his face, the effort
causing him inexpressible agony, but
finally got on all fours, when he met
sight we'll calculated to benumb every fac
ulty His mental anguish was so intense
that an age of suffering seems to have been
compressed into 81 tew moments. His
daughter was lying at the foot of the tree
on her face, apparently lifeless. Her bon
net was torn ints shreds, and her hair was
scorohed as if torch Of fire had been
thrust against it. The littleb boy was sitting
bolt upright, white and motionless as a
marble statue-no sign of consciousness of
life. He called him, but could not attract
his attention. Mr.. W. says the stony fixed
ness of the chlld's gaze is indelibly i'm
pressed upon his memory.
A''He tried to turn over his little daughter,
but could not use his hands. They were
drawn till the palms almost touched his
wrists He could not tell how long he had
been insensible, but the rain had ceased,
and he could see that there had been
heavy rain. The boy had been lying with
his face down, for the water had washed
the trash against his face.
s'Mr. Willis tried to halo but could only
groan, and every attempt he made to rise
ended in his falling Oh his back, from
which position he could only move by un-
dergoing the suffering he first experienced
in turning over and rising on his elbows
and knees. At last he concluded to crawl
to Mr.. Nix's house, only $50 yards dis
tant. Mrs. Nix saw him crawling toward
the house and went to him. He directed
her to the children, whom she Immediate
| lv ran to and found the little how aliua "