The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-07-27
The Explosive BuIIet-A Fearful In
SGrumemU OF Warfare

The last and most destructive of the
death-dealing projectiles the explosive
bullet, designed by Pertuiset, and execu-
ted by French artisan in the celebrated
firearms factory of Devisme, is described
IN the last number of the Army and Navy
Journal. Externally quite similar to the
original MIME, q cyhndric-cOnical mass
of lead, it is discovered, by an unscrewing
of its length about midway, to be intern
ally a magazine of illuminate The eX-
plosiye compound-dynamite powder,
condensed powder, or whatever it may be
has an explosive force six times that of
gunpOwder. Experiments which have
been made under the patronage of the
Russian, Prussian and Austrian govern
ments, and last by our own War Depart
ment demonstrate not only its effective
ness, but the singular properties its inven-
tor has given to it. Being given the dis
tauce OF the target, its density, quantity
Of charge in the gun and the same of the
ingredients constituting the projectile, he
has established a most exact relation, by
accurate calculation, between the force
necessary to explode the projectile and its
penetration before subjection to this pres
sure. Thus the magazine can be so consti-
tuted that the passage ofthe bullet through
a sheet of paper will explode it, or so that
the severe impact of iron or hard wood Is
needed for such u result. 1t is COM
forting to be assured that "a ball which
would not explode in the body of sol
der or Of horse, if not at a very limited
distance, would explode in the more re-
sisting body of an ammunition wagon"
Though NJ Pertuiset is the inventor of
the particular missile to which our atten-
tion has been drawn, by singular pro-
priety of circumstances Prince Pierre
Napoleon, the 6ete mOire of the Bona
parte family, appears to have been its ia
splrer. From a little pamphlet, badly
translated from an essey on explosive
projectiles written by the Prince, we are
not surprised to learn that its author en-
tertained the idea quite a number OF
years ago, and even applied to Devisme to
make him a gun of particular calibre, sui
ted to a hollow proiectile of copper, OF OF
an alloy OF lead and antimony. The fact
Of Devisme's declining to produce the
arm defeated the Princes purpose.
The ethics of slaughter are defined in
no recognized code, but there is a pretty
general accord among nations that explo-
sive bullets shall not be used in small
arms. Our readers have not forgotten
Tue convention lnJO W0lcu, at Cle instance
of Russia, the prominent nations of Eu-
rope entered year or two ago. During
our own war there was an occasional sug-
gestion of such missiles being used, but
we prefer to believe that the few cited in
| stances were altogether imaginary. We
know that an invention of this nature
whether Pertuiset's or not we are uncer-
| tain-was offered to the Confederates and
declined, on the score of pure sentiment,
by the board of examining officers; and,
if our memory is not fault, the internal
missile was considered in a similar spirit
by our War Department.
At a recent trial of Pertuiset's projec-
tile made by the Ordnance Department
at Washington, the purpose of expert
ments seems to have been to demonstrate
its utility in exploding caissons, artillery
wagons, etc. The twenty-seven shots,
made at all sorts of targets, proved the
excellence of the Illuminated for such pur-
poses. We are very sure that no civilized
government will be disposed to adopt an
explosive missile for any other purpose.
Despite the partizanship of Prince Pierre,
in 2 letter to his imperial cousin, Napo-
leon rejected it at once.