Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-08-13
THE EXPLOSIVES BULLET.
A Fearful Instrument Of warfare.

1ue IuSJ utlu lutSJueSJTuCIlVeO Ol the
death-dealing projectiles is the explo-
sive bullet, designed by Pertuiset, and
executed by French artisan in the
celebrated firearms factory of Devils
me, is described in the last numbe of
the Army and Navy Journal. Ex-
ternally quite similar to the original
MIME, a cylindric-conical mass aof
lead, 1t is discovered, by an unscrew-
ing of its length about midway, to be
internally magazine of illuminate.
The explosive compound dynamite
powder, condensed powder, or what
everit may be-has an explosive force
six times that of gun powder. Ex-
periments which have been made
under the patronage of the Russian,
and Austrian Government, and last
by our own War department., demon
strate not only its effectiveness, but
the singular properties its inventor
has given to it. "Beinv given the
distance of the target, its density, the
quantity of charge i'm the gun, and
the same of the Ingredients cOnstitut-
ing the projectile," he has estab-
lished most exact relation, by
accurate calculation, been the force
necessary to explode the projectile
and its pentration before subsection to
this pressure. Thus the magazine
can be so constituted that the passage
of the bullet through sheet of pa
per will explode 1t, or so the severest
impact of iron or hard wood Is need.
ed for such q result. 1t is comforting
to be assured that "a ball which would
not explode In the body of q soldier
or q horse, If not at very limited
distance, would explode in the more
resisting res body of an ammunition
Though Mr.. Pertuiset is the inven-
tor of the particular missile to which
our attention has been drawn, by a
singular propriety of circumstances
Prince Pierre Napoleon, the 6ete noire
of the Bonaparte family, appears to
have been its inspirer. From little
pamphlet, badly translated from an
essay on explosive projectiles, written
by the Prince, We are not surprised to
learn that its author entertained the
idea quite number of years ago, and
even applied to Devisme to make
him gun of particular calibre, suit
ell to a hollow prOiectile of copper, or
of an alloy of lead and antimOny.-
The fact of Devisme's declining to
produce tine arm defeated the Princes
purpose.
In no recognized code, but there Is a
pretty general accord among nations
that explosive bullets shall not be
used I'm small arms. Our readers have
not forgotten the convention into
which, at the instance of Russia, the
prominent nations Of Europe entered
a year or two ago. During our own
war there was AN occasional sugges-
ton of such missiles being used, but
we prefer to believe that the few cited
instances were altogether imaginary.
We know that an invention of this
nature-whether Pertuiset's or not
we are uncertain-was Offered to the
Confederates and declined, on the
score of pure sentiment, by the board
OfeXamining officers; and, flour mem
Ory Is not at fault, the Internal mis-
sile was considered in similar spirit
by our War Department..
At a recent trial of Pertuiset's pro-
jectile, made by the Ordinance depart
ment at Washington, the purpose OF
experiments seems To have been to
demonstrate its utility in exploding
cassions, artillery wagons, &c. The
twenty-seven shots, made at all sorts
Of targets, proved the excellence Of
the illuminate for such purposes. We
are very sure that no civilized gov
ernment will be disposed 10 adopt an
explosive missile for any other pur-
pose. Despite the partizanship of
Prince Pierre, In letter to his impe-
rial cousin, Napoleon rejected IL at
once.