Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-06
THE MITRAILLEUR.
Full Description of S'the Cluster of
Gunbands''-What Two steady
Wen may Do.
From the London Globe.

Wen may DOs
From the London Globe.
To destroy your enemy in the shortest
time, in the easiest manner, and at the
least possible expense, is the first maxim
of war. The stone that whistled from
David's sling, the bullet of the ''zundna-
delgewehr," and the volley of the 'tma-
chine-gun" had all the same object. Since
the days of Roger Bacon the aim of all
improvements in firearms has been to
carry the greatest possible number of
deaths to the greatest possible distance.
Grape, canister or case and shrap-
mel, all contain bullets, and are all
means for multiplying deaths. The
field gun mows down its hun
dreds by showers of case at close
quarters, or at longer distances rains bull
lets from the bursting shrapnel. The
mitrailleur or machine gun, on the con-
trary, sends large number of small pro-
jectiles independently, and with pre-
cision, TO a considerable distance. We
may divide arms on the latter principle
into two classes-first, those which dis
charge their bullets from a single barrel,
fed by many chambered breech; and,
secondly, those in which each cartridge
has its corresponding barrel, the charging
and discharging of which is direct, and
more or less simple. 1t is obvious that,
for rough usage and continuous firing, it
is better that a large number of rounds
should be fired from considerable num-
Der of barrels so placed as to support each
other and add strength to the whole ma
chine. The French AIitrailleUse, as well
as the Belgian MOntigny, belongs to the
second class, and the following brief de-
scriptiOn is equally applicable to both
arms The machine gun consists of a
cluster of barrels, either bound together
or bored out of the solid, and mounted
on the same principle as an ordinary field
gun. At few hundred yards, indeed, it
would be difficult to distinguish between
these weapons, as far as outward appear
ance goes. To the barrel is attached a
massive breach action, capable of being
closed and opened by lever. In the
Montigny arm the cartridges are carried
in steel plates, perforated with holes cor
responding in number and position TO the
holes in the barrel. This steel plate, in
fact, forms the ''yent piece of the
system. The central fire cart
ridges being dropped into the
holes in the steel plate, stand out Albright
angles from it, and the plates, thus ready
charged, are so carried in timber and
axletree boxes specially fitted for their re-
ception. When the gun comes into action
the breech is drawn back, a steel plate
full of cartridges is dropped into its cor
responding slot, and the breech block
thrust forward and secured. The gun is
now on full cock, and contains from thir-
ty to forty cartridges, which are fired by
"barrel organ" handle, either one by
one as the handle works sound click -clack.
or in volley by rapid turn of the wrist.
When the gun is empty the breech block
Is again withdrawn; the steel plate, car
rying the empty cartridge cases, lifted
out, and a fresh plate dropped
in, If necessary. The adVan-
tage possessed by the machine gun over
infantry fire is that it is never in funk.
Bullets may rain around, bursting shells
may fill the air, still the thirty-seven bar
rels of the Mitrailleuse shoot like one
man, and at 500 or 1000 yards will pour
volley after volley 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 rapidly that two steady,
cool men could maintain q fire of ten
discharges per minute. On the other
hand, the Mitrailleuse could not well com
pete with the field gun, and it Is
yu-ff l.
met. Its bullets would have com
paratively Slight effect at the ranges
at which field artillery projectiles are per-
haps most effective, while its size would
offer a very fair mark to the gunner.
The foreign press are welcome to write
fan farOnHGoleS about the sudden death
of wretched horses at incredible distances.
This is peace practice. The horses came
from the knacker's yard, not from the
banks of the Elbe, and there 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 coming facts.
The days of experiments are over; there are
hundreds of machine guns trundling TO-
wards 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 'thud'' of
the bullet may strike something softer
than wooden target. Yes, the machine
gun is en- route for the Rhine; the expert
ments will now be on gigantic scale;
and Mr.. Cardwel NAV adjourn his special
committee until after Christmas, at any
rate. By that time the voice of war will
have given the verdict; by that time the
Chassepot, the acknowledgement, the
shrapnel, and the Volley gun will each be
credited with a ghastly account, and we
shall know which engine destroys human
life in the shortest time, the easiest man
ner, and at the least possible expense.
HThe Temperance Convention held at
RlOOTlIOrrtnp TlIo