The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-08-04
THE CONTEST IN EUROPE,
rHE RIVAL ARMS.

THE RIVAL ARMS.
Chassepot vs.. Needle Gun..Compari,
son Of the Merits Of Both ant
Description of the Mechanism.
From the Birmingham, eng. GaSetts.J
At time when all civilization look!
with eagerness upon an impending strug
gle between two mighty nations In tin
full consciousness that not to numbers q
valor alone, rs heretofore, but 70 tn
superiority of military weapon the vic
tory OF either party will in all probability
be due, we deem no apology needed To-
making few remarks upon the needle
guns OF France and PRUSSIA. The SZund
nadel.gcwehr," or needle-gun Of the Prus
sian service, to which the victories Of tl'
Prtlssian arms in the short and sharp cam
paign Of 1865 have been with justice ut
tri6utcd, appears to have been originally
patented in England rs q nluzzle loadel
In 1881, by q Mr.. Moser, of Remington
The invention came before its time; It's
cold reception in England drove thu
patenteG to seek foreign patronage for III!
novelty, md Prussia was lucky enough Il
appreciate and adopt the new weapon
Dreysa, gun.lnNkcr Of SOmmaln, applied
the brCecll- loading principle 10 Nloser's
patent, and, thus amended, the arm, ter
years later, was, in 184S, introduced int
thc Prllssian service. The principle
briefly stated, is the driving of n pointed
piston, or needle" by the action Of q
spiral spring (such rs is used III the man
uhCtnre OF children's toy gIlns) into
small Casc OF illuminate, contained
in and situated between the pow
der and the bullet Of single
cartridge. Iii the action Of opening
the breCch the spiral spring is set by the
trigger; and thus the trigger, when pulled
releases into operation this spiral spring
which in its turn forces the needle into
the cartridge and fires the piece. More
fully detailed, the action ut the breeclI
may be described rs consisting nl tive
separate parts, all ComprelIendGl within
m open guidcr or channel, fixed 10 The
stock of the gun. Within this guidEr nj
iron tube or plungGr, movable by means
ofa handle projecting from Il, and So
curable by certain notcAes constructed III
the gIlider, forms the first part. lnclnsel
in this first iron tube is II smaller tube
the second part in the action-and in II
again is comprehGnded third, or needle
tube, which contains the needle. When
the 6rccch is opened iiilcr firing, this third
needle. cOntaining tube is pressed by the
action of the two tubes which contain u
against the spiral spring, and, when this
h0s reached It's furtheSt point Of compress
sion, smaller spring in connection with
the trigger, clasps the ledge Of the needle:
tube and holds Il fast The cartridge is
inserted and the "gliider" closed. The
trigger being then pulled releases the
needle:tube, behind which is the spira
spring, and this latter at once forces tht
needle BY It's tube into the cartridge
Such is an attempt to describe an action
comparatively simple, but which needs :
diagram in order to be fully understood
Upon this oldest form Of the PruSsiOr
nGcdIe-gun, which, rs we have seen
came into, use us a military arm If
184S, sundry and divers improvements
have since that period been made, tue
chief effects Of which have been u reduc
ton OF the mechanism OF the needle o.
1S4s, and u general tightening Of the whole
piece. None OrtheSc alterations, however,
have touched those two apparent evils IT
the old form Of this arm which INITIATED
against its adoption by England in 1850
These IRE the position oil the illuminate
in the interior Of the cartridge, and the
loosness OF mechanism, involving posi-
biIity ofthe escape Of gas, round the nee
die ut the base Of the plunger. To thcst
two particular points, France mainly dc
voted herslt In seeking u superior rifle U
that of Prussia. In tho hasSepot suct
an improved arm has been found. a
triple wad Of vulcanized India.ru6bel
placed roundthc axis Of its plungcr, aud
forming with asteel plate cushion TO re-
ccive the force Of the rebound, is intended
10 render the breech gas-tight, but has
been found in practice only partially
adapted TO that object. An ingenious ar
rangcmrnt Of notches on the outer guidcl
ofiron, before described, enables the gun
TO be placed ut halfcock. The needles il
lighter and smaller than in the Prussian
gun, and, above all, the cartridge contains
| lis illuminate at the base Of the powder
instead Of nj the base Of the bullet
A vacuum, left when the gun is charged,
between tile base Of the cartridge md the
front of the plungcr is intended to ctlect
the combustion and removal Of any pOr
ton Of the cartridge case that may re-
main after firing. As compared with the
Prt,ssian gun, this weapon possesses, he
side the scientific improvements We have
mentioned, other advantages Of superior
manufacture and finish. Its cartridge
besides admitting the altogether different
principle Of firing which we have no
ticed, contains larger charge OF pOwdcl
than the Prnssian cartridge, with small
er bullet, which leaves manifest Ndv0n
tagc in carrying the French weapon
willie the fact that the PrussiNn bullet is
purpOSely made so small rs not to touch
The barrel in its passage, while the French
bullet is Of the ordinary size tOtit the rifle
barrel, would point to the conclusion thai
the PrilSsian marksmNn is NtN liSadvan
tacc over the FrenchmNn In respect TO his
aim, The number Of times Of firing pei
minute is about the same in both cases
The cost of the French weapon consider
ably exceeds that OF the Prussian, and
the Chasscpot is, in Tradition, more dill
cult gun 10 make. ,..
THE STEVENS BATTERY.-Thc final dis
! posal OF this tremendous engine ofwar is
at present n question 0fs some doubt. Mr.
| T7,l,v;,, .E,nvnNS r. xviii hn remembered