The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-04-16
NV YoRK. March d.

count by an Eyewitness.
NEW YORK, March "a.
have Just received letter from
prominent representative of the United
States, to one of the European capitals, !
which concludes as follows eff you
come over here in the present year I
think you will have a chance to see some
fighting. Unless 1 am much mistaken {
there will be war on a grand scale be-
fore the end of 1875. Russia, Prussia
and Austria are making extensive prep
arations, and devoting their entire ener-
gies to putting their armies on war
footing. Bismarck has chip on his
shoulder, and is looking around for
some body to knock it off. Who will be
the man to hit it2 is the preplexing ques-
ton" RI
Six months ago travelled through the
countries mentioned by my friend, and
the result of my observations comedies
with his Germany is in condition to
take the field at very short notice and
Austria and Russia are doing their best
to keep up with their powerful neighbor.
Leaves ofabseuoe to officers of the army
are now much shorter than formerly, and
the drill of the soldiers is very severe.
Infantry and cavalry were in camps of
instruction, and undergoing eight or
ten hours of exercise daily, and the ar
senals were full of materials of war.
Krupp, the famous fabricant of breech-
loading cannon, had more orders than
he could fill, and the government manu-
factories were turning out arms at rap
id rate. Russia has bought some patents
for rifed cannon and stolen others, and
has set up business ON her own account
So well has she succeeded that some of
her guns are pronounced quite equal to
Krupp's, and she is turning them out
at her factories in st. Petersburg, Kieff,
lula, and in the Ural Mountains She
abandoned the old muzzleloading mus
ket for infantry and is supplying her
soldiers with breech-loaders mostly OF
her own manufacture. Formerly she
depended largely upon foreign contrac
tors, she continued to buy extensively Of
them, but has latterly pushed her works
ahead, so that she will not be dependant
upon outside help in case of war.
Down to four years ago Austria de
pended upon bronze guns of the ole
pattern for her artillery service. The
inferiority of these weapons to the stee
breech loader was demonstrated in the
Franco German war, and the Austrian
War Department looked around fol
something new. Experiments were made
with breeeh leaders, and resulted in the
adoption of the Krupp system in prefer,
ence to all others. AS Krupp could moi
make the guns fast enough, the govern
ment made contract with him to estab-
ish branch foundry IL Austria, the
government to furnish capital and mate.
rial, and be at liberty to buy out the
whole concern at any time it saw fit.
The establishment is now in successful
operation, and the government is push
ing the work so fast that the end of the
present year will probably see the whole
artillery arm of the service equipped
with steel breech-loaders. The infantry
is now drilling with breech-loading rifles
and the equipment of the army is nearly
complete. The cavalry being freshly
mounted, and the government has iti
agents in Hungary and other horse
raising countries, buying up horses al
figures that would have been considered
fabulous fifteen years ago.
Germany is rapidly converting the
Dreysse riAe--better known as the needle
gun-into the Manser rifle, which is
claimed to be far superior to anything
of the kind brought forward. The Maus-
er is of the kind known as a bolt-gun,
and the work of loading and firing can
be performed with fewer motions than
are needed for the needle-gun. Germa-
ny is also at work upon several hundred
thousand Chassepots, captured from the
French, and these are likewise undergo
ing conversion into Mausers. The fac
tories are turning out about 10000 of
these rifles weekly, and they could be
crowded up to 25, 900 in case of necessi-
ty. The artillery arm keeps pace with
the infantry, and Germany could turn
out a fully equipped army any moments
she is ready for fight, and if any one
wishes to knock the chip from her shoul-
der she will not offer any objection.
One day last summer, 1 happened in
Magdeburg and took stroll outside the
town in the direction of the barracks.
Soldiers were at drill and my friend and