The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-04-08
American Cartridges,

Russia was among the first to make
use of the american metallic cartridges.
ard she attempted in vain TO initiate
them. After wasting l0,rO0, coo of cart
ridges made Of inferior material, she
wisely concluded to buy here, as other
foreign nations have since done. Some
of the American cartridges sent TO Rus
STA were subjected to the unparalleled
test of n five weeks soaking in the
waters Of New York harbor, the vessel
carrying them having sunk of Staten
lsland on her way out. They were
lishcd up as good as new, and triumph
antly passing the ordeal of a new test
Of their firing quality went on their
way again, and have no doubt long
since added their quota TO the list Of
casualties. For good cartridges Ameri-
can copper is needed, n fact which the
Europeans are beginning TO learn.
Even so long ago as the days of the
mound-builders it was discovered that
our Lake Superior region produced a
copper ore of uncommon purity. Ore
of equal purity is not, il would seem, to
be found elsewhere, and perhaps the
process of annealing Is not so WI n
derstoOd abroad. At all events, the
brass made of the foreign copper,
abo, nding in the sulphurets, lacks the
necessary strength and ductiiity, and
for some reason the metallic cartridges
made abroad are liable to deteriorate in
quality. During her war with Turkey
Russia purchased large quantities OF
brass here, one Connecticut firm alone
supplying SO. 600, 600 worth of sheet
brass. Other governments have, no
doubt. been purchasers. Ready-made
cartridges have also been sent abroad in
such quantities that's million has be-
come the unit of calculation. Three
forms Of cartridges are made-the Uni
ted States government cartridge, the
Peabody Martini cartridge, and the
largest, the Sharps or Remington spe-
cial long-range cartridge. The govern
ment cartridge contains seventy grains
of powder and a hardened bullet, COM
posed of n part Of tin and sixteen
parts lead. weighing 405 grains. The
Pcabody-Mutin has eighty-tive grains
ofpowder and bullet Of the same COM
p ,sition weighing $50 grains. The long
ra ge bullet has one part of tin to four
teen parts lead, and weighs $50 grains,
the charge of powder being
100 grains. The advantages of
the heavier cartridge are well shown
in the experiences of the Turkish
war, already referred TO. Whatever
else they may lack, the Turks have GER
tainly shown superiori diligence in the
armament of their troops. The Eng
lish, who use the same gun, had, on a
smaller scale. an experience similar to
that of the Turks. The rifles used by
the rifle brigade in the campaign against
the Afghans We're sighted Tor , 600 yards,
and at 3 100 yards were found effective.
The rifles with which our own army is
provided are sighted for 1900 yards.
Some of the sights used by rillemen in
~long-range shooting, us the Vernier
sight, combine a spirit-level and wind
gauge. The ordinary Vernier will reg
ister to the tlousandlh of an inch, and
Vernin1s have been made so as to regis
ter the twenty thousandth OF an inch,
these finer sights being used TO regulate
the ordinary sights. These very fine
sights are not adapted to military SER
vice, in which the rifle is subjected to a
very different usage from that prevail
ing at Creedmoor, where the long-range
rileman is able to give his weapon all
the care that a musician would take of
his precious Stiadivarius violin or his
Tourte bow.-COL. w. G. Church, in
Scribner.