Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-01-05
AMERICAN CARTRIDGES.

use OF American meGaiIlc cartridges, ana
she attempted in vain to initiate them.
After wasting ten millions of cartridges
made by of inferior material, wisely con-
cluded to buy here, as other foreign ma
tions have since done. Some Of the
American cartridges sent to Russia were
subjected to the unparalleled test of a five
weeks soaking in the waters of New York
harbor, the vessel carrying hem having
sunk off Staten Island on her way out.
They were fshed up as good as new, and,
triumphantly passing the ordeal of new
test Of their firing quality, went on their
way again, and have no doubt long since
added their quota to the return of casu-
alties. For good cartridges American
copper is needed, a fact which the Euro
peans are beginning to learn. Even SO
long ago as the days of the mound-build-
ers, it was discovered that our Lake Su-
perior region produced copper ore of
uncommon purity. Ore of equal purity
is not, it would seem, to be found else
where, and perhaps the process of an
healing is not so we'll understood abroad.
At all events, the brass made of the for
eign copper, abounding in the sulphurets,
lacks the necessary strength and ductil-
ity, and for some reason the metallic
cartridges made abroad are liable to de-
teriorate in quality. During her war
with Turkey, Russia purchased large
| quantities of brass here, one Connecticut
firm alone supplying two millions of dol
lars worth of sheet brass. Other gov
ernments have, no doubt, been purchas-
ers. Ready-made cartridges have also
been sent abroad IN such quantities that
a million has become the unit calculation.
Three forms of cartridge are given in
the illustrations on page 449, one show.
ing the United States government car
tidge, another the Peabody Martini car
tidge, and the largest the Sharps or Rem
ington special long-range cartridge. The
government cartridge contains 20 grains
of powder and hardened bullet, compos-
ed of one part of tin and sixteen parts
lead, weighing 405 grains. The Pea
body-Martini has IS grains Of powder
and bullet of the same composition
weighing 48O grains. The long-range
bullet has one part of tin to fourteen
parts lead and weighing $50 grains, the
charge of powder being loo grains.
The avantages of heavier cartridge are
well shown in the experiences of the
Turkish war already referred to. What
ever else they may lack, the Turks have
certainly shown superior intelligence 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
rife brigade in the campaign against the
Afghans were sighted for 1000 yards,
and at 2,l00 yards were found effective.
The rifles with which our own army is
provided are sighted to 1900 yards, as
will be seen from the cut on page 42O
showing the military sight. Some Of
the sights used long-range shooting
are also shown; the Vernier sight,
combining spirit, level and wind-gague.
The ordinary Vernier will register to the
thousandth of an inch, and Vernier have
been made so as to register the twenty
thousandth of an inch, these finer sights
being used to regulate the ordinary sights
These very fine sights are not adapted tc
military service, in which the rife is
subjected to very different usage from
that prevailing at Creedmoor, where the
long-range riheman is able to give his
weapon all the care that musician
wonld take of his precious Stradivarius
violin or his Tourte bow.-Seri6ner 70,
January.