The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-01-03
American Cartridges.


Russia was among the first to make use
Of the American metallic cartridges, and
she attempted in vain to initiate them.
Alter wasting ten millions of cartridges
made OF inferior material, she wisely con
eluded to buy here, as other foreign nations
have since done. Some Of the American
cartridges sent to Russia were subjected
to the unparalleled test Of fve.weeks
soaking in the waters of New York harbor,
the vessel carrying them having sunk off
Staten Island on her way out They were
hshed up as good as new, and, triumphanuy
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 return Of casualties. For
good cartridges American copper is needed,
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, it would seem, to be
found elsewhere, and perhaps the process
Of annealing is not so well understood
abroad At all events the brass made Of
the foreign copper, abounding in the sui.
phurets, lacks the necessary strength and
ductility, and for some reason the metallic
cartridges made abroad are liable to dete.
riorate in quality. During her war with
Turkey, Russia purchased large quantities
of brass here, one Connecticut firm alone
supplying two millions of dollars worth of
sheet brass. Other governments have, no
doubt, been purchasers. Ready made car
tridges have also been sent abroad in such
quantities that u million has become the
unit of calculation There are three forms
of cartridges, the United States govern
ment cartridge, another the Peabody. Mar
TIM cartridge, and the largest the Sharps
or Remington special long-range cartridge.
The government cartridge contains 40
grains of powder and hardened bullet,
composed of ore part of tin aud sixteen
parts lead, weighing 405 grains The
Peabody-MartIni has s5 grains of pow
der and bullet of the same compost.
tion weighing 4SO grains. The long, range
bullet has one part Of tin to fourteen parts
lead, and weighs $50 grains, the charge
Of powder being 100 grains. The advan.
tnges Of the heavier cartridges are well
shown in tho experiences Of the Turkish
war already referred to- Whatever else
they may lack the Turks have certainly
shown superior intelligence ia the arma.
meut of their troops. The English, 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 10 the
campaign against the Afghans we're sight.
cd for 1000 yards, and at 2l00 were found
effective. The rifles with which our own
army is provided are sighted to 1900 yds.
The sights used by rifemen in long g.range
shooting is the Vernier sight, and sight
combining spirit level and wipd.gapge.
The ordinary RernIeF will register to the
thousandth OF an inch, and Verniers have
hnan InaaS 90 a. to SesistsE the twanty
thousandth Of an lnch these finer sights
being used to regulate the ordinary sights.
These very fine sights are not adapted to
military service, in which the rife is sub
jected TO very different usage from that
prevailing at preedmoor, where the long.
range riaeman is able to give his weapon
all the care that a musician would take of
his prescious Stradiyarius violin or his
Tourte bOw,-Seribner for January
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