, 1881-04-16
Great Improvement in Weapons
Since the War OF the
Rebellion.
The Effective Range Of Muzzle.Load.
ing Muskets Increased from
1000 to 1880 Yards.
Rffle-Firlng Now Considered Nh Art to
.1se Specially Cultivated In
Tho Army.
The Ingenious Process by Which Targets
Are Manufactured at Rock
Island Arsenal,

r lslant Arsenal.
) dptetdt Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune.
DAvESroi.T, H., April l:,.-rhe regent In
ventions III electrical science. whIcI, t,nve
slvel, US the tsleptl0le, photophonc a,td
phonogrnnh. are lnr.ly more wonderful,
though Of cn,trse inore generntty known,
than tho changes Which l,nve taken place,
a1td are inw guing on, in the implements oi
ino'ler1l warfare. These cover tile wl,elu
field, whether found IN Ericsson's recently.
tEescrtbel Destroyer u and her new g,in,
with Its mighty moral influence. or Iii the
last nlatle soldiers nuske., s,ore I,oircnstye,
but no less complete in its perfection ut dc.
tall a,,d efficiency. One of tho popular OK.
crescerces 80 to speak, of tllIs revolution,
which Is gn!ng 0f, In tile manufacture OF Inn
p1ctlents for nlodcrn warfare, Is ft,,,tn In tile
private pnd public rifle.sh0otthg matches
Of the day. THIS during the Inst thrne years
lias not only been tho American mania to
sllpplnnt base-bntl, but 1t lhS rngetl with
eHunE fcrvor ahr0ad, rs ti1s international
contests df rlile.teatis nttest II tic war nf
1St0.'5 were to pc fought over nHai,,. II wn,,.t
be Ole Of far more fearful results, rs, In the
order Of events, 1t has bcen All incalcu1nble
saving Of llliinai treasure. Twellty-ono years
have Increased tile tcrrors of warcnormousIy,
and III the Gust Ut life the civil rebellion may
be rec0rtlett t0-tlay rs n pnralnxIcal blessing.
II Is but natural tu consider uisf0rtunes rs
they atc, mid llot rs they might have been III
tic past, or us they may be III tho future.
But It Is Gnsy fOr tls observer af this subject
Of Improved weapons tu ste how, were Il war
In progress HOW, the lost nrfl would be u llfu
slafn. anil The declmateA regiment almost
an annihitated one. Or, II the war
were fought over and the now
weapons were placed III the l,unus Of the
Sontll, while the North continued the use of
| those that 1nntle 1t victorious sixteen years
| ago, the "Lnst Cunsu" would easily prove
| tho winning one. II " assumed here that
NaDo1eom's definition Is tue correct ono: that
tho Almighty Is always OH tho side Of tie
heaviest artillery.
IlrLE-1tAEoEs. !
The outside effective range Of mnzz1e-loatl-
Ing muskcts used In tho conflict between the
States WAS 1000 yards, while dangerous
range was considered to Ia 800 yards. The
present tcttecttye.tir1ng ralge Is considered by
ordnance officers TO be 1900 yards or about
0nU milo Rnl one.third. In fleltl.artttery md
naval gtltls corresponding innovation Of
destructlveness has been brought about. But
1t Is within two years tl,at the Ord
nance Department at Washington has co,,-
sfercd riile-tlrinE rs one of the arts to bc spe-
claliy cultivated. And It Is only to show one
p'lase, alld one that l'y ti,e casual reader may
be considered all unImportant 0ne. that the
Information herein containcd has been
ilon Of, the work of Observation-Disclosures as
OFFICIAL co,,t,rsrnsnrscr ] rr' r;i
/ For the purpose ut showing ut how late
date 1hls subject Inns received attention franl
,9snntnr, ~ rcp@sMe aE 1oIWe sf,e set'e4'
6umw. scc f,rr,cv ~ -. nrnt,,,.'s., .s,s u..,,
,snTnS. sant t 1H fa y y 1eS',n M4s-
nHS, 11 it;,t1;dr,: ri ,x:nG5. !; e. wy; M,
plcass preparo yompiets system Of t. trErt. rel.
nSce x1r Eth, ine asy aery1ce; % Including ~
msr",v ni,l. i ~ u,,fIsho y ST. IT, Wa y.
ia 1essuned saat I'LL punartmnnL - s 9 aFpi Fmrs II
Tho taT9ets. appiIances. md ovuryibinx ssesss1
sary 10 ally Instruct tho soifcr III thu .'sc of hIs
s. =. DEEEr,
~, tnrdga1ler-1eneFal. m m Chief ot Onlnnncc.
Un the :.th of OcioDer, lSa', ut 9eo'n!nini-
saIa: saIlG' u 'n' Secretary OF war os''' os"ot
The present system Of target. practice for tho
Mse M " tho regular arlny. putishctl ey uruer. Ut
tnn WE vi ana approvsI Y lao Sec.
to sitraes s @as ~ s ,s9Sy 10 1 ana
rape fnr ts saeaess y st c"as on na .ne ea11 r.
prssG,ttics, sjnco tbas date tp aertsgt1n n ~ ag
nur cartridges and hrceeI,. lo;.illslg systen tho
liz s psst aa %ta.srfa e!seisSp pt''s It bsss ioas
rttiEes, tho intcroat nianttrstcl by private cltt
xss n aoi1r'af sxi'' I! thels use w. ana tho en-;
r"ndih ~ tie ai IT, n"rHa lv H9kn an1
prioty of vuvcrntntntn s,pcrysion Ind d. eI,t5-
ancu In u nlatlcr % Vital to tho military nn;rrr
OF tho Nation. "
April 3, 1870, Gen. Beuet submitted for ap-
Firing" prepared By Col. Iaitlley, wnicl,
wls nupruyrti. anI itas sincc hr.n }as,,,si II