Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-05-09
as it is liable to produce any one Of three
or four "OrdersD of explos;On

or four orders" of explosion.
He further says that percussion is dan
gerous, because of the unevenness with
which even the best made caps explode
Electricity, however, gives a steady ever
fire, and is bound to supersede percussion
as that in turn displaced the old fint-lock
and matchbox. Millions of primed small
arms cartridges are made every year by the
government at FIankford arsenal, Phila
delphia; by the United States Cartridge
company at Lowell, Mass; by the Unior
Metallic at Bridgeport, and by the Win
chester at New Haven. 1t is claimed tha
this use of electricity as detonator will
make it possible to use high explosives in
rifles. The spark is furnished by means O
a primary coil in a manner similar to tht
portable gaslighters.
STEEL SHIELDS FOR SOLDIERS.
The Austrian, French, English and Ital
ian governments have ordered their tris
specimens of the steel shields invented by
Captain Holstein, of the Danish army, fo
the protection of soldiers in the trenches
and on the ramparts from rifle fire. shrap
nels, etc. They are easily carried out; eaci
shield is capable of protecting two men
and they are claimed to be bullet.proof q
distance of 100 yards.
The value of the weapon does not con
sist merely in its material power. Its
value increases or diminishes ac
cording as it inpires more O.
less confidence in those who use i
and more or less fear in those who are men
aced with it, 1t is the moral valve of tn,
weapon. In days gone by, when irearm
were in their infancy or at most in thei
childhood, in the days of fint-lock o
muzzle- loader, a musket ball was seldom
known to pierce the breast-plate and xii
almost invulneIable rushed to the charg
and bore down his opponents with the au
dacity inspired by confidence. The foo
soldier armed with the musket felt himsel
at disadvantage against cuiras, foe OF
whose shining plate scales his bullet would
fatten and his bayonet turn aside. Blu
those days are gone by.
NITRATE OF AMYL.
Edward Weston, the electrician, says
at is well known that nitrate of amy
possesses the power of causing insensibility
to a human being breathing its fumes
Now nitrate of amyl is cheap and plenti
full. 1 propose to fire shells filed with th
chemical instead of gunpowder. 1t will
not be necessary to penetrate ship.
few gellons of this nitrate dashed on tn,
deck of war ship would soon render he
crew helpless. The ship could then, o
course, be turned into safe spot, Will.
the captors ventilated her and removed tht
insensible men," This is worthy Of Frank
Stockton.
A MILITARY MICEOPHONE.
A French officer has invented military
microphone, by means of which the ap
prOach or the movement Of troops, as wei
as their probable number, may be gauged
Experiments were made with the instru
ment during the recent maneuvers at Mon
tanban before Gen. Vincendon and staff
The apparatus is described as ingenious
and satisfactory.
THE TELEPHONE.
In Austria the telephone has been secret
ly utilized by war department officials tt
reproduce messages sent by the ordinary
telegraphic methods The plan is to 81
place an almost invisible wire running
from the telephone as to be inductively
near the aerial lines. The current signals
sent over the telegraph wire are stolen by
the telephone wire
MILITARY PYROTECHNY.
In military pyrotechny many varieties
of hollow balls are made, differing in pur
pose from bombshells, but, like them
filled with ignitible composition. They
are u ed either to give light, to produce a
very dense smoke or to diffuse a suffocat
ing odor, and so are called light-balls
Ill l. ho1 ha
excel in these compositions.
ELECTRICITY FOR PRECIPITATING SMOKE
The ideal state of things is of course one
in which the production of smoke as il
issues from the muzzle of heavy CUR
shall be simultaneously precipitated by
means of simple electrical apparatus
The invention is based upon the researches
of Prof Tyndall. Lord Rayleigh, and Prof
Lodge in the action of electricity upon
military value some time. If smokeless
explosives are used it will of course be
valueless.
THE BATTLE OF THE FUTURE.
The elimination Of noise will render the
battle of the future weird tableau, rem
dered more unnatural by the use of smoke
less propellants and explosives. The sound
of cannon and of rifles will hereafter be al
most noiseless. There will be practically
no smoke to mark the position of the
enemy's batteries and troops in action. The
sound of cannon will be so slight as to nc
longer indicate to distant troop7 where
their comrades are engaged, or the point
upon which they should consequently
march. What with smokeless DO wde- and
noiseless artillery our ideas of war will be
revolutionized. PHILIP READE.
First Lieutenant, Third Infantry.