Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-12-11
WAR IS INEVITABLE.
But Death-DealinR Inventions win Tenn
porarily Retard 1t.

poraruy Retard 1t.
Captain e. l.. Zalinski, Americas high
explosive celebrity, is studying things
military and otherwise in Paris. He is
travelling under orders to obtain such
information as may be obtainable re-
garding certain military questions. He
has already visited England, Holland,
Belgium, Denmark and Germany and
may go to Italy. .-
In an interview touching the question
OF a European war Captain Zalinski said:
II am convinced that European war is
inevitable, but not in the immediate
future. One consideration alone is suf-
nclent to maintain peace for at least two
years-vtz., the fact that continental
nations will need that amount of time
to equip their armies with the new STYLE
OF rifle and possibly, with notifications,
their artillery, to meet the requirements
of smokeless powder in both cases.
I'm this connection I may add that
war, instead OF being fastened by the
frequent improvements in its appliances,
is actually retarded by them, because
whenever any thing of military impor-
tance Is discovered nations are apt to
wait before risking conflict until they
have tested and applied them to their
own use. AS such discoveries are con-
stantly being made, war may thus be
postponed indefinitely.
But, postpone it as they NAV, the
crisis must come. When war does come
1T will be terrible have just witnessed
the German maneuvers at Hanover, and
assure you that had those two army
corps done in earnest what they made
pretense OF doing, of the so, 600 men who
went into that ten days action there
would not be 10000 ready for service to-
day. The rest would have been placed
hOTs de combat, dead or wounded. To
such a degree have modern improve
ments In life-destroying machinery ad-
ded to the horrors OF war"
"What are apt to be the new features,
Captain, Of coming WARP"
"One will be that smokeless powder,
about which 30 much ado has been made.
put am not altogether certain as to the
future of this invention In the first
place 1t Is more than questionable
whether the powder will preserve its
qualities long enough to make its adop-
ton warrantable. Secondly, supposing
that difficulty overcome, there Is an OBJ
Jection to Its general use. in the fact
that the maneuvers of attacking troops
would no longer be masked, thus plac-
Ing them at o serious disadvantage. In
consequence armies might have to carry
two kinds of powder, and this would, Of
course, be great encumbrance.
"The small bore rife is another new
thing. The European armies carry rifles
to-day with bore Of about half the di-
ameter Of those used In our late war;
and is z 1-2 or millimeters. This re-
suits in ON sppreciable saving in the
size and weight Of the ammunition, 30
that the soldier who could formerly
carry only 30 rounds can to-day carry 100
or 140 rounds"
lis there any prospect of using high
explosive cartridges in rifles?"
What would be the advantage2 A
rifle ball kills or disables surely enough
as It is. We DO not want 70 dow our
enemies bodies into fragments. In
fact, we would rather wound their men
than kill them, because every wounded
man incapacitates at least two others,
who have to look after him, whereas q
dead man only needs burying. and even
that is sometimes omitted. Paris Let
ter