Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-07-25
HORRORS or MODERN WAR.
Mado Moro Horrible by Roc. ut Improve
ment5 In Arms,

''SIhSnS W MOCGhN WAN.
Mado Moro Horrible by Roc. Mt Improve
meDt5 In Arnss,
In roeen: article concerning the
, noxt great European war Prof. Emil dc
Lavoleyc prophesies that the number OF
killed and wounded will in one day sur
pass that OF an entire war In former
times. Human blood will never have
soaked the earth in such streams. On
the continent Prof. Lavclcye has long
Deem regarded as professional alarm-
list, aud most Of his published opinions
OF tho approach and magnitude of tho
coming war have been taken with n
grain OF salt. or late, however, the
majority OF men on the continent who
write for the magazines on military
subjects have been gradually swinging
around to his extreme position, which
they formerly ridiculcd.
Tho vast superiority OF these weapons
over all weapons Of former times Is tho
basis OF recent estimates Of experts that
in tho next war tho losses of tho com
hatants will be thirty or forty per cent.
Of the men in active scryice-that is far
moro than double the losses Of tho war
of 1S7O-'7l. The famous needle run,
'''ih''thJ mol HfT
battles nearly twenty years ave
Is to-dny considered pretty an
'ipcatcd weapon. With n weight of
~ Kilograms and calibcr of 10
millimct,rs, it, had n range of but 5on
meters. hardly onr-third of n mile. To-
day the French consider n gun with
Kilograms wright, y millimctrrs cali
her and 1000 meters range somewhat
behind tho times. Tho German gun.
h"w twenty years ago. delivered eight
shots in the minute. Tho French gun,
already passing out OF date, delivers
eight shots in twenty seconds. During
tho next year tho German army will bc
provided with now magazine guns. anil
tho guns which wcrc deadly enough
for 1t five years ago will bc laid ON tho
shelf or used as old iron. Three years
ago Anstro-lIungary began To Introduce
modern magazine guns Of big calibrr
among it's infantry. During the last
year, however, tho Introduction OF tho
big calibcr guns has been given up and
gums of small calibcr have taken their
place. Italy, too, has given her army
guns Of the latest pattern Russia alone
with her colossus OF nearly 100000 men
sticks TO tho weapons OF former days
In n recent issno Of Dio Nation, n Ger
man weekly, Hugo Hintzo makes tho
following prophecy: "-A~ nf'N''''
"Tho vsrions 'zoncs' in which mod
crn infantry may act AFRO ns follows:
l. tool 100 meters (ono milo to thrcc-
iifths of milc), zono Of evolution
l,ooo-5o0 mctcrs, first Fighting zone;
500-250 meters, zOnc OF increased and
hot firing; 250-2OO meters, xono OF the
last firing, whence tho decisive vollcy
il f!rod and tho attempt to take by
storm is made. The only cover possible
for attacking infantry is to- be gotten
merely 10y lying flat on the ground dur
ing the firing. Cover, whilo advancing
from position to position. does not OK
list. The losses OF the advancing in
fantry will 10 enormous. 10 cross =
field OF 500 meters breadth, hwcpt by
constantly increasing vollcys, requires
Of soldiers y degree Of moral courage
ana persistence that In past wars have
never boon dreamed OF. Nor will tho
losses OF tho infantry he confined 10 It's
operations within tho zones described,
Tor savo In most Instantaneous
country, tho artillery will no ablo TO
sweep the advancing columns with a
destructive fire.
The baltic of tho field artillery will
not DO less murderous. Aside from
small variations among tho different
kinds OF artillery tho cxtrcmo range of
Er"nadcS may lac stated as 1910 motors
twcll over four miles,, and tho range of
shrapnel 5000 meters. Tho real duel
ing distance is between 1000 and $500
meters. A prominent German officer of
artillery Describes 4 modern artillery
baltic Thus: 1T is a battle of lifo or
death, duel at tho end OF which ono
Of the principals lies dead on the field.
1t would 10 n criminal and inconceiv-
able picco OF rccklcssness to enter into
euch struggle without utilizing every
possible means to victory
II would apply similar romark to
tho whole struggle on tho battlefield
and say: Ono principal lies dead on
tho field, tho other leaves tho field IA
cripple
Tho effectiveness of tho siege and
fertilization guns mas boon brought to
friBhttul degree OF perfection. Tho biz
hiego cannons havo range Of 10000
meters. Tho weight of the projcctiles
OF siege cannons OF shorter range runs
MS high rs lT5 Kilograms. Naval guns
and guns Of tho coast dcfcnscs carry
shot weighing 1000 Kilograms. No
nrmor, no carthworks can long with
stand tho explosive power OF these shot.
Formerly fiftccn-contimcter grenade
was exploded into forty OF forty-iivo
pieces; to-day it is torn into 300 to $50
pieces OF over ten grains weight and in
500 pieces of onc-tenth grain weight,
while tho smallest pieces of less than
ono grain weight arc thrown with
sufficient force to penetrate plank OF
two ccntimetcrs thickness. No fortifi
cations can be constructed which can
long withstand bombardment with
such grcnades."
Herr Ilintzo also speaks briefly OF tho
zalinsky dynamite gun, although ho
considers its formidability to be largely
'urtailed in these times of enormous
guns by the shortness Of its range.
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