Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-05-01
TIM VIEW esRMAH A1E4 q.
a FOrcibie Arm, su,OISeiess aud
Rapid = Busy German Gun Fac.
tories.


a FOrctbie Arm. suiOIteie aud
Rapid = Busy German Gun Fnc-
tories.
The manufacture of the new small
chlibre repeating guns OF the model Of
1883 for the German standing army has
Just been completed. Within year and
Danzig and Erfurt have produced snii.
cient number Of guns 10 arm almost
500, 900 soldiers. German military
authorities declare that this rapidity OF
manufacture ia unprecedented and
direct attention to the fact that the Ger
man army will have been provided with
its new arms in much less time than the
French required to introduce the Lebel
gun.
Every company in the German in
fantrY has received ut least one gun OF
the new pattern, with full instructions az
TO the use of it. All the infantry of the
Ninth corps have been armed with the
new guns since February Goth, and on
April LIST the new arming Of the whole
infantry was about completed. The new
arming Of the reserves aud Of that part
OF the militia which in case OF war must
reepond to the first call is expected to
follow, although the plans of the govern
ment and til, general staff in this re-
gard are unknown to the country az
large. The militia ''ot the second call"
and the Lenstrum will probably use the
guns just discarded by the standing army.
Technically and mechanically the new
repeating gun Is declared to be vastly
superior to any repeating gun heretofore
p aced 10 soldiers handa. ltlsexclusively
srepeating gun and cannot be utilized az
o single loader. It's oalibre Is only eight
millimetres, considerably less than the
cslibre OF the gun it supplants. Its
range Ia 12,500 feet; that IL about 2 900
feet greater than the range Of the old
gun. It possesses unequaled power of
penetration and sureness Of aim. IL Is
very light and is constructed for the use
Of smokeless powder. 1t is supplied
with cartridges five at time by means
of tin frame Of the Mannlicher pattern.
After the firth shot the frame falls to the
ground. The bullet Is OF the form Of q
small cross section of a lead pencil, has a
lead kernel under a coating Of steel, and
h,niokel outside. The barrel OF the gun
Is provided with q mechanical device to
keep it COOL during firing.
At distance OF 1926 feet the bullet
penetrates woll-seasoned, closs-2rGined
hrwood to the depth OF 80 inches; OF u
distance OF ], 300 feet, to the depth OF Is
inches; at diItsnce of 2,700 feet, to a
depth of 10 inches. A brick wall, unless
unusually thick, affords no protection
against shot from the new gun. Earth
breastworks less than two and o half feet
thick are also penetrable. In freshly
piled sand, at distance OF 1926 feet, the
ball sinks three feet; ct distance of
1000 feet, 90 inches; OF distance Of
2 700 feet, IA inches; at distance OF
8, 500 feet, four inches.
AT distance Of $50 feet the new gun Ia
almost absolutely accurate. It is a sure
shot OF single kneeling man l, 100 feet
away, or at two men kneeling side by
ide 600 feet away, or OF two men lade
~ side 1000 feet away.
"To illustrate tho wonderful Efficiency
of the new gun" says q military writer ia
the Munich Ailgsm.iae z,itang, II will
give few concrete examples OF what Its
effect on warfare will be. From now'on
even the stoutest trees will givs the foo
soldier in battle little protection, for the
balls from the new guns will simply pass
eight through the trunks. Six men In q
solumu, each seven PAGES from the man
before him, may be shot through with
one bullet, provided that il comes in con.
tact with no metallic substance on the
persons Of any Of them. The advantage
that the bullet Of the new gun leaves
only small hole behind it is compare.
lively insignificant. Moreover, should
an enemy, MS has often happened, defend
himself behind village or court yard
walls, he will be protected only in case
the wall is remarkably stout, for balll
from new guns have repeatedly pene.
trated with ease walls brick and hall
thick. The present re-rming OF the
German intentry, together with the intro
duction Of the smokeless powder is, of al
the re-armings OF Infantry in this century
the most important A gun has been III
troiuced which in every respect is su
perior TO all other guna. This fact is o
the greatest importance and cannot fai
Of q considerable eject on infantry tao
tics, especially in the direction of thu
more frequent formations in line as com
pared with formations in columns"