Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-08-29
HORRORS oF MODERN wAR.

I HORRORS OF MODERN WAR.
h1ade Moro Horrible by Recent Improve
inents In Arme.
In recent article concerning the
noxt great European war Prof. Emil dc
Lavcleye prophcsies 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 tho earth in such stroeips. On
tho continent Prof. Lavc1eyo has long
been regarded as professional alarm
list, and most OF his published opinions
OF the approach and magnitude OF tho
coming war have boon taken with a
grain OF salt ,Of late, however, the
majority Of men on tho continent who
write for the magazines on military
subjects have boon 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 the next war tho losses of tho COM
bntants will be thirty or forty per cent.
OF tho men In active service-that is far
moro than double tho losses of tho war
of 1S70-'71. Tho famous needle gun,
with which Germany won hcr
battles nearly twonty years age,
is to-day considered q pretty an
tiquated weapon. With weight OF
81 Kilograms and caliber OF 10
millimetcrs. it had range OF but 500
motors, hardly one-third Of n milo. To-
day tho Fronch consider gun with 4
Kilograms weight, s millimeters cali
Der and 1000 meters range somewhat
behind tho times. Tho German gun,
new twonty years ago, delivered eight
shots In tho minute. Tho French gun,
already passing out OF date, delivers
eight shots in twenty seconds. During
tho ncxt year the German army will be
provided with new magazine guns, and
the guns which wero deadly enough
for 1t fivo years ago will be laid on tho
shelf or used as old iron. Three years
ago Austro- Hungary began to introduce
modern magazine guns of big cnlibcr
among its infantry. During tho last
year, however, the introduction of tho
big calibcr guns has been given up and
guns OF small calibcr hsvo taken their
place. Italy, too, has given her army
guns OF the latest pattern. Russia alono
with her colossus OF nearly 900, 900 mon
sticks to tho weapons Of former days.
In a recent issue of Dio Nation, Cor
man weekly, Hugo Hfntze makes the
following prophecy:
Tho various zones in which mod
ern infantry may act are ns follows:
1,6o0-1 900 meters Zone mile to thrco-
hfths OF milo), zono of evolution:
1,000-500 meters, first fighting zono;
b00-250 meters, zone of increased and
hot firing; 100000 meters, zono of tho
last firing, whence tho decisive vollcy
is firod and tho attempt to tako by
storm ID made. Tho only cover possible
for attacking infantry is to he gotten
merely by lying flat on tho ground dur,
Ing the firing. Cover, whilo advancing
from position to position, does not OK
list. The losses of tho advancing in
fantry will he enormous. To GROSS Il
Hold of 500 meters breadth, savopt by
constantly increasing volleys, requires
OF soldiers a degree OF moral courage
and persistcncc That In past wars navo
never boon dreamed Of. Nor will the
losses OF the infantry DO confined to It's
operations within tho zones described,
for, save in q most Instantaneous
country, tho artillery will bo ablo TO
sweep tho advancing columns with n
destructive fire.
Tho baltic Of tho field artillery will
not DO less murderous. Aside from
small variations among tho different
kinds OF artillery the extreme range of
gr"nadcs may be stated rs 1000 meters
(wcll over four milSs), and tho range of
shrapncl 5000 meters. Tho real duel
ing distance Is between 1000 and $500
meters. A prominent German officorof
artillery describes n modern artillery
baltic thus: 1T Is battle of life or
death, duel at tho ond OF which one
OF tho principals lies dead on tho field.
1t would DO n criminal and inconceiv-
ablo picce OF rccklcssness TO enter into
such struggle without utilizing overy
possible means to victory
II would apply q similar romark to
tho whole struggle on tho battlefield
and say: Ono principal lies dead on
tho fold, tho othor leaves tho field n
cripple
"Iho effectiveness OF tho siege and
fertilization guns has boon brought TO a
frightful degree of perfection. Tho big
siege cannons have range of 10000
meters. Tho weight OF tho proiectiles
OF siege cannons of shorter range runs
rs high as It's Kilograms. Naval guns
and guns OF the coast defcnses carry
shot weighing 1000 Kilograms. No
armor, no carthworks can long with
stand the explosive power OF these shot.
Formerly fiftccn-centimcter grenade
was exploded into forty OF forty-fivo
pieces; to-day it is torn into 300 to $50
pieces OF over ten grains weight and in
800 pieces OF one-tcnth grain weight,
whilc tho smallest pieces OF less than
ono grain weight arc thrown with
sufficient force to penetrate plank of
two centimetcrs thickness. No FORTH
cations can be constructed which can
long withstand bombardment with
such grcnades."
Herr Hintzo also speaks briefly of the
Zaiinshy dynamite gun, although ho
considers its formidability to be largely
;urtailod in these times of enormous
guns by tho shortnoss Of it's range.
Where Slavery Still Exists.