Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-19
THE SIZE OF A RIFLE
Indicates There Is No Alliance Be-
tween France and Russia.
WEAPONS ADOPTED BY THE CZAR.
The Cartridge Supply an Important Feature
of the Situation.
CHEERING NEWS FOR LORD SALISBURY

Gar has officially decided on the new rifle
to be adopted by the Russian Army. The
arm will differ from the French rifle in cali
bre by .01 part of an inch. This informa-
tion was received yesterday by cable by the
Government authorities in Washington.
The fact was simultaneously cabled to Lord
Salisbury and the French Minister of War
from Russia.
This decision of the Car, it is declared
by Government officials, is of more import
ance, politically, than any number of bonn
bastic speeches. 1t means that whatever
alliance is now formed between Russia and
France will be tempered by the knowledge
that the Gar does not wholly trust the lat
| ter country.
To clearly understand the political signif-
canoe of the Cars decision, it should be
| known that no two nations in Europe have
adopted the same caliber of small arm. The
| rifles Of two powers may be identical in
pattern and yet differ in caliber by .OO1
part of an inch. By thus differing in size,
infnitesimal though the difference may be,
it becomes impossible for victorious army
| to use captured ammunition on its original
| users.
| THE RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS.
The Russian Government has been ex-
perimenting during the last two years with
the view of obtaining a new arm for the
| troops, the present weapon, the Russian
needle gun, being inferior to the arms now
in use by other powers. After various
tests the Russian authorities finally decided
| on central magazine system and the bolt
principle of mechanism; in other words, the
Lee gun.
The present calibre of the French rifle is
| .342. The gun, which is the Lebe, has not
proved wholly satisfactory. 1t will be al
tered, but for economys sake the calibre
will remain the same. There are at present
| millions upon millions of .3l42 cartridges
stored in the great arsenals of France.
French officers have worked assiduous
calibre arm as their own To do SO meant
virtually an alliance. 1t provided the means
| of supplying France with material assist
ance in time of war. France might be over
run, French arsenals destroyed, but the
cartridge supply from Russia would still en-
able French rifles to continue work.
Until last Saturday French military men
have hoped that Russia would decide on the
.3l42 calibre. The cable announces that i'll
the final trial ofthenew rifle the Car turned
to his War Minister and quietly said "This
gun will be adopted 1t shall be called the
new Russian three-line gun OF '91.' Its cali |
bre shall be .3o42 inch. Prosecute the manu-
possible" Later information states that
the Car brought the calibre down nearer to
100 part OF an inch.
TO BE MADE IN FRANCE.
The new Russian arm is to be manufact-
ured in France, where extensive small |
arm establishments have, it is stated, al |
ready signed preliminary contracts. 1t is |
estimated that it will take at least three |
years to effect the re-armament of the Rus
sian Army unless the work is carried on at |
night, when the time can be shortened by |
one-half. As soon as the work is well under |
way, it is calculated that at least 1000 |
rifles can be turned out in one day. No gun
will be accepted until 5000 rounds of ammu-
milton are ready for it. The new Russian
arm is really the Mansen rifle, q type of the |
Lee arm. This Lee arm is the weapon re-
Gently adopted for use in the British army
1t is an American invention.
The expression "three line" used by the |
Czar in the naming of the new Russian gun.
is not understood by military men here. |
Some are inclined to consider it equivalent
of guns are designated by marks" The |
first gun of type is known as Mark 1. A
later type, an Improvement on the first is
Mark IL, and so on. The Lee gun now in
use in the Russian army is of the Mark II.
pattern. All of the recent British guns that
have failed are of the Mark l. pattern.
1t is thought possible that, in ordering sew
eral minor alterations in the Mark II. |
pattern, the Car believes he is giving the
Russian army the most superior rifle in the
world. As it is, the present British rifle is
considered ahead of anything on the Con-
tinent. To improve upon it and designate
the Improvement is believed to be the real
lutduluS vi lhc SLul IOlui, bHIOo llHt |
SURE TO WASTE CARTRIDGES
No well-posted military man here believes
for q moment that in designing new rifle |
France will alter her .3l42-caliber. To do so
means the waste of millions upon millions
of cartridges wholly unsuited for any other
calibre. French and Russian troops may yet
be found fighting shoulder to shoulder some
common enemy, but the men of the two ma
tions will have to fight with different
calibre cartridges in their respective
belts. The alliance, if one. is ever
formed, will always be the weaker by virtue
of this fact and in war it may be the cause
of disaster to the two powers 1t is deemed
evident that the Cars old distrust of
France is still more powerful than his belief =
in this nations trustworthiness. The Gar, |
to all appearances, is determined that France |
shall never have it in her power to
turn on her old enemy of the north,
and with his captured arms and ammu- |
milton play havoc with his troops. Dinners |
may be given, fetes attended, toasts drank,
but the alienation of y to o. in the com
bination ''.3l42, makes impotent any French |
and Russian alliance.
The information just received in this
country is an indication of the alertness of
the United States Government to affairs on
the Continent. The establishment of the
Naval Intelligence Office in the Navy Depart ,
ment with a corps of trained and spe- q
ness of the office, makes it possible to t
obtain information in all military and naval I
in an incredibly short time. |
Detailed information is filed for future |
reference, while an event such as the above
is placed before the proper Government
heads for consideration. The real signi-
here given is at first thorougly recognized 7
only by the trained and experienced mill
AIRY man, and in consequence no officer, as a =
ule, is ever sent abroad as naval attache L
who is moi specially fitted for the duty.
PATTISON TALKS TO THE KNIGHTS.