The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-03-16
THE SCIENCE OF KILLING.
Immense improvements OF Late in the
CORY Art.


There is one branch of scientific ex-
pertinent that is almost unequal to the
demands upon it, although new dis
coveries in that line are being an
nounced every day, says the Boston
Advertiser. This branch is in the di-
rection Of securing new methods and
materials for military and naval uses in
destroying armies and navies. The
range of experiment is wide one and
takes in all departments of physics and
chemistry. New metal is being forged
for guns on the one hand and for arinor
on the other and almost every improve
ment in one direction is followed sooner
or later by discovery in the other.
But, besides the regular methods al
ready in use, it is to be expected that
the next great war between civilized
nations, II the world shall be so un-
fortunate as to have one, will witness
the employment of some military
means which will be more or less novel
to modern warfare
The use of smokeless powder is one of
the novelties with which the world is
already more or less familiar by descrip-
ton, but it is not so well known that
the war department of England is
now experimenting with grenades,
which are intended to work in lust the
opposite way, and to produce such huge
quantities of smoke as will hide the mil
itary operations of a large force of
troops. AS n precaution against such
warfare modern armies may be obliged
to employ the illuminating bombs now
being manufactured by the Italian war
department. One of the latter weapons
can be caused to explode with bril-
liancy of one hundred thousand can
dies 1t will be more difficult, however,
to find an adequate specific against the
melinite bombs now ready for use in
the French army. At a recent trial of
these bombs, which explode and set at
liberty highly poisonous gas, single
one was fired at a vessel which carried
sheep and goats, and not one animal
escaped death. These weapons are evil
IDENTIFY Of dangerous character and
tend to make war even more terrible
than it has been in the past. 1t has
been suggested that 1t would have
been more humane to use, instead of
the poisonous melinite, some less pow
erful drug, which might fulfill the ex-
act meaning as well as the spirit of the
pugilistic phrase, putting the enemy
to Sleep" but as yet the experiment
has not been tried.
In addition many chemists are en-
gagged on the problem of finding some
high explosive that can be transported
and fred from cannon with danger to
the enemy alone. The naval mechanics
of the world are attempting to find the
best type for submarine vessel for
torpedo work. Other mechanics, like
the Anglican-American inventor. Max
i'm, are at work on flying machines with
a reasonable prospect of success. The
war department of this country is ex-
| perimenting with war balloons, and
will have an interesting exhibit of its
new "balloon trains" at the Chicago
exposition. Small balloons with auto
matte cameras are to be used in taking
''snap shots at the enemy from above
In fact, the improvements which have
already been made in military methods
are so numerous and interesting that il
seems certain that the next great wa,
will be as different from those which
have preceded it as the great rebellion
in this country was from the wars O.
the Roses or the great crusades.