The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-03-14
TAe SCIENCE OF KILLING
Immense improvements OF Lato in tn
Cory Art.

Immense improvements OF Lato in tho
Cory Art.
There is one branch Of scientific eX-
pertinent that is almost unequal to the
demands upon it, although new dis
covcries in that line are being an
nounccd 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 navics. 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 ar,nor
on the other and almost every improve
ment in one direction is followed sooner
or later by Il 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, if the world shall be so I'M
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 smollclcss powder is one of
the novelties with which the world is
already more or less familiar by dcscrp-
ton, but it is not so well known that
the war department of England is
now experimenting with grcnadcs.
which are intended to work in just the
opposite way, and to produce such huge
quantities of smoke as will hide the mil
itary operations of large force of
troops. AS a prccaution 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 n bril-
liancy of one hundred thousand can
dies. II will be more difficult, however,
to find an adequate specific against the
melinitc bombs now ready for use in
the French army. At Il recent trial of
these bombs. which explode and set ut
liberty highly poisonous gas, single
one was fired Mt Il vessel which carried
sheep and goats, and not one animal
escaped death. These weapons are evil
IDENTIFY of Il dangerous character and
tend to make war even more terrible
than it has been in the past 1t has
been suggested that it would have
been more humane to use, instead Of
the poisonous mclinitc. some less pow
Siiui vi uEs WI Tic cN-
act meaning as well as tho 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 Il cannon with danger to
the enemy alone. The naval mechanics
of the world are attempting to find the
best type for Il submarine vessel for
torpedo work. Other mechanics, like
the Anglican American inventor. Max
IN, are ut work on { ing machines with
reasonable prosr' t of success. The
war department of this country is eX-
permenting 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 it
seems certain that the next great war
will be as different from those which
have preceded it rs the great rebellion
in this country was from the wars of
the Roses or the great crusades.