River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-04-13
the SCIENCE OF KILLING.
Immense Improvements OF late IN the
Ars

Immense Improvements Of tate in tho
Cory Art.
There is one branch OF scientific ex.
pertinent that is almost unequal to the
demands upon it, although new dis
coveriesn in that line are being an
nounced every day, saws 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 a wide one and
takes in all departments of physics nd
chemistry. New met 4 is being fo-ged
for guns on the one hanI and for armG-
on the other and almost every improve
meut in one dire etion is followed sooner
or later by 4 discovery in the other.
But besides the regular methods al
ready in use. Il is TO be expected that
the next great war between civilized
nations, If the world shall be so uus
fortunate as to have one, viii witness
the employ ment of some military
means which viii be more or less novel
TO modern warfare.
The use ofsmol5eless powder is one of
the novelties with which the world is
already more CT less familiar by deserip-
ton, but it Is not 50 well known that
the war depart neut of England is
now experimenting with grenades;
which are intended TO work in just the
opposite way, and - produce such huge
quantities Of smoke as viii hide the mil;
itary operations a. a large force OF
troops. As q precs ution against such
warfare modern arm les may be obliged
TO employ the illumi hating bombs now
being manufactured by the Italian war
department. One 81 Che latter weapons
can be caused TO explode with bril-
liancy of one hundred thousand can
dies. II viii be move difficult, however,
TO find an adequate specific against the
melinite bombs now ready for use in
the French army. At = recent trial of
these bombs, which explode and set at
liberty highly poisonous gas, a single
one was fred at a vessel which carried
sheep anC goats, and not one animal
escaped death. These weapons are evil
IDENTIFY Of a 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 melinite. some less pow
erful drug, which might fulfill the OK
act meaning rs well as the spirit of the
pugihstic phrase, putting the enemy
to sleep but as yet the experiment
has not been tried.
Il addition many chemists are enc
gagged on the problem of finding sou1e
high explosive that can be transported
and fred from a cannon with danger 80
the enemy alone. The naval mechanics
of the world are attempting to end the
best type for a submarine vessel for
torpedo work Other mechanics, like
the Anglican-American inventor, Max
i'm, are at work on flying machines with
n reasonable prospect Of success. The
war department Of this country is cX-
perinIenting with war balloons, and
viii 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 hay
already been made in militcry methods
/ are 50 numerous and inte resting that IL
/ seems certain that the next great war
/ win be as different from those which
have preceded it as the greet rebellion
+ in this country was from the wars Of
! the Roses or the great c--usades.