The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-19
DOVES BULLET PROOF CLOTH.
British Military Experts Trying
Their Skill on the Inventor.


Their Skill on the Inventor.
Herr Doves new bullet-proof coat is
exciting the keenest interest among
European governments. 1t threatens to
revolutionize the science of warfare, and
as preparation for war is the chief con-
Germ of many European governments,
the Importance for them of the invention
cannot be exaggerated.
Several tests have been made and they
have established the fact that the coat
renders the human body inVulnerdble to
the deadlieSt of modern small arms.
A test of the coat was made on Thurs
day at the Alhambra music nall, in Lon
don. The inventor wore the garment him
self and was fired at by Captain Martin,
of the British army, with a Lee-Mitford
rifle. A bullet from this is capable of
piercing the bodies of five men at a dis
lance of a thousand yards.
Two shots were fired, Captain Martin
aiming rather low. Not only was the
coat not pierced, but DOVE hardly ap-
wards that the shock caused him nen no pain.
This settles a very important point in
connection with the coat: 1t was at first
predicted that even if it resisted pene-
tration the tremendous impact of a bull
let from modern rife would stun the
Wearer or even shake him to death. Ii
is still difficult to understand how a man
would pierce five bodies in ordinary
clothes. The coat must not only hesist
penetration, but destroy the impact.
The coat was next suspended against a
fired at it. The glass was uninjured.
The bullets were flattened into the shape
of mushrooms. The test was held pri-
vatey for the military authorities.
A previous test was made in Berlin by
the war department. A good marksman
fred fire at a horse having the cloth round
also placed in the coat and fired at Fin
ally it was tried on Dove himself. The
results justified the inventors claims, as
they have in the other tests.
The cuirass employed at this test
weighed sixteen pounds, but the inventor
promises to reduce it eventually to hall
that weight.
/ Very little is known yet of the com
position of the. coat Dove will only ex-
plain its manufacture to the military au.
thorities. 1t is of felt, and its present
form is about two inches thick
The coat is, of course, extremely cum.
bersome, but its adoption appears to be
inevitable. An army supplied with il
would be able to destroy, with little loss
on its own side. an army of soldiers moi
having the coat.
1t is easy to imagine some of the radi
cal changes in warfare which the bullet
proof coat will bring about. Fighting
Will, in many ways, resume its medieval
Character, when men encased in stee
hacked at one another with weapons OF
and other weighty implements VIII pos
sihly replace the sword and bayolet il
the soldiers hands. Mechanical ingenu
1ty having advanced so much since the
middle ages, the new weapons WILL per
haps resemble surgical instruments
1t will be necessary to seek out tht
felt-encased mans weakest point and at
men attired in this way will resembl,
a struggle between two oysters to get on,
another open.
The most useful firearms will then b,
the light quick-flring cannon, for a sho
from one of these, even if it does no
penetrate the coat will surely disable tn,
Nearer. The bullets of all the new army
rifles are extremely small, and they an
parently are destined to become unseless
FROM Black and White, London