The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-22
IN OUR FUTURE WARS
AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES MAY 20 USED
IN COMING BATTLES.

0onorni Niles my
He Mounted ON Motor Cycies-Artriery
Hauled without Mules-vsius Of = Nov
ing Fort.
Horscloss vehicles will probably be used
In our army before very long. General
Miles Is now studying the question, n n
further indication Of the interest with
which these new equipages are regarded
In military circles Is the fact that General
Merritt will judge the contest TO be held In
Chicago ON Thanksgiving day. Several
other officers OF tho army will BIO present
at this trial.
In a recent conversation General Miles
expressed himself as deeply interested to
learn tho result of the trial. Ii Is possible
that General Merritt will be instructed to
report to him upon tho matter, and later
the army may purchase or have built q
b. horseloss vehicle, 60 be tested at one OF the
posts.
Before many generations, IL Is predioted,
battles will be fought by ~nayies, SO to
speak, patrolling the land as we'll as the
sen, In ironclad vessels. True, the horse
less vehicle, as we now now 10. cannot be-
depended upon TO climb fences, run over
steep rocks or uch obstacles, but 1t Is con-
tended that with these machines in use
will come good roads.
The value Of movable forts VIZ greatly
appreciated In ancient warfare, but mod
ern rapid movements In bgttle made them
useless, but with these forts propelled by
steam their utility becomes at once APP
parent. An armored fortress moved by o
power from within and containing apicEed
body of sharpshooters could work havoc
on an enemy.
The army wagon has always played an
important part Ina the protection Of small
bodies of men attacked from ambush on
tho march. Where There is animal power
exposed, however, that propelling force Ia
soon exterminated with n single bullet.
Th horse IL much more easily hit than
the man. Wan statistics, including oil tho
worlds battles fought between 1900 and
1885, show hat for every 100 cavalry or
artillery soldiers killed there were i20
horses. Blu a travelling fort could not DO
destroyed nearly SO quickly as n warship,
for the reason that there H. 40 water TO
rush into tho former. A hum 81 holes can
DO shot clear through IL, and yet IL will go
on unless the vital machinery ~ broken.
The adoption of the horseiess vehicle, as
Is contemplated, for the simple army train,
may lead 10 the adoption of these armored
land vessels somo day. At each Of its III
military posts our army employs two or
moro wagons. These wagons have been
used in the arm since the war, with but
little alteration. Both would be important
factors of tho army train in the event of
war with a foreign power. They are slow,
but sure, as are the government mules
which draw them. But the government
mule will not long BIO In use In these nd
vanoed days, when all the armies of the
world are striving TO solve the problem OF
rapid transit.
The movement is fast on foot to mount
u regular soldiers, AS well as militia
men, on bicycles. When these are In use,
marches of 100 miles or more will DO made
in the light Of one day Forced ones OF
double length will easily DO made in "a
hours, The bicycle needs but o little oil
and Is always ready. 1t is, therefore, APP
parent to progressive military men that
with the advent Of the bicycle must come
Che advent Of the horseless carriage In the
army provision train.
Another important bearing Of the CON-
pact road motor upon modern warfare will
be the possibility Of hauling field cannon
without the aid Of horses. The field piece
Is the clumsiest of oil instruments of war
fare to manage during a retreat. For this
reason alone cannon are so often deserted
IN the field to fall into the hands of tho
enemy.
When good roads make the horseless
conveyance popular, we will have to propel
u cannon at a rapid rate, on the march,
TO keep up with the rapid pace Of the hi
cycle cavalry and infantry and the provi-
sion wagons propelled by the storage bat.
terry, naphtha, gasoline, petroleum and
other motors.
II Is said that a New Jersey inventor has
prepared plans for an acetyleno automobile
carriage, soon to be built and run In Wash
ington this winter. This promises TO be a
very cheap motor, employing the now gas
renowned for It's low rate of cost.
Developments In the iightnoss, compact
ness and power of motors will also proba-
bly, permit airships to be made and util-
lied In war.
A striking vista Of a great military en-
gagement a century hence now begins to
appear To the minds eye. Imagine that a
foreign host is falling in upon us.
Myriads Of floating fortresses are guarding
our shores from far out 10 sea. Our sea-
coasts arc scattered with impenotrable
Notifications built Mt overy point which
might prove tempting and beneficial to an
enemy.
Our armor covered cavalry fly about the
country upon their two wheeled warehouses;
OF steel, propelled by powerful light mo-
tors. Rapid monitors patrol tho CONT
nent, now ncttod with glazed highways,
and'flocks Of warrior birds, driven by com
pact engines, soar above the enemy's fleets
or forces, dropping death upon them, "A
did the fabulous rocs, the giant birds told
Of In tbs Arabian Nights. New York
Herald.