The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-03-07
OUR ARMY WEAPONS
The United States Now Up to
the Front for Warfare.
GREAT CHANGES IN WAR WEAPONS
Ours Were Carefully Selected From
the Latest and Rest Models in
Use Among European Nations
Small Bore Guns Found to
BE the Bcst-SmOkeIess
Powder Will he Used

Since the American civil war weap-
tns of destruction have changed so much
their character that an army using such
guns as we employed then would be
wiped out as quickly as the Chinese
have been, if fighting with foe equip
ped with the latest cannon and rifles 1t
is not greatly to our credit as nation
that our own little regular army was
the last one to be furnished with the
new guns
The change has been made, however,
and the United States army is now
nearly up to the times. The new weap-
ons with which it has been supplied are
described in The Century by Victor
Louis Mason. A the time of the war
we had only smooth bore iron cannon
and mortars muzzle loading. These
have been replaced by breechloading
steel rifled cannon and mortars which
are 'marvels Of power, endurance and
accuracy" A great revolution in army
tactics was wrought with the invention
of smokeless powder. With the use of
this, each army will be able henceforth to
see the enemy's evolutions and flank
movements The United States army has
otyet been supplied with this smokeless
powder, but will shortly be- In place OF
the old fashioned single loading ginfantry
rifle sending it's big, broad bullets
crashing and slashing into things, we
now havo an infantry rifle with cali
Der of only three tenths of an inch 1t
is a far more deadly iustrument ..n the
old arm was. The small caliber ball has
an accuracy, a penetration and range,
unknown to the world 30 years ago.
The new infantry arm is also a maga-
zine rifle or sinG fire rifle at III.
The largest cannon are for coast de-
fense, and they a-e now guns of 10 inch
! oa!iler. Bigger snoathesl carnoa than
that have been made in England, as
large as 1926 in hes across, but they
were failures. Inventions have been
made since our war that enable artillery
officers to get the range of all enemy's
guns with far greater accuracy than
was possible then. Perhaps in future
wars SO much lead and powder will no
longer be wasted. Besides the great 12
inch cannon we have now machine guns
that will fire by electricity 1900 shots
minute. The powder with which the
infantry will be supplied is much
hiohar oyr1nc1va Than fno ola y;,,l "a
black powder was.
The new weapons were carefully Sc
lected from the latest and best models
in use among European nations The
board Of experts took the best, wherey-
er they could find it.
With Bill Cook in Jail for so years,
it is to be hoped we have heard the last
of that gang. 1t is also to be hoped that
another gang like it will not spring up
to take it's place. There would be less
Likelihood of the coming up Of another
such band Of cutthroats if the benevolent
Miss Nancys of both sexes, who talzo
tracts and flowers and cake to notorious
criminals in prison, would give little
more of their pious attention to the ris-
ing generation. The way to reform
criminals is to catch them before they
become criminals and give them men,
tai, moral and physical education and a
good trade. If there is one thing more
calculated than another to discourage
the we'll wisher Of his race, it is the sight
OF fruit, flowers, cake and piety dosed
out to burglars and cutthroats in prison,
while boys Of tender years are allowed
to run untamed, mischievous and hun
9rv on the streets
A new stock of snitings for the spring
trade just received by Johnston, the
merchant tailor