The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-05

without any inconvenience because Of
expanded parts.
The total weight of a gun that will
fire thirty-calibre cartridges is twenty
pounds 1t can be mounted on any
type of naval or military carriage or
for use by cavalry. One man can
handle it readily but the services of
another is required to supply ammunt-
ton.
The mechanism of the piece is ex-
sights, but including barrel, shoulder
piece, etc, there are only thirty-eight
separate parts and only four springs
the main spring, the scar spring, the
extractor and the paWl spring. All
the parts are made to fit together
without the use Of screws, and no tools
are necessary to completely dismount
or to assemble the gun excepting a
small monkey wrench.
Tt can readily be seen by this that
one man at a gun of this kind could
! annihilate in few minutes, a regi-
ment armed with the weapons of
thirty years ago.
lSHARPSHOOTER'S IMPORTANCE.
With the Improvement in ammuni-
tons and rifles, the sharpshooter
would figure most prominently in the
next war and it is satisfactory to know
that Uncle Sans marksmen are the
finest in the world. The $4,000 soldiers
in the regular army have just been
furnished with the new calibre rifle
made at the national factory at Spring
field. It is effective at a distance of
mile, and the lead bullet, clad in a
steel coat, leaves the muzzle at a
speed of nearly half a mile a second.
The idea of the up-to-date rife is to
throw a small and very hard projec
tile with enormously increased velocity
to "a much greater distance with
greater precision than formerly.
Just here comes in an odd point.
The weapon is an improvement in the
direction of humanity. The bullet
travels so fast that apparently the
body does not attempt to resist it, and
it passes through the flesh or bone
without inficting much of shock
making a small. clean hole and not
| breaking up the tissues. 1t goes
through the thinner bones, as the
shoulder-blades, the ribs and breast
bone without smashing effect. An op-
portunity for first-rate test was af-
forded by the recent Chitral campaign
in India. Wounded natives, with tinv
1 holes drilled clear through them, were
, out and about within twenty-four
hours. not suffering any serious incon-
! venience. Such was actually the case
with a ma iority of the Swatis who
were hurt in various engagements.
This might be understood more easily
If only the flesh had been injured, but
bones We're perforated and yet the
men were not disabled.
SharpshooterS armed with the mod
ern style Of rife will play a great part
in future warfare. The discharge of
! the new weapon is almost noiseless,
and, smokeless powder being used,
there will be nothing to betray the
location of a, concealed rifleman who
pours a continuous fire with murder
Gus accuracy into the ranks of the
enemy The commander in the field
will see his officers and men fall
| around him without knowing whence
the blow is struck Two or three
skilled marksmen will be able to pick
! off every man at a battery of artillery,
| so as to render the guns of no use
The new rife fires tive shots from the
magazine as fast as the trigger can be
pulled, and quick as wink another
set Of five cartridges is substituted for
the empty Shells The cartridges are
fastened together in sets of five with
paper strips.
BALLOONS AND AIR-SHIPS.
The balloon will also figure in the
next war and perhaps air-ships.
! France has an air-ship which is care
fully guarded. No one is allowed to
see it and no drawings have been
made of It, 1t Is said to be a cigar
shaped envelope, within which is the
gas and small bag, which is to be
pumped full of air. An electric motor
drives in the rear a screw propeller.
1t is said that the air-ship Is able to
make a speed of at least twenty-five
miles an hour.
Uncle Sam has just completed the
building of a big balloon near Denver,
capable of carrying several officers and
fitted with telegraph and telephone
machines. a drag rope will always
| connect the balloon with the ground,
and by means of the wires the officers
in the air will communicate with those
below.
In conjunction with the balloon,
bicycles are to be used, and on a coil
Of the wheel the wire is run and paid
out as the machine progresses. Thus,
| when the balloon has started up, the
officer on the wheel races for the tent
of the general and the telephone wire
is carried along and let out till the
tent is reached. This wire makes d.
rect communication between the Of
ficers on the field and the man in the
air, who, f.om his station, has COM
plete view of the enemy and can thus
give important information to his
superiors.
Germany has an army Of trained
bloodhounds for use in event of war.
They carry ammunition and des-
patches, and are taught to seek the
wounded after a battle. The ancients
used fierce dogs in their wars and they
| invariably terrorized the opposing
troops. 1t is not probable that Uncle
Sam will make use of dogs in event Of
war, as their efficiency is regarded