The evening times., 1896-09-08

W ut anu navy departments C1iiiN 10 Hdsc
found a formula which, they declare. will
give this government the strongest and
best powder known TO the military powers
of the world.
Win smokeiess powder fleet conf
inanders will be enabled to nianeuyer in
sight OF one another, execute dangerous
tactical movements, and be kept at a II times
under perfect control by the admiral COM
manding, through the system OF flag sig
nails. The entire fleet dnll-book will
probably be overhaulcd +. and alIo owancemade
for the ease with which signals can be
used in battle.
In a few weeks the navy will purchase
upward OF 900 ,000 pounds of the new
powder for the vessels In service, and this
will he followed Later by stii larger ortiers.
until there is a good stock ON hand for all
emergencies. At present the factory at
Ne ewport cannot furnish the powder as fast
as the ships require It, so that 1t will be-
coine necessary for the department to send
its formula to some private powder manu-
factory, in order to facilitate deliveries
and increase the supply.
The last war shows that during some OF
the great fleet evolut ions In the South ships
frequently ran foul OF one another through
their inability to navigate properly when
obscured in smoke, anu that many mi stake
was made because the signals could not be
seen from the flagship. There were In
stances also when one vessel fired on a ship
of her own squadron, believing her TO be a
ship OF the enemy.
CAN READ THE SIGNALS.
With tie new powder twenty vessels
might engage an equal number, but every
ship would be able to read the orders OF the
admiral accurately. The same number OF
vessels in an enga gerDent where the present
black ,sio W burnincpow WIDER WAS used, would
develop asmo ke cloud which in five minutes
after the acton begun, would practically
shut out of sight each vessel from the other.
The confusion on board whenth men arenot
able to see those at the next gun Is said
also To have led to mistakes resulting In
some instances in the loss OF the vessel.
The adoption OF the new pow der by the
army will necesSitate alterations in the tao
tics applying to operations on the field OF
battle. The infaDtryman who fires with this
powder at once obtains the advantage OF
having a clear field of fire.
But, on the other hand, II he IS unprovided
with cover, either natural or artificial,
there Will lie no protecting cloud OF smoke
to conceal him. and should the enemy have
found cover. he. on his side, is more vulner-
able than when the smoke sho wed his posi-
ton. The suppositiop that troops can 10
be exposed to fire without knowing whence
it comes is more or less fanciful, in the
opinion OF Gen Miles and the best military
tacticians in Washington.
1t is admitted that with the Suppression ot
Gn = ha ad n ms will
no doubt be somewhat more difficult than
formerly, but the danger will not be greater
until within 500 or 500 yards OF the enemy.
Beyond this point, when distances can be
judged with less difficulty, when the errors
ofaimingare smalland where the ira jectory
of the bullets OF the new army gun will
be altogether dangerous, it will make lit
tie difference, the experts say, whether
smok eless or non-smokIess powder is used
IN ATTACK AND DEFENSE.
With high powered guns, capable Of ter
rifle velocitics and greater accuracy than
the old wartime pieces, 1t will be OF the
greatest benefit to soldiers to have a clear
field, without a cloud OF smoke. so that
long distance aiming can be done and a
good target made OF the enemy.
The absence of smoke the Army says. will
be of material advantage to the defend
er, who can occupy positions which give
cover, while those attacking must very
often, il not always, advance unconcealed.
In some cases formations OF the ground
might enabfe them to approach under COW
er, but these are admitted to be exception
al, and sooner or later he must disclose
hi mself
Whatever result smokeless powder may
have when Infantry is fighting 1t is quite
clear TO the army thatit wiliexercise con-
siderable influence On the other two arms,
the artillery and cavalry. The advantages
which ii will confer on the artillery are set
for rth by ordnance officers as follows: 1t
leaves a clear field nf fire, and will render
1t possible, therefore, when firing upoh
artillery TO distinguish the guns from the
intervals and to keep the fire OF ons's own
guns directed on the former.
The observation of the fire will also be
while with the new powder the
effect of proiectilcs which burst in the rear
of the smoke caused by the eneniys guns
could not he seen. The effect Of long range
fire will also be as easily observed as at
short When the artillery is employed in
an open country it will be more difficult to
concealit, while the smoke formerly screen
ed it from view.
FUTURE OF CAVALRY.
The movements of batteries, tits claimed,
will be more difficult, since no advantage
can be taken Of the smoke etoconcealthem. to
1t is possibly an exaggeration to say. as
many officers have who look upon the in
PRODUCTION of smokeless powder as neces-
stating a direct change in the present
tactics, that the cavalry will be rendered
valueless on the battlefield. This same
opinion was expressed, the army men say,
when firearms were introduced, and still
the cavalry remains an important factor
in all military organizations.
Some of the closest students of the art
OF war contend that the cavalry will not
appear on the battlefield in the next great
wars, but will be reserved solely to screen
the infantry and for reconnoitering pur-
poses. Others contend that, as men on
horses are higher above the ground than
iDfantrymen, they have better opportuni-
ties OF seeing what is before them regard
less of smoke clouds, and that when the
time for the cavalry comes to act it makes
no difference whether the enemy 10 con-
Cealed by waves OF black smoke or stand
ing in plain view.
TO Shat Ixu N D,H,.rru-