The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-07

named Paul Giffard His miracle gun,' y
as 1t has been called, 10 new thing. 1t
Is repeating rifle which employs no gun
powder or other explosive, but liquefied
Dir instead. OF course liquefled air, OBJ
tanned under pressure Of a temperature
hupdrcds OF daarSas 1elaw zero. rcrx-sauts
an enormous expansive power IL Is this
power that is the projecting foroe. Tie
rife In question Is much lighter in weight
than an ordinary rife. The steel car
fridge, inches long and as thick as ones
thumb, contains 800 bullets, which may
be discharged as quickly or slowly as de-
sired. There is no smoke and no flash
only sharp and low report As soon as
one cartridge Is empty another can be
screwed on in tho twinkling Of an eye.
Three hundred shots cost 21f cents
The very latest thing in ordnance actu-
ally adopted for use is shell with which
the United States navy is now experiment
Ing. 1t represents very important mod
iiication Of the present type of shell, which
is n hollow steel projeotile with thick
walls-purposely thick, in order that 1t
may not break up on passing through the
side OF ship. Owing TO the thickness OF
its walls the ordinary shell has SMALL capac-
city for bursting charge, which must be
correspondingly feeble. This difficulty is
surmounted by the new shell referred 20,
which is comparatively thin, with u big
cavity that Is 10 contain gun cotton. 1t Is
kept from breaking up by a copper ring
around the front end. The projectile 10
one foot in diameter and as tall as a man,
and it's smashing energy is reckoned at
$1,000 foot tons-sufficient to raise the
new battleship Kearsarge two feet In the
air. Struck fairly by one of these mis-
siles the strongest armored vessel would
be put out OF action, If not destroyed.
bridgeport Conn. inventor has pat
ented a "mushrooming bullet" This Is
designed to I'll very important want In
modern warfare, the new army rifle pro-
jectile having proved too humane The
trouble with the latter is that, having only
the diameter Of lead pencil and travel
Ing with the velocity of one=haff mile a
second, it Is apt to pass clean through
man without disabling him. 1t lacks
what is technically called stopping pow
er " The bullet devised by the Bridgeport
man has cavity near the point which
causes it TO mushrooms. O., spread
on striking. so as "to produce n large and
laceTated wound, accompanied by great
shock " In time of peace IL may be en-
ployed for killing lions, tigers and ele-
plants.
The very newest thing in this line, how
ever, is the aluminium bullet OF course
II IL very light, aluminium being only
about as heavy as chalk. Ii is not intend
ed for use In war, but for hunting and
shooting az targets. Ordinary bullets
lave an excess Of force for such purposes,
travelling unnecessarily far. Those OF
aluminium. on the other hand, have about
the same force for short distances, but
their velocity diminishes rapidly beyond
500 yards. For small game person fond
of shooting may avail himself of the novel
idea OF another inventor, who suggests
that tin plated shot would be preferable to
the kind now In usc These latter are
coated with graphite, to b,acken and pol
ish them, and this is alleged to he objec-
tionable because the graphite fouls tho
gun. Furthermore, the lead is acted upon
chemically by the animal juices, so as TO
be injurious to the eater Of tho flesh. This
Ia obviated by the coating of tin.-St
louis Globe Democrat.