Evening star., 1897-02-27

guns the bullets of which are quite as ex-
ploSfve in their effect as though filled with
the deadliest of compounds. Most remark
able Is the fact that these bullets affect
living tissue worse than they do any other
substance.
Practices Which the Geneva COnven-
tion Prohibits.
The Geneva convention prohibited tie
old Express rifle bullet. This bullet was
of larger caliber than the bullet of today
but 1t was made of soft lead was hollow
and had small steel point. When this
steel point struck bone it stopped short
In Its flight, while the lead. being softer
kept on. and. unable TO go forward, spread
out like an ill-Shaped funnel in all drec-
tfons. INJECTING terrible wound. Pieces of
wax Were also used in place of the steel
point, the effect being TO bunch or set up
the lead behind. creating. so to speak,
bullet with knob on it. destructive in its
effect and difficult to extract. All this was
mechanical, and as such had a definite
prohibition set upon it. But nearly every
civilized country now uses rifles with a
velocity very much in excess of that of the
old Express rife. and while they have no
mechanical contrfvance to increase the de-
structive powers of the bullet they are vet
even more deadly in their effect on human
Tissues. As mentioned above. this happens
TO be the result of an unexpected develop
ment in physics
II is found that when bullet of very
nigh velocity enters living tissue 1t pro-
duces an explosive lateral effect directly
in proportion to the force of its flight The
phenomenon may be said to resemble the
dropping OF stone in pool of water The
stone continues down to the bottom, but
concentric rings of force may be seen
ctrcling of in all directions. The more
nuid the substance. the greater the effect
as the particles of matter and hence the
waves OF motion more easily communicate
their force to one another. Thus a modern
bullet may enter mans body and make
bur I-frs- E,.tz
Gated shock would be terrible. shattering
every delicate organ in its way and ex-
tending in its immediate effect throughout
the whole system, and proving fatal. If not
in one part. then in another. Dynamite
could not be more deadly.
Conclusive Experimental
Prof Rocher Of Berne Switzerland, has
recently made some very interesting ex-
periments. showing just how this explosive
effect acts on different substances. He
caused 10 be set up targets made of glass
plates. clay, soap. rosin. stone. metal and
tin cans filled with various substances. At
these and into these he fired bullets of
high velocity. Now in regard to glass
plates The man who remembers his nat
ural philosophy will tell you that a stone
thrown through window would probably
smash the glass all 10 pieces, while a bull
let would make a small. clean hole where
IL had gone through. without otherwise
shattering 1T But these old-time calcula: !:
tiors are all set at naught under the new
system A low velocity bullet shot through
glass during the experiments caused a per
foration Of about the diameter of the bull
let. A high velocity bullet made a large
opening. from which rotated numberIess
concentrlc fractures communicating and
intercommunicating with each other al.
over the plate of glass. Plates of lead and
OF soap exhibited plain hole when a low
velocity bullet had made 1t. With high
velocity the perforation was mucn larger
than the caliber of the bullet. and as there
was no loss of weight In the plates il was
clear that the large holes were the result of
lateral compression due to the explosive
effect.
plosive bullets on clay targets After the
bullets had passed through. it was found
that at the point OF entrance and of exit
the hole was but little larger than the
diameter of The bullet. but in the center
a cavity somewhat oval in shape and fully
as large as u mans fist had been formed
The explosive effect OF the bullet had thus
expanded or. rather. compressed the clay
outwardly in all directions as il passed
through the mass. How terrible would be
this lateral force when acting on the tis-
sues and fluids Of the body.
II the effect on solids was startling what
snail be said of the effect on fluids? Tin
cans. either empty or filed with iry SUBJ
stances, were fired through with the result
OF boring a small hole at the point of en-
trance and exit and of COMPRISING ont
wardly the substance contained in the can
but when cans of fluid were perforated by
high velocity bullets they burst In all di-
rections. c0nclusively proving that the ex-
plCsive effect Is worse when opposed by
liquids. In recent experiment made by the
German government the terrible results of