The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-02
MILITARY SCIENCE.
The Automatic Gun, Bicycle Army
Corps, Simplihed Fortifications.

Corps, Simplifed Fortifications.
1t seems to be the general opinion
among United States army officers that
the development of military science in
the immediate future will be in the di-
rection of simplified Notifications,
greater utilization of the bicycle, and
the extended use of some form of. au-
tomato gun. The modern army en-
gineer sees little use in raising great
mounds of earth such as used to be
done when hasty and even permanent
works are needed. The bigger the
earthwork, the greater h mark for
the enemy's big guns A hole in the
ground has been the theoretical for
mula for fort building, and now tina
we posses field pieces with disappear
ing carriages it can be practically car
ried out. a gun thai is capable of
rising out of an innocent-lookinS hole,
pouring forth great vOlleys of death
dealing bullets, and then sinking out
of sight, leaving hardly a trace of its
presence and certainly nothing to fire
at, is certainly formidable enough to
invest the new theory with all needful
logic. 1t would be to an enemy what
h hollow 0 near Waterloo was to
the Cuirrassiers of Napoleon.
In his last report, General Miles rec
commended the greater use of the BIZ
cycle for military purposes. He even
intimated the desirability of establish
ing a completely equipped bicycle
corps. This has been openly discussed
at Governors island and is accepted
there as his opinion of the most prob
able advance Of the near future. So
far, bicycles have been used in the
Any IL. orderly or u4sDatcn duty. A
much simpler form of wheel will have
to be adopted, however, before bicy-
cling becomes a factor in army life.
The present diamond frame machine
is, despite its lightness. much too cum
berSome. Captain Gerard has over
come the difficulty in France by in
venting a special form of folding BIZ
cycle. 1t has proved to be well adapted
for general use. Twenty-Five men Of
the Eighty-seventh infantry. recently
made a successful tour of 1.200 miles
on it, each man getting off of his
wheel and carrying it on his back over
rough places, three hundred separate
times during the journey.
The rife of the future Will be the
automatic rifle. This is the conclu-
sion of military men,, not only of this,
but of other countries. Genera Willie,
a German army expert on the
subject of firearms. say decisively
that il will ultimately be the
rifle in general use by the armies
VI LnC NOllQ- It's particular DOllll
of merit in its capacity for doing
away with the mechanical operation of
loading. In effect it does its own load
ing. leaving the soldier free to attend
to the business of firing, thus concen-
tratirg his attention on his opponent
and rendering his aim surer. AS pointed
out by General Willie the force of the
recoil of the automatic gun is employed
for charging and closing the breech and
the firer has only to let off the shot in
order to again load the weapon, so that
the number of shots discharged with
out an effort is precisely the same as
the total contents of the magazine. The
only comparatively weak part of the
automatic gun lies in its spring, but as
they have been found after tests made
in Austria to withstand the wear and
tear of from 10. 900 to 1000 discharges,
this does not our for much.
THEODORE WATERS.