The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-21

Switzerland Show That Bullets
HAY Be DETECTED From Their
Course By Electricity as Much as
rs Feet at 275 Yards, Rendering
Tt Possible Thus to Shield a
Body of Troops or a War Vessel
From the Missiles of the E nemy.
Some experiments recently made IN
Switzerland open up an entirely novel
field of military operations, and may
lead to developments in the way of de-
fensive tactics of an utterly revolu-
tionary character. The experiments
show the possibility that electricity
MAJ in future beutiliZed to defect pul-
lets from their intended course, thus
rendering the aim of the most expert
naarksman altogether Intellectual
The discovery of this vastly impor-
tant power of electricity over flying
missile was made quite by accident
The committee of the federal shooting
association of Switzerland, while target
shooting at Wnterthur, noticed thal
targets at the left side of the range re-
ceived a majority Of bullets to the leIt
of the bullseye, While the reverse was
the case on the other side of the range.
Some ouick-witted member of the COM
nittee suggested that this apparent oe-
Election of the missiles might be que 10
the electric telephone wires Whlcn
CHANGED to be strug on either SIDE or
the range. The matter was brought to
the attention of the federal expert
mental committee, who found that all
projectiles that had been DETECTED from
their course were magnetized.
The theory of electrical action Delng
thus supported, experiments were uh-
dertaken to put the question to a mai
test AT he range near Shun, where no
electric wires were in the way, four ex-
perimental wires, each Is nm IN dl-
ameter, were strung parallel to the line
of fire. and 125 feet away from It.
PAPER screens were then fixed at inter
walls of 80 feet along the range, to IN
dictate the exact course of the bullets.
An electric current of 5000 volts being
sent through the wires, its influence
was Enthusiastically shown by the course
of the bullets fired from the military
rifles. At 275 yards the DETECTION of the
bullet from the straight course was no
less than 20 feet, 1.-The trajectory, as
marked by the paper screens, showing
a very remarkable curve toward the
wires.
When a trial was made with a. jap
anese rifle, the invention Of Colonel
Yamsgate. which throws a very slender
bullet, the results were even more
startling. as the minute bullet went
straight for the wires, broke two insu-
lators, and followed along the course
of the electric wires. finally wearing
cut its energy with the friction"
The effect thus being more pro-
nounced with small missiles, it was
presumed that common bali would be
unaffected. But a trial proved this as
sumption a mistake, for on 5000
yard range, the wires being strung only
for distance Of 200 yards in front OF
the target, and at the same lateral
distance as before, the cannon ball
was detected no less than "A degrees.
With shrapnel Can explosive shell filled
with nusllet balls), the effects were
even more curious, as the Droiectlle
CARRYING the fuse made of non-mag-
netic metal was completely detached,
while the body was attracted by the
currsnt. "the bullets. after the shell
burst. showing such extraordinary var1-
atoms that all accuracy of fire was to-
tally done awav with
The general result of the entire
series Of experiments was to show that
as might be expected, the DETECTING
power of the current was proportion
ately less when large missiles were
used, and varied also with the velocity
Of the missiles. The conclusion was
reached that it would be feasible to
protect an entire section of troops
from hostile rife fire at a distance of
80 yards by means of an electric cur
rent generated by a dynamo or ac-
clnulator at one side; and that At 900
to j 400 yards even artillery would be
thus rendered harmless.
1t seems doubtful. however. whether
such an application of the current as
that here suggested could ever be of
use in actual warfare. unless under
VERY. unusual circumstances, since lines
strung at one side of a section would
be too far removed from the bullets on
the other side to sufficiently influence
their fight What apparently might
he done however, would be to have
the wires strung along the earth be-
tween the opposing forces, in order TO
ground the bullets The wires being
strung near the line TO be protected
would affect the partially spent balls of
the enemy more than those of the pro-
tected soldiers, and the latter could. in
addition. make allowance for the cur
rent in aiming. Should the enemy see
that their shots are falling low, and
make allowance for the detection. the
current of electricity could, of course,
be varied or altogether shut off for the
moment. thus releasing the projectiles,
and allowing them TO fiy harmlessly
overhead, the change in current being
frl,n time to time announced to the
protected line by signals, that their
own fire might be governed according
". BY repeated variations Of the cur
rent it is evident that the aim Of the
most expert marksmen would be made
a matter of mare guesswOrk. 1t would
indeed be a strange sight should it
come to pass that an enemy might
stand out in an open field and be pro-
fected from the enemy's fire by an in
visible breastworlk Of electro-n ghetto
force. vet this seems to be within the
Mark Twain imagined his
Connecticut Yankee in king Arthur's
Court" protecting himself from his
armored foes by surrounding his
stronghold with an electric fence; but
now truth promises to outrun the fancy
OF the romancer.
Perhaps the most interesting sugges-
tion of the Swiss experiments, how
ever. is the new element they introduce
irto the old controversy of projectiles
Us. arnor plate. Just at the moment
the projectiles were in the lead, for the
Johnson 100-pound ball. protected by
a. cap of soft steel, had penetrated ten
inches of nickel steel, notwithstanding
IFS iHarveyized surface of diamond-lke
hardness. But now the Swiss expert
ments make it clear that the difficulty
in future may rot be so much to pene-
trate armor, as 20 hit it at all. Suppose
an unarmored cruiser. built for speed,
were TO make a running fight with a
Narship, might she not pay out cleo