The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-08
A NEW PROJECTILE.
IT WILL ENABLE UNCLE SAM TO USE
OLD WAR GUNS.
Colonel Bells New Shell Neither Wab-
bies Nor Tumbles and Can He Used
Equally Well In Old smoothbores and
Rined Cannon-very Successful Tests.

Equally Well In Old smoothbores and
Rified Cannon-very Successful Tests.
Now and then, after years and millions
have been spent in developing enterprise
along newfangled lines, 1t Is suddenly /
discovered that these lines were all wrong |
and that the old notions abandoned a dec :
ade or two ago were the true ones. This 4
does not happen often, but IL does happen, !
and Colonel william N. Bells newly in
vented projectile affords reason for sus
picion that such has been the case with |,
the rifled cannon, the highest development |
of the century In heavy ordnance. For !
this projectile, which now seems to be the
cheapest, surest and most accurate by far
of all yet invented, Is fired more easily
and more accurately and with far greater
economy of power and cost from the old
fashioned SO, 600 smoothbore of the sixties
than from the magnificently expensive
| rifled wonder of today.
What this will mean in case the govern
| ment tests soon to be undertaken prove
| the accuracy of the original tests may be
| gathered from the fact that $3, 900, 900
worth of the old smoothbores of rebellion
| times are lying loose around the United
States-so much old iron and nothing
more. 1t will be n wonderful saving II
these can yet be utilized.
| In order to appreciate what Colonel
Bells projectile really does we must first
consider why it was found necessary to
rifle cannon.
The old round shot that used to be fired
from smoothbores were never effective.
There was great loss of power by the es-
cape of gases around the edges OF the ball,
and after 1t left the cannon the wind
banked up against its sides and swerved IL
wide of its mark When conical projec-
tiles were substituted for balls, the first OF
these difficulties was overcome, but not
the second. In order to give conical pro-
jectiles rapid twist in their flight, thus
enabling them to bore their way through
the air without swerving, cannons were
rifed-that Is, curved grooves were cut
into their bores. The operation was ex-
ceedinely expensive and demanded an ex-
ceedingly expensive quality of steel, but
1t solved the problem. Such are the great
weapons Of today.
But while rifed cannon solved these
problems 1t developed great fault. Pro-
jectiles shot from them are apt to "tum-
ble''-that is, to whirl round and round
as stick does when thrown into the air
from the hand. To remedy this expert
ments without number have since been
made all in the direction of improving
the projectile so as to insure Its steadiness
in flight.
1t is that problem which Colonel Bells
projectile seems to have solved at last.
And il not only solves that, but secures the
necessary rotary twist in the air without
] the necessity of being fired from a rihed
, gun. To be sure, it can be fred from a
, rifled gun, but just as good effects-even
better, some experts think-can be OBJ
tanned by using an old fashioned smooth
bore gun. :,
The inventor of this prOjectile which
} promises so much Is Lieutenant Colonel
I William H. Bell assistant commlssary
Z general of subsistence of the United States
4 | army and an ordnance expert OF grea'
8 ability Colonel Bell has given the subJec
: of proiectiles long and arduous study, ant
:. a number of his inventions have proved
of great practical value. His latest inven
ton was recently successfully tested at TIT
Preside of San Francisco, where IL wa
3 fired from six FOUNDER smoothbore gun
8 attaining a velocity of little over 7o'
8 feet per second in a steady flight.
4 Other tests are expected TO take plac
. shortly both on the Pacific coast and II
!, the east, and II the results are found 10 o
= uniformly satisfactory 1t Is likely that tn
I
of the invention by adopting 1t for use b.
the artillery of the regular army.
n The construction of this proJectiie
ia quite simple and its principle readii
!, understood. In shape 1t Is an ordinar
conical shot. In it's bore Is hollow capa
BILE of holding considerable quantity G
10 slow burning powder. A plug screws int
y this hollow, holding the powder securei
II within.
re And now comes the essential point
Ia difference between this and other proJet
m tiles Around the edges of this plug are
series of grooves leading into the powde
= chamber and bored at an angle opposite
- the direction in which the projectile Is 81
W pected to twist or revolve on It's iatert
ts axis. and thus bore its way through Tn
"a air.
Q, The principle Is old and simple. IN
in powder burning inside after the proJectI
to leaves the cannon exerts sidewlse pressu'
h. through the slanted grooves and twists On
al projectile in the opposite direction. IL
os the same principle exactly that max
60 your Fourth of July pinwheel revoi'
y when lighted.
er Now for the experiment. The chamb'
IS in the projectile is filed with slow burnin
ly powder and tho plug screwed tightly dow
an A charge of quick burning powder Is no
hit dropped into the smoothbore cannon al
90 the projectile pushed In upon 1t. The tu
~. Is attached and the cannon fired.
V" The quick burning powder on beiI
lighted does two things. 1t expeis u
projectle with an energy dependent upt
its quality and quantity, and it hehts u
ut slow burning powder through the groove
ce The slow burning powder begins TO ACT
IL once accelerating the speed and initiatii
he the twist even before leaving the canno
no But IL is after 1t leaves the cannon and .
ri gins it's flight that the slow burning po'
=, der does its best work. 1t actually
Gu creases the speed while in the air by its
ny action against the atmosphere, and un
~ the powder is burned out the rotary II,
CT, ton continues to accelerate. Ihere Is
nd tnmblipe for this projectile. 1t bores
way through the atmosphere with the
most precision.
Colonel Bells first experiment. MADE