Evening star., 1897-02-27

Military Service Institution. which Is pub
lished by the officers of Governors Island.
gives us list of the high velocity rifles
Used by different countries 1t is as fol-
lows: Austria uses the Mannlicher and Por-
trgal the kropatscheck. cal. 315 Is m M:
France, the Lebel, cal. 30 (S M; Denmark
and the United States. the Krag-Jorgensen.
cal 30 &c m M: Germany their Mann
licher. model IS. cal. 81 90 m M: Belgium
and Turkey. the Mauser cal 80 (76 IN M :.
England. the Lee-Metford cal 1903 III m
M; Switzerland the Schmidt G.5 III m):
Spain. the Mauser, cal. 2S:; G2 m m) and
the Netherlands and RoumanIa, the Mann
Echer, cal. - (G.5 m M.
The average weight of these guns Is
e sht pounds. The average length of the
bullet is 30 m. The velocity ar OOO
yards will average about ss5 feet per sec
ord Now with the small caliber and con-
sequently the reduced weight of the car
trldse each soldier can carry a larger
amount OF ammunition than heretofore
and as the Journal points out the methods
OF replacing the ammunition expended by
rapid firing will be SO perfected in the flu
tnre that troops within firing distance will
hereafter have to meet a perfect hail of
bullets. When the explosive effect of each
of these bullets is considered we get some
idea CT what a battle of the future Will he
Ike Some time ago reports of the ineffi-
cheney of small caliber high velocity hui
lets were published, in which IT was nointed
cut that their perforating power was so
great as to reduce their power of destrun-
ton. the intention being to show that thew
would perforate a bone or tissue so quickly
and neatly as to cause hardly anv
wound at all. 1t is evident however that
the observations must have concerned
spent bullets. For minus and explosive
effect, which ceases as the extreme -anpe
is reached, the effect of wound would ba
exactly as recorded. 1t was noted by the
surgeons of the Chitral campaign.
New Horrors of War.
In fact. the horrors Of war increase In
prospect az time passes. 1t will need more
than tacit agreements at peace conventions
to overcome the future tendency to highly
destructive gires of war. The Maxim
and other guns Of similar nature stnplv
mean. If fired into an enemy's ranks, death
and destruction ten thousand fold grea ter
than was possible under the old system
But even these are surpassed by the pneu-
matte dynamite gun in use in Cuba. This
gun shoots dynamite Shells which ex-
piode when the object aimed al Is struck
Manifestly the gun itself could not be ex-
ploded with powder. or the dynamite in the
smell would also explode as a result of
sympathetic concussion. The Cuban gun
IS, therefore. operated by compressed air
which practically blows the shell to its
destination. Extending in a coil under the
gun proper is long compressed air tube
AT the proper moment the air acting
through the tube. impinges on the dynamite
cartridge ard projects it to it's destination
quite lengthy range is attained. or
course. such firearm is in direct viola
tfon of the articles Of the Geneva conyen-
tion. inasmucn as the dynamite cartridge
constitutes what is known as an expIo-
slVe bullet But as the Cubans had no
part in the proceedings of the convention
and as the belligerency of the insurgents
has not been recognized generally, the
practice of this kind of warfare on the is
la md Is rendered paradoxicaIly Nightmare
II Is therefore an interesting question to
consider, in case Cuban belligerency is ac-
knowledged. whether the use of the dyna-
mite gun would be permitted by other coun-
tres Spain certainly could not resort to
the same tactics. inasmuch as she is
party to the convention. In fact, with the
acquisition of new states, the changed
condition OF firearms and the decidedly an
archistic methods of warfare which have
been lately suggested. it Is the opinion Of
some prominent army officers that new
articles VIII nave to be added to the con-
vention II 1t Is to have any influence on
the battles of the future