The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-19
FLEXIBLE ARMOR.
Some Safeguards Proposed and Adopt
 ed By Soldiers.

ed By Soldiers.
 Since the present conflict began the war department has received many ap- peals to permit our soldiers to wear some sort of armor in the field. Many recommendations have been offered in favor of bullet-proof fabrics, and it Is by no means certain that in future wars some protection of the sort may not be worn over vital parts of the body. It is not supposed that any available material will prove absolute ly shot-proof, but results much less favorable would warrant the military authorities in adopting safeguars of the kind
 Already several such fabrics have been patented, one of the most notable being the invention of Casinir Zeglen, of Chicago. Zeglen's shotproof cloth has already been somewhat widely ad- vertised Its outside layer is compos- ed of linen canvas immediately be- meath which is 8 stratum of hair from the Angora goat. This kind of hair is particularly suitable, being straight and fine. Next come a series of layers of silk cords laid paralelI, each layer
 
 layers are sewed together, and the stuff thus prepared may be cut into jackets or shields as desired.
 Edward c. Gerstenberger, of Brook lyn is the inventor of a bullet-proof and waterproof armor which can be cut in any desired form for garments of soldiers. It Is composed of alternate layers of haircloth and gutta-percha silesia, with ground glass between the sheets. The hair cloth is saturated with alum and the silesia is coated with gutta percha. eat is applied, and the sheets are pressed together by fy- draulic power, so as to become a com pact mass of haircloth, gutta percha, alum and glass.
 A Philadelphia man named Harry Gross Is responsible for a "l1eart shield" which is designed to protect the most vital part of the soldier S anatomy It is made of metal covererd with leather, and is attached to band that passes around the chest, being held in the proper place by another band that goes over the shoulder Pos sibly an improvement on this is inc tallic vest" devised by G. Grabe, of
 
 and affords protection both in front | and behind. Very much lighter and more convenient, however, is a waist | coat of aluminium, patented by Robert F. Stevenson, of Silverton, Tex. During the civil war many invent | ors offered suggestions to the war de- | partment for various kinds of armor | to be worn by the federal troops. One man came to Washington for the pur- pose of making to Secretary Cameron a proposition to supply breastplates at so much thousand. After he had used | up much valuable time in expatiating on the merits of his device the secre- | tary said:
 "You will guarantee it bullet-proof 2" | Absolutely so,' replied the inventor. "Very well, then" said MT. Gamer | on. "Just put on the sample you have 1 been showing me, and stand on the | other side of the room while I try a | few shots at you with this pistol. If YOU remain unhurt I shall be convinc- | ed of the usefulness of your breast plate."
 Strange to say, the inventor refused | to try the experiment.
 In an out-of-the-wa corner of the 1 Army Medical Museum is a rusty and | dilapidated sheet of metal. Once upon a time it was a steel breastplate. and l it's history, related on an accompanying | label, is that 1t was worn by confed- crate officer at the battle of Antietam 1 he was found dead on the field after l the conflict, and small round hole l through the metal plate shows that a rifle ball must have pierced his heart | All the same, it seems odd that as | weapons used in war have become | more deadly men have abandoned the use of means for protecting the body. | Dr. Walter Hough, of the Nationa, | Museum. recently made an exhaustive study of the armor that was worn ir | battle by various peoples of the New ] World before Columbus landed. Reeds. glass or hides, coated with 1 india rubber, served to protect the Aztec common soldier. The body arm