The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1898-07-16
THE DEADLY SHE'LL.
Effect of a 14-Cm. Explosive Mis-
sile Shown in New York.
A. the aombardment of San Juhn the
Cruiser Is struck by One OF
Them Surgeons
Report.

The following article, by Assistant
Surgeon Raymond Spear, on board the
flagship New York, showing the Ell
feel of the explosion of IA chi shell,
has Just appeared in the Medical News
During the bombardment of San Juan
da Peurto Rico the New York was struck
bV a shell at a distance OF about 5,yV yaTus'
The shell came over the stern OF the snip
and struck an iron stannchion three ihehes
In thickness, which was broken snort Oh
at the point OF contact. The shell went Oh
for a distance of about is feet ana ex-
pjoded in a wooden boat which was COW
cred with canvas The boat was demol-
fshed the lighter pianking being badiy
splfntered and driven downward and Tor
ward against an iron steam winch Inc
oars in the boat were broken, ana ono
niece was driven forward along the spar
deck, but did no damage. The canvas Gov
ering of the boat was torn ana rent INTO
shreds by the force of the explosion ana ny
splinters passing through II, and then
caught fire, showing that canvas, under
such conditions, Will not stop splfntefs
The she'll itself burst into many pieces,
varying from the size of pea to large
pieces Weighing about five pounds. Inc
direction these fragments took was for
ward downward. upward and to both
| sides, many of them going over the snip
side others passing through the copper
ventilators and smoke pipes and doing lit
tie damage,
The fragments that went downward and
forward struck about the port eight-inch
waist gun, where there were IL men sta
Toned killing one man and inJuring sew
eral others The man killed, Weidemark,
was struck by piece of she'll about two
inches square by one inch thick. 1t entered
the left side of his neck near the angle OIL
the law, severed the blood vessels, proceed
ed up ward and backward into his brain,
probably injuring the medulla, and lodged
under the skin just beneath the ocoipital
proturbanee.
Another fragment of shell of about the
same size struck man named Fattmen
On the anterior inner surface of the left
thigh, about three inches above the knee,
| and went through the limb, taking back
ward and downward course. The femur
was shattered into numerous fragments
and the muscles were torn considerably In
the track of the wound
Another man was struck In the left leg
by piece Of shell about one inch by one
half inch by one-half inch. Il entered the
leg about its middle on the outer side. went
inward and forward, growing the anterior
surface of the tibia. The fragments of
bone We're taken out of the leg by the piece
of shell.
There were several other minor injuries.
Pieces of shell struck several men, but did
30 damage. One man felt something not
on his breast and on investigating found
small piece of shell that had burned its
way through his clothing and reached his
skin. The fragments of the shell were all
hot, as was shown by burnt wood and can
vas. The men injured by the shell all said
they felt a burning, singing sensation
about their wounds, and In some cases the
clothing was seorched.
The shell receives great deal of heat
from the friction 1t incurs in leaving the
gun; some of this heat is lost through
radiation in its fight through the air,
more heat Is developed on the impact of the
shell, and still more energy takes the form
Of heat when the missile explodes. making
the fragments hot enough TO set fire to
wood. All of the wounds made by the
pieces of shell were asceptie, but they all
were sluggish in healing. due to the lowered
vitality and burning of the injured parts