The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-09-24
RIFLED STEEL M0RTARS;
THE ARMY'S NEW ORDINANCE
TESTED BEFORE SANTIAGO.

tant Part in Forcing Toral to Surrender.
There is no more important piece Of
ordnance used in our war operations
than the little rifed mortars that
threw explosives, shells, and heavy
steel projectiles with destructive effect
against the Spanish intrenchments
and rife pits between the American
lines and Santiago. The field mortars
are believed by the army men in
Washington to have played an impor.
tant part in compelling the surrender
of the Spanish troops and to have
assisted in the capture of strategic
points which otherwise might not have
been taken without severe loss to the
invading soldiers.
These little mortars have not been
generally adopted in armies, except
in this country, and never had an
actual trial against the enemy until
the recent fight between Skaters men
and those of General Toral. They
are light, can be readily transported
with an advancing body of men, are
quick Of fire, and are almost as accurate
as the ri6ed field piece. Although the
shot fired by them describes o ira
jectory that takes it soaring hundreds
of feet up in the air, the accuracy Of
fire is so great that an exploding shell
can be dropped two miles away with
in space no larger than q good-sized
| ballroom.
When compared with the old
smooth-bore muzzle leaders of the
civil war period, which shot far but
with no certainty as to where the shell
would fall, the new mortars like those
at Santiago are as great an improve
ment as the modern small arm is over
the old Springfield.
With the modern mortar provided
with a rihed chamber and breech-
loading apparatus the ordnance ex-
perts claim that they can plump shot
into any ordinary sized rife pit and
knock the top off any house at which
it is aimed within the radius of its
action. Although the projectile goes
high in the air and then takes plung-
ing course, the range can be accurately
reached by reducing or increasing the
powder charge. The explosion of
Finch shell in a rife pit should kill
or severely injure every man in it, and
if one fell behind an intrenchment
whore men were assembled thickly
it would have the power to wipe out
practically half company.
Mortars, howitzers and field guns
were the heavy ordnance used by the
army in front of Santiago, but for
shelling city no piece was believed
by the officers to be better adapted for
effective work than the mortars. Two
kinds are used in the army, the heavier
being the Finch and the other the
3.6-inch. The heavy mortar has
weight of ITS pounds and total
length Of only So inches, the length
of the bore being seven calibres. A
projectile weighing 100 pounds is used
for the important work of clearing
rifle pits, and can be sent accurately
to distance of considerably more
than three miles, and dropped within
space 100 by u feet three times out
of five. To send this she'll through
the air only five and one-half pounds
of powder is required, which develops
an initial velocity for the projectile Of
about $50 feet second. The pressure
exerted is IS, 900 pounds to the square
inch, which seems high for SO small
charge, and the range of the mortar is
placed at 1910 yards, Or nearly three
miles. The fighting range which
will be generally employed, however,
is not expected to exceed two miles.
In the operations before Santiago it
was less, although when General
Shafter determined to lombard the
city if Toral failed to comply to his
demand for surrender, the mortar
batteries were not less than two miles
from the centre of the town and were
to be fired at that distance. Inside
the Finch mortar shell is II IL
pounds of powder whose explosion
throws hundreds Of small pieces of
the shell in every direction. A fuse
ignites the powder as the she'll strikes
the ground, and if the explosion is
instant the destruction in its imme.
date vicinity should be terrific.
Should the shell, however, hit soft
earth and bury itself before exploding
its effectiveness is practically lost.
The experience in firing mortars at
Santiago showed that this occurred
frequently.
These mortars are adapted to fire
the pro;ectiles Of the finch howitzer
as well as the shells. Besides the
ordinary shell the mortar is intended
to fire as well a steel she'll of $50
pounds weight and approximately of
five calibre length, charged with high
explosive for great destructive effect.
This piece supplies the heaviest calibre
that the army regards as necessary for
field purposes and is intended for just
NJ - il.