The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-07-30
MODERN sCF-APNEL
What Happens Then One Project
A, Bursts Into Two Huntlrt.tl

MODEhN SCf's1AENEL .T'-
What Happens =. hen One PrOjcctilc
Bursts Into Two Hundred.
Modern guns. are much used even as
recently as our Civil war. The improve
ment has embraced all calibres, from that
of the small arm firing projectile only
one-third of an inch in diameter to the
monster which sends solid piece of steel
twelve inches through and weighing over
half a ton. Not only have the guns i'm
proved, but also all their accessories,
especially powder and prOjecties. The
smokeless powder Of the present has
changed the conditions of war almost as
much as modern armament. In fact, it
was absolutely necessary to improve the
powder along with the gun, says an army
officer in the New York Herald
Keeping step with these advances have
been those made in the various classes
OF projectiles. Even the smallest of these,
with, it's case-hardened bullet, is far ahead
Of the old-fashioned lead bullet used in
the small arms of thirty years ago.
r One of the most effective of modern pro-
jectiles is the shrapnel It is one of the
forms Of case shot. The others were the
old-fashioned grape and canister. A case
shot may be said to be collection of
missiles in case, which breaks up either
in the gun or at some point in flight, thus
setting free it's death dealing particles.
these particles goes on a separate path
and it's a sorry day for the man struck
by one of them. All of these falling upon
a piece of level ground would mark out
an irregular oval whose area varies with
differing conditions. 1t has been found
that the best point to burst the .shrapnele
Is about six yards above and fifty in
front of the enemy. 1g
Col. Shrapnel, Of the British service,
first invented shrapnel in 1903. This
early form consisted simply of spheri-
cal shell filled with bullets and a burst.
Ing charge of powder in the spaces be-
tv cen. This was crude invention,
which scattered the fragments too much
and wes liable to go off when not ex-
pected, and not to do so when desired.
This form was improved upon during
our great war, and the modern shrapnel
can be considered the most dangerous Of
all life destroying projectiles. 1t CON-
sists of three parts-the tube, | le base
and the head. The powder charge is in
the base, which is firmly attached to the
body either by electric welding or by
sc7ewing. Leading from the base
Though the center of the body is a tube
which is also filled with powder, which
is ignited by the fuse at the point Of the
shrapnel, and carries the fire to the main
charge. Between two hundred and three
hundred bullets rest upon diaphragm
just over the powder charge. These are
held in place by matrix of rosin which
is melted ard poured upon the bullets
when in place. A skeleton case of cast
iron containing receptacles for each bull
let is sometimes used instead of the rosin.
The head is put On in the same manner
as the base, and when the fuse is inserted
the projectile is ready for use. Some
shrapnels have the bursting charge in the
head instead of the base The fuse is
rather complicated, but the United States
has as good a one as there is. It is
time fuse and in actual test has shown its
reliability. These fuses are slight modin
cations of those used few years ago,
the accidental explosion of which caused
so much trouble during the riots in Chi
cago. af
It can readily be seen that one great OBJ
lection to the shrapnel is its high cost.
The fuse alone costs about $3.50. The
same gun is usually supplied with three
styles of ammunition solid shot, the.
shell and the shrapnel. Some batteries
are also supplied with canister for use at
close quarters. The bullets In the canister
have wider dispersion. because the
case breaks up in the gun. Canister was
used to repel the famous charge led b.
the Confederate general, Pickett, at Get.
tysbuTg. A perfect hail of missiles swept
the slope leading up to Cemetery Hill,
against whose destructive effects human
valor was Of no avail.
The shell is used to destroy inani1nate
objects as we'll as animate ones. IT con-
sists of a hollow cast iron shell, with a
fuse and bursting charge of powder. The
famous short fired during the cutting of
the cables at Cienfuegos is good ex-
ample of it's USE The Spaniards having
taken refuge in and behind lighthouse,
a shell was fired by one of our ships,
which, striking it fairly, burst and ut:
terly DESTROYED the structure, killing.
many of the soldiers.
u Shells were also used by the Spaniards
against our torpedo boat, the Winslow.
Their awful effect is well portrayed in
the sad death Of Ensign Bagley and four
sailors-all due to one shell bursting over
them.
But against men in battle formation the
shrapnel is the more effective. It sends "a
perfect shower of missiles which, falling
in the midst of a company, would almost
annihilate it. Many tests have been
made to show this
Shrapnels fired from a gun a mile away
in one instance and a mile and tWo-thirds
in the other, " ere made to strike a board
target che inch thick. The fuses were set
off by the contact and burst the project
lie into two or three hundred parts each
J Of which was capable of dealing death to
any living thing in its path. Screens
| were placed at indicated distances behind
the target. These may be considered as
representing a battalion of infantry i'll
column Of companies. iiS rom the number
Iof hits upon all of them the efficiency Of
shrapnel fire against close order for1na-
| ton may be judged.
In one shot 152 hits were made by s.
single shrapnel. In another 215 hits are
recorded. But these are not so well SCAT
tered. Imagine, then. the effect of a well
placed shrapnel upon group of men
l5such as is here represented.
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