The aegis & intelligencer., 1898-04-29
TIE COST OF WAR.

Now that war is actually upon us
it would be interesting 10 know the
cost of this luxury. Few persons
have any idea OF the appalling
amount Of money involved in modern
warfare especially when naval opera
tions are invo,ved. 1t cost nearly
81 coo GU0 a day 10 carry on the civil
war the last year, but there was over
Il Zoo, 900 men i'll the army and
navy, and money had deprecated
nearly one half.
As the war with Spain will be
largely on the seas few statistics
will be interesting.
The cost of p first class modern
war vessel is $Lc00,o00 in round
numbers, but the cost of equipping
and using such vessel in warfare
surpasses all general calculations. a
single twelve-inch gun costs about
500, 900 when placed on the ship ready
for action. The maximum capacity
of this immense war engine is eighty
EiiOIS, iIt lt4lIilll'slIl4 l4iAt - - i4'i
safe to count on these guns firing
more than fifty rounds. The intense
heat and strain are likely to make
| the gun useless anytime after thirty
| to eighty rounds are fired from it,
after which it is valuable only as old
steel. The cost in wear and tear in
firing these guns may be safely esti-
mated at 81 GOO for every discharge.
Ii addition to the cost of 81, ,C0G for
every round fired from these guns in
wear and tear, the powder and steel
| pointed missile with which the gun
is loaded, cost the government 81 200
| every time the gun is fired. 1t is q
safe estimate to say that every time a
twelve-inch gun is fired i'll war, the
cost is about s., 500.
Our war vessels and cruisers are
each supplied with torpedoes and
pneumatic tubes from which to dis
charge them against an enemy.
| They are effective at about 500
yards, and the torpedo with which
the air gun is charged is one of the
most delicate and complicated ma
chimes of modern times. 1t is con
structed with a revolving attachmen;
at the rear, not only to guide it on its
| deadly mission through the water bat
TO accelerate its movement, and il
| is exploded by concGssion. One ci
these torpedoes striking the biggest
ship in any navy would entirely
destroy the vessel. These torpaioes
cost s., 800 each.
The cost of ammunition for our
land forces has also been increasee
probably tenfold. One pound of leac
costing only few cents, would make
sixteen cartridges for the rifle used il
our civil war. To-day the cartridges
used by our infantry cost little if any
less than ten cents each. With 4
modern gun these little missiles carry
three miles, and at 2 range OF mile
they will 60 clear through three men
and probably more if they are no
too greatly obstructed by boring
clean holes through bones of the
human anatomy. They are muci
| lighter than the old cartridge, aLt
the soldier will carry one hundret
rounds with the same ease that til;
soldier of our civil war carried forty
The cost Of cartridges for an CtIicien
riIaman in action now would b,
about 81 per minute.
Thus while it will cost our govern
ment $1,000 eco 20 construct ana eqaig
battleship, and s., 800 for every
round fired from one of cur large
guns, and 81 500 for every torpedo
We burl against the enemy, the ccst
il 5 .,ain is jast three times thC
amount OF the cost Of the same Il
the United States, which is owing t
her deprecated currency.
The present war with Spain will
be the most costly war Of any time.
However brief it may be, cur com
prehensive preparations for it viii
count up in the hundreds of millions,
and if it shall continue for year
its aggregate cost will probably no
be less than $1,000, 100000 and may
be more.