Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-07-18

T.z5 bettarment of tho modern field gun is fully equal to the development of other branches of military armament. It has been especially rapid within the last dozen years The work of special ists and the results of extended tests have ended in the production of weap- on O. great accuracy and of titanic force. The field gun of today is the ia yorite weapon of the military man, and he expects from it some very remark able demonstrations when opportunity to nse it occurs.
 Napoleon is credited with the remark that Providence E always on the side of the heavy artillery, but the artillery which Napoleon knew was not worthy to be mentioned on the same day with the light, graceful and deadly arm with which the moderns are prepared to do slaughter The first great step forward was taken when the breeehloading ae- ton was invented. Well known scien- tific rules of boring and the improve ment in projectiles and powders have done the rest. The field gun now in use by the powers is as accurate at it's range Us rife and has tremendous energy.
 The United States has no better field guns than those with which the armies of Germany and France are armed, but they are every bit as good Like oEf other ordnance, they are all made Oil this side of the water The American manufacturer yields to no one in ability to make perfect weapon. Indeed many of the chief improvements in field guns and i'll the larger sizes, sometimes called siege" guns. are the products of Amer ican brains
 The field guns of the United States army are made at Watarvliet, N Y, 1 just as the large guns for the navy and for coast defense are turned out at Washington. They have a ealiber of little more than three inches, are of course, breechloading, are rather lengthy for their width and are lightly but strongly mounted. They use 8 point ed shell which explodes either on con- cussion or by time fuse, generally the former, and are fired with great rapidity.
 Each gun of battery is in command of lieutenant, who, under the eye Of his superior, sights it and directs its working. lie has his elevation, depres- sion and wind gauge formul@ at his fingers ends, and with him good shoot ing is mainly 9 question eff care. The powder used il these guns is of tho smaller grained brown hexagonal kind, though the phcroidal is preferred fer some calibers.
 The recoil of this gun OH level ground Is 26 feet. with the wheels unlocked. With the wheels locked it reeoils five feet, and is run forward and resighted very swiftly It's point blank range is 3, zoe yards 1t eal bemade effective ac a much greater distance, of course, but officers prefer that range for accurate shooting
 It fell to mo some seven years ago to report the first field trial given the WateryIe5 guns Three of them were sent to FcrS Sum Houston at San An : tonic where Light Battery I, Third artillery, was stationed under command of Majer James B. Burbank, q most ca pable officer, now attached to the staff If the governor of New York Major Burbank was instructed to try them out thoroughly and fer this purpose select ed ijn ideal range oil GanaAl ranch, GO miles north of San Antonio.
 The guns were planted in line and 20 feet apart GA the side of green hill and pointed across q shallow valley Gn the opposite hil ,, 200 yards away q tent fly was put ua as q target IL was l5 by feet in dimension and Was stretched on two poles At chat distance it looked like nothing in the world so much as man $ pocket handkerchief Cue shot was fired as range finder, and that shot proved the range was found Then tke work began
 For half an hour these guns pitched shells through or under CT over the tar get, according to the firing directions. with IS much accuracy as q man would aso q Winchester rife at 100 yards Tie work was aone with tie precision of clock. There was the rush of the piece into it's first position. tae qui command e load, the rapid aim ana discharge, the faint scream of the shell the puff of smoke and dull report as 1t struck and the dust rose pp in q pillar
 When 1t was ended we rode across the valley and ID the opposite slope to the spot where the tent fly had stood Bits of 1t lasab9Gt here and there One of the poles was bitten short off For 50 yards below the other pole, for 20 yards on either side of it and for 100 yards above It the earth was net plowed -,it was narrowed An e2t could not have lived on the ground
 It was not difficult to imagine what would have become of an opposing foree Men and horses would have been dead md all guns dismoanted in five minutes after the firing began There could have been no better illustration Of the abso. lutely fatal character of theso pieces It was found that they did not become pnmanageatle through heat. that the breech mechanism displayed no sign of strain, that the receil was not greater than was calculated and that accuracy