New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-25
EFFECT OF RIFLE BALLS.
,,r,v, AT SANTIAGO HAS GIVEN THE
ri'~.o>-c yArr,ARIE INFORMATION

STA
r,e,d Hospital list Regiment. New-York VOL
..,sers near Santiago DC Cuba, July '-ine
W.. aovs. hghting about Santiago has given tie
snrreons large amount of data about the ei-
oct of the modern rife balls on the hurna"
-. There had been experiments with dead
,a,oe hut OF course these were valuable only
=, nar, While they showed the penetrating
,over they had no bearing on more iiNpo'
,or, phase. the disability produced ana 'he
ouckness OF recovery
CAPTAIN II. Eugene Stafford, assistant surseo"
=, the list Regiment. had good opportunity 10
s,udv the wounds made by the various guns IN
use on July and q On the morning OF 'he
n srst days battle he dressed number OF wounds
& along the road. That afternoon. night ana the
-ov, aav he was engaged at the hospital OF the
first Division He wore out several corps or
VI assistants in succession. In all ne attenoeo 10
= about two hundred and Fifty cases
These OF course. embraced wounds OF oil
s,ras Some were made by pieces OF shell. APP
rerently few were from the shrapnel itself
Witch lines the casing Of steel Then there
were Of course the wounds from the small
calibre Mausers and a less number from the So
called explosive brass bullets. Furthermore he
cared for some wounded Spaniards. and thus
could see how the Krag-Jorgensen did Its work
There were no bayonet thrusts. Speaking to
b correspondent OF The Tribune to-day he said:
THE EXPLOSIVE BULLET.
what Is known as the explosive bullet is
not really so-that Is, there is no charge In the
bullet itself But 1t was so made that 1t mush-
rooms very readily. 1t is fired from an old type
OF rife Of 43-ca!bre. The bullet is Of lead. COW
cred with brass. 1t tears a horrible hole. More
over. the shock is terrific. 1t often goes clear
through the body and skaters the bones 1t
ov,lx-
going in After that is when It's work gets
most terrible. Sometimes II is made more de-
structve by chewing the cap
Captain Stafford showed cartridge which had
heen picked I'D on the field Of battle. Marks OF
teeth were plain In the brass covering. This
spreads out when 1t enters the body and cuts
tagged way through. sometimes driving masses
OF blood bone and muscle out with 1t on the
other side.
mo explosion is produced by the Mauser
ball" Captain Stafford said. although there are
reports to the contrary. 1t Is supposed at GER
tain distances. like the Krag -Jorgensen. to have
an explosive effect. Occasionally the Mauser
seems to turn over IN its course. Then the eff
feet is bad as the bullet is long and thin The
wounds however, are mostly clear cut There
is little shock unless the vscera or chest are
struck There is little pain as compared win
the wounds from Remingtons and larger bull
let's The bleeding also is not so great as IN ths
old wounds.
WOUNDS HEAL RAPIDLY.
THE bullets inflicted what might seem to be
fatal wounds. yet patients are on the RAPID
road TO recovery. Some Of them entered the
mouth and came out in different places behino
and under the ear and through the neck WIN
out doing vital damage. One went from CHEEK
TO cheek breaking both jawbones. but was no.
fatal One man shot just above the LEI
eve apparently while lying down and aiming
b his gun The bullet passed through the eye
down and out Of the left shoulder. had to cut
ont the eve but the man will get well. We can
not vet tell what the poisonous effect OF the bull
lets will be- but expect that 1t will be slight
Small wounds have healed with wonderful ra-
pidity.
From my experience with the Spaniards
W m 1 attended. found that the Krag-Jorgen-
sen II had similar effect to the Mauser. 1t is
ola little larger cabre that was about the
only difference. l wounds made by the
Springfield rifles used by the New-York and
Massachusetts, Volunteers
Captain Stafford noted the fact. already re-
ferred TO in these letters. that the wounded
men bore themselves with remarkable fortitude
The comparatively painless nature OF the Mau
ser-bullet wounds only in part accounted foi
this Spaniards whom he operated on or ban
daged I'D gave vastly more signs Of pain than
the Americans who were hurt as badly. The
difference could only be accounted for by the
SUPERIOR stuff of which the American soldier
Is made.
SURGEONS EXPOSED TO DANGER.
The surgeons who at work near the FIR
ing line were exposed to great danger, and sc
were the litter-beare Usually all that was
done there was 10 plug the wound with antisep-
II IN
70 the division hospital far in the rear for more
complete treatment.
CAPTAIN Stafford and his litter bearers made
numerous trips forward and backward, and were
fred on repeatedly. They knew the shots were
for them. they came so near; besides there was
nobody else near most Of the time.
At one time II was reported that Captain Stat
"a ford had been killed. II came about In this
way: He was dressing the left Of sol
der who had been shot from tree. He was
wrapping up the arm at the elbow when shell
Of shrapnel exploded near by, and piece. pass
ing between the surgeon and soldier hit the
latter Just a few inches below his first wound
cutting away some Of the flesh. The fragmen
kicked I'D such a dust that to those near by 4
seemed as If Captain Stafford was certainl,
badly wounded. IL not killed. But he was no
even touched The private at first thought ina
the doctor had hurt him in dressing his wound
Not until he had gazed for some time on hi
second hurt could he believe that he had mac
another narrow escape.
CHAPLAIN HELPS THE WOUNDED.
Chaplain Van De Water Of the list. wa
conspicuous on the road. helping the WOUNDED
as he could. An officer came limping along ant
grimacing Ike schoolboy who was Dein
whipped but determined not TO cry. DR.
Van De Water lent him his horse at once an
walked W @ srassing station with him Their