Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-06-03
THE MODERN sHRAPNeL.
How IL differs Radically From the Obsc-
lete Projectiles. ''t

lete Projectiles. ''t
Many suggestions have been made
TO the war department at Washington
for the utilization Of the old smooth
bore twelve-pounder Napoleon guns
that the army still has on hand a.
relics Of former wars. The depart
ment has been severely censured, in
deed, for not using these old guns for
firing shrapnel, and several papers
have gone 80 far as to assert that
shrapnel cannot be used in the modern
riaed cannon. An official who is .
recognized authority on projectiles
aud guns said that these suggestions
md criticisms are founded ON ignor-
ance Of the nature Of the shrapnsi
and che modern riaed gun, as used in
the armies Of all civilized nations.
The old twelve.pounder Napoleon,
said he, Is q smoothbore, obsolete
gun, which was considered antiquated
even in our late war. II bears about
the same relation to the field gun Of
the present day that the old scythe
does to the modern moving machine.
The shrapnel used in the old field gun,
he said, was known in the service IN
''spherical case shot" II consisted
OF . spherical shell filed with bullets.
but these bullets are now assembled
in circular layers, and ore held In
place by separators, which are shors
cast.iron cylinders, with hemisphere
cal cavities, into which tho bullets ut.
These separstors are weakened by
radical cuts, and increase the effect t
the shrapnel by furnishing additional
fragments of effective weight. Tho
total number OF bullets and different
pieces In the modern shrapnel is 2Ol.
As to the range OF the old and mod
ern shrapnel, this official said that the
twelve FOUNDER Napoleon carried Its
old fashioned shrapnel only o tribe
over 1900 yards. The present shrsp-
mel, firing from riAed gun, is effec-
tive at $500 yards. or two and half
times as fur. II could be used much
further than this II clear view OF the
object of 2re could be obtained. The
object against which this projectile 10
to be exploded must be seen clearly
and It's distance calculated to nicely,
30 that the fuse may be properly adjust
ed and timed.
The shrapnel Is called by artillery
experts "the msn.killing projectile."
II has replaced shell in the field
artillery. and is practically the only
projectile used by the modern field
guns OF the armies OF this country aud
Of Europe. 1t Is ten to twenty times
a. destructive a. shell against troops.
In the late war II was used to good
purpose at Malvern Hill and Gettys-
burg, and also by the British In their
Indian aud Egyptian campaigns. The
only objection that can be advanced
against II Is that the range and view
must be accurately determined. When
these are ascertained, the shrapnel
will pulverize any object II Is used
upon.
Sedan" said this official, twas the
greatest artillery battle that hos yet
been fought. Every attempt Of the
French to advance against the German
guns was checked by the shell fire OF
the German batteries at a distance Of
1000 PAGES. The French general,
Douay, declared that the French were
beaten by the artillery Are alone. This
was with shell. The effectiveness Of
shrapnel may be imagined when we
remember that II is at least ten to
twenty times as destructive as shell
under the same conditions. New
York Times.