The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-30
REDUCED BY BIG CANNON
SOME HEAYR BOMBARDMENTS IND
WHAT CAME or THEM.

Those of Alexandria and Paris the Most
Famous of Modern Times-The Forts
Had to Yield in Both of Them.
In the event of war between Spain
and the United States it is generally
anticipated that the American navy
would proceed to invest Havana and
demand the unconditional surrender of
that CITY, and if necessary, lombard
the Notifications, or even the city it.
self. The most remarkable instances
of bombardment of recent years We're
those of Alexandria and Paris. In
both cases the attack prevailed over
the defense, Notwithstanding that the
Notifications of those cities were i'm
mensely strong.
The contest at Alexandria was short,
but decisive Within ten hours the
British fleet, under Admiral Seymour,
had effectually silenced every gun on
the shore. Ten thousand shell and SOL
i'd shot were poured in on the Egyp-
tians, and a complete evacuation of the
forts was the result. Yet very little
execution was done by this veritable
hail of iron, for the great parapets of
sand, which protected the batteries,
rendered harmless the huge thirteen
inch projectiles, and 1t was only be-
cause of the havoc caused by the frag-
ments of shells which flew around eve
rywhere and accomplished a frightful
slaughter among the adherents of Ara
hi Pasha, joined to a knowledge that
their want of accuracy in aiming left
the fleet practically unframed, that the
defences were relinquished to the Brit
ish admiral AS every one knows, the
guns were mostly all spiked or blown
to pieces by landing party of ma
rines, but outside of the forts them
selves, the destruction was very small.
The presence of friends as well as foes
In the city forbade an extensive shell
ing Of any but the recognized native
quarter, yet sufficient damage was
done by the incendiary shells to start a
fire that destroyed almost the entire
town.
In this engagement the enormous
power of the eighty one-ton guns, the
pro1ectiles Of which weigh over seven
teen hundred pounds, was demonstra-
ted; but it was also made evident that
the quickly thrown up and inexpen-
sive entertainments of sand form an in
vulnerable defence against even these
terrible weapons, and there can be lit
tie doubt that, in the hands of expert
enced gunners, the guns of the harbol
batteries would have given mucf
better account of themselves. 1t Is
even an open question whether the fleet
would not have been repulsed under
such circumstances. Herein lies an ex-
ample and moral which those who op-
pose all proposals to increase the artll-
Iery branch Of our army might wei
ponder, for the success of the ships IN
der Admiral Seymour's command
showed conclusively that it is useless
to expect that the magnificent engines
of modern warfare can be manipulated
even moderately well by men, however
brave and willing, who have not under
gone the long and arduous course Of
training necessary to turn out properly
QUALIFIED gunners.
The bornbardment of Paris, though
1T can hardly be compared with pos
sible attack on Havana, is yet worthy
OF notice as illustrating what measures
can be taken to reduce an unwilling
city to subsection. During the month
Of January, 1871, the Prussian guns lit
orally rained on the Notifications o.
the capital the seemingly Impossible
number of ten thousand shells eacf
day, and of these more than five hun
dred fell on a daily average into thu
CITY proper; the devastation caused BY
the latter in some parts was frlghtful
and the fires in consequence Otter
threatened to ruin whole districts
Many houses and walls were throw
down by the garrison, SO as to leav'
large open spaces where shells coult
do little or no damage, yet many on
who had endured the pangs of hunge
In silence and submitted without com
plant to the severe regulations of tn
commissary-ge general, for the honor ant
sake Of La Belle France" found i
nara TO restrain tcdI cbilu Ahol6Aie]@ioi
when, on returning from the front af
ter a long and hopeless struggle agains
an apparently invincible foe, he coul'
discover nothing save the ruins of hi
former home.
During the civil war there We're man,
furious bombardments, but they wer
principally directed against importan
forts, and in no case were the ports o
cities threatened with destruction. Il
fact, the wonderfully small loss of lif
in all these operations during the mo
mentous struggle of 1876 is worthy o
remark, as showing the completeness
OF the means adopted to protect tn
defenders from the dangerous missiles
Al few years before, however, during
the protracted siege of Sebastopol tn
combined fleets of France and Englan
had demonstrated the power and pos
sibilities of the cannon of the perio
when arrayed in opposition to eve
the most elaborate and scientific sys
TENS of defence. Only the severity o
the climate and the extraordinary in
trepidity of the Russian soldiers ena
bIed them to keep the allies at bay TO
such a long period.
Undoubtedly the most interestin
story of siege and bombardment in tn
annals Of warfare since cannon wer
first invented is that Of the unsuccess
full attempt of Spain to regain in 1T
the fortress of Gibraltar, which Eng
bod +oLop hy storm q faM uaa r