The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-05
THE MODERN RIFLES.
Shoot Ball That PerfOrates the
Skull Like a GimIet.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
While military skill has been applied since
cur last war to make battle more cruel,
surgical skill has been applied to make it
more humane. Thus we have two forces
working against each other. These facts
must impress every one who visits the
great Army Medical Museum at Washing
ton, New exhibits are constantly being
added to this interesting institution. Their
function is to illustrate the evolution and
development of military surgery in the
world at large.
The most Interesting of the newly re-
ceiVed specimens shows the exact effect
adopted into the army, would have upon a
Spanish Uranium. This wreck of a mans
skull represents the first fatal effects of the
new army small arm upon living human
object. 1 was permitted to examine the
specimen, and counted almost twenty pieces
into which the skull had been broken by
the long, pencil-shaped projectile Had the
head been exploded from the inside by
shell a more complete destruction would not
have been wrought The victim was mil
I.ary convict, who was making his escape
from one of our sentinels at Fort Sheridan
when shot. The range was ninety feet, but
after passing through the mans skull the
diameter and afterward buried itself in the
ground two feet
the new rifle upon the human subject is the
bone from the leg of man accidentally shot
at a range OF only five feet. From this short
distance the proJectlle passed completely
through thick end of the bone, leaving a
clean, round hole, which afterward healed.
After a few months the Inflated victim fell
fractured his skull and died. The wounded
leg was amputated and sent TO the office of
the surgeon general. These two contrasting
specimens would indicate that the deadly
effects of the new rife increase beyond a
very short distance. Before reaching line
OF enemy drawn up at the usual range the
bullet assumes a lateral motion, which, since
the steel-covered lead is long and thin, tears
things to pieces within a wide radius. Inside
of a human head it Stirs up the semi-lqud
matter and produces "A nerfeCt pXOiOSiVn eff
feet.
A war in Cuba between our army and the
Spanish army would be the first great mill
tary contest in which modern small arms
were used on beth sides. In the recent Chill
ian + the snlall-caliber rife was used on
both s.des. but the struggle was not suffi-
GENTLY great to teach ordnance experts
The Spanish infantry is supposed to be
armed with modern rifle with a caliber of
.2I6. while the caliber of our Krag-J orgensen
Is 80. There is very little difference, there
Shoul" neral Miles adopt for the remain
der army not yet supplied with Krag-
J"T IS the straight pull'' small arm
II in our navy, we would have rifles
'eeT caliber than those of the Spanish
!, that of the straight pull' rifle
: was a great deal of argument as to
-th..ency of the small caliber rifle soon
it was introduced into our army and
Wy and into the military organizations of
Ae world. Experiments We're made upon
human skeletons to ascertain the relative
effects of the old and new style calibers
upon soldiers at the usual range of battle.
Occasionally bone showed an almost clean
perforation, and the rash conclusion was
drawn that the new weapons instead of
SCATTERING the bones and tearing the flesh
would leave only puncture wound.
These experiments, however, were made
upon dry bones and have it from mill
tary surgeon that the explosive effect
does not occur when the framework of the
body is dry and not surrounded. In all ex-
periments which have since been made
upon fresh bones and bony cavities filled
with pulp this explosive action was mani
Tested. Since the experiments were made
ones have been made with fresh corpses
bound to upright supports. In some in
to make the effects appear more as they
would were the subjects living.
In war with Spain there would be an
increase in the percentage of wounded over
corresponding figures for other great bat
ties of history. This would result from the
greater penetratiVe power and greater range
of modern projecties. The use of smoke
less powder, furthermore. will enable the
objects of attack TO be unobscurec. find,
however, that there is considerable specula-
ton among the military authorities who
have lately contributed literature on the
subject as to whether there would be an
increase IN the percentage or severely
wounded or fatally wounded in a great war
of modern small arms against modern small
arms Of small caliber
Wounds in a long war with Spain would
be proportionately greater in number than
I'm any other war in history The modern
many bullets in a given time as the old
ones, and the combatants will be under eff
fective fires over ranges of three quarters
of mile.
The new rifle will penetrate a mans skull
at q range of almost q half mile. The bony
walls of the chest will not escape penetra-
ton even then. The soft leaden bullets of
the old rifle would not fracture the skull at
500 yards or even less
Death from bleeding to death upon the
field will probably be more common in the
rext great war with modern small arms.
The new bullet is found to produce that
kind of an opening in a blood vessel which
would be least capable of being closed by
nature. 1t is estimated that in such war
the number of killed will not be far behind
that OF the wounded up to COO yards. AT
range of more than 1.100 yards there will
be more wounded than killed.
The wounded, having once been safely
transported TO the hospital, the chances
there for recovery win be many hundreds
per cent. better than during any of our
wars. so far as surgical skill is concerned.
Antiseptic surgery has developed since the
civil war. AS far as We are concerned, our
medical service, both of the army and navy,
is Of the best. 1t will be a small matter to
put II on a war footing With days notice.