Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-23
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. r1nIuH1u

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natl Enquirer.
one can only deplore this struggle
when brings into play so many human
vices and destroys so many lives. II
causes 10Y to the mons.rous but happl-
ly scarce apologists OF war under the
fsraclous pretext that wars are regen'
eratory. Il plunges into CONSERVATION
ana too often into mourning those VINO
do not think men were created 10 deles'
and destroy one another.
Each people seeks 90 do better than
its relghbor Il is a constant tendency
regular game with a record to beat;
In 1866 the Germans held the record
with the needle gun, but this RECORD
has often been beaten since. In lSiV
they held the record for superiority IN
numbers, thanks to which France was
suddenly invaded
In the days Of Napoleon victory was
largely matter Of speed so II may De
said that the great captain won his bat
ties with his soldiers legs. Today, when
railways have made the concentration
OF troops rapid and easy. the god OF bat
ties does not favor as much as az lhe
beginning Of the century those VINO ar,
rive first on the field OF action. Ana
this because a new factor has made us
appearance-the rapidly, precision ana
efflcaclousness Of fire.
HOW VICTORIES WERE WON.
The victors Of Austerlitz, Jena and
Wagram were only armed with rudI-
mentary flint guns and smooth bofes
OF which took only a round leaden bull
let. carrying from 60 to so meters. Ana,
even then, rain had only TO fall during
the battle 10 silence their weapons,
since. II the powder IN the pans was wet
IL would not light by The spark from
the flint. As for the cannon, they dis
charged solid shot and bombs, but not
20 any great distance
After 100 years nearly oil the condi-
lions which govern the art Of war are
changed. Hand-to-hand fighting Is
mere accident; engagements begin al
distance Of several kllometers, and with
weapons so perfect that the two sides
hit without seeing each other, and gen.
orally produce wounds sufficient to stop
q mans advance and put him hors de
combat without seriously endangering
his life.
For the last twenty years ballistics
have progressed continuously and fire.
arms have undergone, and are continu-
ally undergoing, fresh Improvements.
The modern weapon, at once more COM
pllcated In its structure and more SIM
pie In its use, has the enormous ad-
vantage over the old Of a more power
full FIRE and perforation, more simple,
more sure and more rapid, which re-
quires Of the shooters minimum Of in
struction and effort.
Projectiles have been fitted with a
metal casing which enables them 10 be
made longer. The use OF smokeless
powders OF great explosive power has
extended. Lastly, as a consequence Of
recent researches II has been possible
10 reduce the caliber Of weapons, thus
reducing the weight Of the rifle and
projectlles TO a minimum, and conse-
quently enabling each marksman to
carry larger number Of cartridges.
GOOD LONG RANGE WORK.
II is sufficient now 10 shoot In front
Of one 10 be a practically useful marks
man. As far back as at Saint Priyat
In 1870 men were shot at 1000 meters
and in 1878, at Plevna, the Turks,
though very inexperienced, opened fire
ri distances of $500 and 1000 meters.
At the present time 1900 meters Is no
longer @ great distance. but normal
firing distance. especially In defense.
The perforating power is such that Ii Is
far beyond 1000 meters.
AT a distance OF 1000 meters an smm.
bullet has still enough force TO pass
through front rank man and wound
the man In his rear when troops are
drawn up two deep. AT the average
lighting distance two or three men may
be wounded by the same bullet at that
short distance. without saying anything
Of the greater thickness now given 10
works Of fertilization on the battle
field. a. single projectile would have
Iofse enough to 60 through four, five or
six men. Thus, In Dahomey, It was OBJ
served that bullet. after penetrating
o tree forty-five centimeters In thick
ness. still went through five men.
These are astonishing facts which
will not be seen in reality as often as
some people say. For this TO be the
case II would be necessary not only that
the bullet should undergo no deviation,
after having passed through the first
oUsiacle thing which always hap
pens at least after the second, but also
mat It's point should not be delormed.
Now Lagarde's experiments have
proved that this happens in half the
number OF shots.
IN THE BULLETS WAKE.
II is seen nowadays that the wounded
are more numerous, but the killed much
fewer A supreme consolation lies In
the fact that the wounded not only re-
.eive less serious wounds, but they are
with such immediate care
that they more frequently recover
their health. As a last analysis the
wounded though they are more numer-
BUS. show lower mortality.
With the ballistic power OF modern
men are hit at great distances.
Under these conditions the bullet only
passes through the tissues without
tearing them, OF peyforates the bones
without producing real sequestrum,
And the dressing to be done is much
more simple. Ii Is sufficient 10 place
AZ the oriAces caused by the ingress
and egress Of the bullet pads OF asep-
tic or antiseptic guaze kept in place by
4 bandage TO see the wound become
,icatrized. II the wounded man shows
a little fever on the evening of his
wound the dressing Is taken of and
The passage made by the bullet
syringed with antiseptics to drive out
the foreign bodies which cause the
fever.
What happened OF old? Many SOL
diers succumbed TO slight wounds, car
ried off by complications which Il was
not known how to foresee or prevent.
II is very little thing not to touch
the wound, but simply cover II with
stuff from which all the germs have
been removed. And II the wound is
infected either by earth OF by frag-
ments Of clothes, or from any other
cause, the use OF sterilized probes TO
sound the flesh, or asceptic blstouries
TO open II II necessary, and Of antisep-
Tic liquids suiiices 10 put matters right
and 70 keep the wounded man from the
Danger Of putrid infection, which used
10 make so many victims.
OPERATIONS LESS PAINFUL.
supposing that II Is a question OF the
SCATTERING Of the knee by the bursting
81 q shell. or the comminutlve fracture
OF thigh, the present progress OF
surgery gives the patient more chances
of recovery than Of death. Formerly
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