The San Francisco call., 1899-08-02
THE DUMDUM BULLET.

n CCORDING to reports given in British papers
I ! Of the results of experiments made with dunn
dunn bullets and other missiles of the kind, the
controversy over their in civilized warfare is pre-
mature The tests have proven that such bullets OF
the kind as have been submitted to the British Gov
ernment any rate unavailable for use by reason
of danger to the users
The object aimed at by the inventors is the con-
sruction OF bullet sufficiently small be used in
rapid-fring rifles but Of sufficient destructiveness
render an enemy struck by one OF them incapable OF
further fighting.
The bullet used by the Springfield rife of the pat
tern Of 1873 was about half an inch in diameter and
weighed 600 grains. When that bullet struck bone
the bone was shattered and struck in any vital
part by it was too seriously wounded if not killed out
right to do any further fighting for the rest OF the
campaign To gain an increase of velocity and carry
ing force and to enable the soldier carry with him
larger number OF bullets, the missiles OF recently
devised rifles have been reduced in size until that
of the Krag Jorgensen rifle OF 1893 has caiber OF but
20 of an inch and weighs but I56 grains. 1t is
claimed that this bullet while effective enough against
civilized of highly strung nervous organization,
is of little avail against savages
To make the small missile deadly the big one
used to be- the dundum and other bullets of the kind
were invented They are small, but have at the end
OF them portion of lead which is uncased The lead
spreads when it strikes the body, and a conse-
quence makes big wound; and il it strikes bone
skaters it. It is therefore expansive, but not
explosive bullet, and according to its advocates is
more barbarous than the bullets used during the
American Civil War and throughout the world at that
period.
The opponents of the dumdum assert, however, that
tests prove the bullet be worse than its inventors
designed to be- and the recent experiments in Great
Britain appear to fully justify the assertion The e-
perinents were made first with cartridge known to
the British War Office as MARK w" It was found
to be utterly valueless According to the Manchester
Guardian, it sp1intered in the rifle and clogged the
bore. The primers sometimes exploded backward.
1t is conceded the dumdum is an Improvement on
the Mark W. cartridge, but even that is wholly
satisfactory Speaking of experiments made with it.,
the Guardian says:
Experiments made with an OK, which proved
that the bullet with its soft rounded tip invariably e-
pands during its passage through body. 1t leaves
behind it bits of lead and fragments of its envelope
and the hole of exit from inch to inch
and half in diameter with Jagged edges. Muscles
tensivey splintered. For this precious missile we
have sacrificed our good name at home and abroad,
and it is humiliatng reflect that if in its improved
form it be abandoned it will not be because it is
an inhuman but because it is dangerous bullet The
lead that expands in wound will also expand in a
rife barrel and leave there of the spnters which
were intended for the enemy
On such showing it is clear the Mark w will not
be favored by the firing line of any army Improve
ments may make it safe after time but until such
Improvements have been made the controversy over
the dumdum and the Mark " will remain purely
academic discussion