The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-17
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune.
Camp Mackenzie, Augusta, Ga, Jan.
16.-Lieutenant w. w. 1nglis. OF GEN
eral Gobin's staff, has received a tele-
gram announcing the death of Captain
A. Wilson Norris, the adjutant general
of the Third brigade, at his home in
Harrisburg, Pa, yesterday evening at
o'clock.
The news was received with the
profoundest sorrow, especially by the
Pennsylvania troops, with whom cap
tain Norris had been associated Tor
many years and by whom he was un-
iversally liked. Captain Norris left
here last Thursday evening to be pre-
sent at the inauguration services or
Lieutenant Governor Goblin. and was
then not only in the prime of life, but
in the enjoyment Of what seemed to be
perfect physical health.
He was taken sick yesterday after
noon at 4 o'clock and three hours later
passed away, the symptoms being
those of heart failure.
Lieutenant NJ. p. Moore, of the Third
brigade staff; Captain Hobenstein, OF
Company D, Eighth Pennsylvania; Ma
1or Walter Wood, of the First battal-
ion, Thirteenth Pennsylvania, and COL
onel Golzian. Fifteenth Minnesota, rep
resentng their respective commands,
left here this afternoon for Harrisburg
70 pay their last tribute to the mem
ory of the departed. Elegant floral Of
ferings have been ordered from here by
the comrades and admirers of the de-
ceased officer.
Captain Berry, adjutant general of
the First brigade, made a formal call
at Third brigade headquarters this
morning and expressed his coincidence
and as mark of respect the flags Of
both brigades will remain at half mast
for several days.
Captain Norris entered the volunteer
service as a lieutenant in the Eighth
Pennsylvania and on the appointment
of General Goblin as the brigade COM
mander, he selected his faVoritc officer
for the position of adjutant general.
The deceased was a prominent attor-
ney and took a conspicuous part in
politics. Lieutenant W. W. Inglis is
now acting adjutant general. The field
manoeuVers of the division will be held
tomorrow on these grounds at 10
o'clock. Major General Sumner will
be in command.
Nothing that has happened since
they came into the volunteer service,
has aroused so much enthusiasm among
the boys as the new rifle. So complete
is the change, and so radical is the diff
ference between it and the old weapon,
that it eXcites the most lively interest,
and promises to absorb the earnest at
tention of all for some time to come.
From present indications, it will be
more than a nine-day's wonder; and
the greatest emulation exists as to
who will understand the new weapon
the most thoroughly and be able to
handle it with the highest degree of
accuracy and efficiency.
The new rifle is quite innocent in
appearance; it is, in fact, attractive,
but the power behind it is amazing. 1t
has to be seen and examined, in order
to be rightly understood and appre-
ciated. An inexperienced observer
might think it the most modest and
the most simple Of small arms, but, in
these respects, it is quite deceptive.
The new rifle is not what is strictly
known as a Krag-Jorgenson, but a
combination of and an improvement
upon, both the Krag- g-JorGensen and
the Mauser. 1t is more correctly called
the United States Magazine Rifle" of
the 1898 model and manufactured at
the Springfield arsenal Springfield,
Mass.
Perhaps the new rifle will best be un-
derstood by comparing or rather con-
trasting il with the Springfield with
which, not only all eX-members of the
National Guard, but most OF the read
rrs of the Tribune in and around
Scranton are quite familiar. The old
one weighed eight pounds without the
bayonet, anC nine and one-half
pounds with the bayonet, and was four
feet in length without the bayOnet and
five feet, three inches, with the bayonet.
and was composed Of 105 parts; the
new rife has TO it only 90 parts weighs
without the bayOnet 9.1S7 pounds and
1914 pounds with the bayonet, is As. 8
inches without the bayonet, and 60 I
inches with the bayonet. The former
was of the 1878 model, and the trigger
pulled at a pressure Of seven pounds.
the latter is of the 1898 model and fires
with pressure ranging between three
and six and one-half pounds With
the Springfield, the bullet, at the
mouth of the rifle, travelled at the rate
of Vlt feet per second. and at the
rate ~ 1000 feet per second with the
mag kihe rifle.
At n distance of 100 yards a bullet
from the former would strike an object
with force of 1926 pounds, and from
the latter with a force OF 1853; and at
distance of 1000 yards the bullets
from the respective arms would strike
with force OF 562 and 337 pounds. This
difference in favor of the Springfield
results from the facts that its bullet
is SO much the heavier In the old rifle
the pressure OF the powder in the
chamberwas 25, 600 pounds, to the square
inch; in the new, 1t is 3S 900 pounds on
an equal space. At 800 yards a bullet
from the old rife would have drifted
l1.5 inches off the mark, but in the
new 1t will drift only 81 inches: al
a distance of 1000 yards the respective
drifts are 1872 inches and "a incnes
This great difference in favor OF the
magazine rifle is due to the tremendous
force with which 1t propels the bullet
thereby allowing very little opportun-
tty for the death dealing missiye 10
deviate from the point aimed at.
IL may be generally stated that, with
the new rife, the number of places at
which a person, in front of it and