The Afro-American advance. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1899-19??, 1899-12-09
CHANCES OF DEATH In Wan
Soldiers Have n Thousand T,m....
Best of the Death-DeaI-
Ing Ballet


As is well known, the soldier rist :.
death in battle is not nearly as ~.
as of finding a grave as the result ..
disease. The most competent aptbori
ties state that on the average it tala.
ton of shot to kill one man..For =
stane, it has been estimated thar !.
the Crimean war the British and
French troops fired between them In
enormous amount of $4,000, 600 PROBES
tiles, resulting in the death of ops
81 600 Russians, while on their side III.
cars adherents killed some 49, 900 q,
the allies with an expenditure of owe,
$4,000, 900 projectiles, this Representing
death for every LOST shots fired.
The American civil war returns
which were got out with very great
care, showed that the loss of both the
| federals and confederates was about
seven per cent. of the forces engaged.
to bring about which involved the ex.
penditure of nearly twenty-five hun.
dredweight of ammunition per man.
At the siege of Mezieres, in the Fran.
co-German war, the Prussians threw no
fewer than 1000 projectiles into the
Inflated town, but, strange to say. less
than 400 people were killed by them.
| Then, at Trouville, two people only
were killed after some 27,00o odd shells
had been discharged. At Sedan, how.
ever, the aim of both the Germans and
the French showed a marked improve.
ment, for after 900 projectiles had
been fired nearly 1900 French and Prus
SLAMS were killed.
For the Spanish-American war tn,
returns showed a tremendous amount
of shot and shell fired for very meagel
results. OF course, in this case, al
though the mortality was not great
the damage to earthworks, fortified
tions and government buildings wal
enormous, and there can be little doub
that if the Spaniards had not mad,
themselves scarce the death roll woult
have been appalling.
| Again, when the American marine,
landed at Santiago, during a fusillad.
upon the enemy lasting two nights, th.
machine guns and rifles alone account
ed for the consumption of over $500
rounds of ammunition. Sixty-egbt
dead Spaniards were found as a result
of this enormous expenditure of an.
munition.
| Great Britain's experience in recen,
wars has been very little if any better
than the results just recorded. Take
for instance, the Chartered company's
expedition into Matabeleland. Every.
one will remember how the warriors Of
| Lobengula were moved down by the
Maxim guns like skittles, but even in
this instance, which perhaps is the most
effective on record, as the imp ad.
vanced on the British lines in solid
masses, ii would have puzzled a blind
man to have missed shooting some
of them. The mortality was very small.
considering the vast number of car.
tridges expended, but this is account.
ed for by the fact that on examna.
ton some of the dead bodies contained
more than so bullets each. On another
occasion, at an attack on a laagar some
20 miles south of Buluwayo. 1900
rounds of ammunition were disposed o.
with result of BAG dead Matabele.
Military authorities now regard "a.
pidity of fire as being more essential
than range and precision and content
themselves with giving general orders
TO aim low, and this perhaps accounts
for the fact that most wounds are in.
flicted on the enemy's lower eNtrcmi.
ties. statistics showing that on tlea7.
erage As per cent. of wounds occur in
the legs, 80 per cent. in the abdomen,
81 per cent. in the arms and chrs, ard
only one per cent. in the head-th.
cago Chronicle.
I