The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-27
AUTOMOBILE IN WARFARE.
THE AUTO-CANNON CARRIAGE on
THE FIELD OF BATTLE.


Trip TO Washington an "A Gun Car
ringe-The New Machine Will BE
an Important Factor In the Future
in the Handling of MODS and Riots
by a Few Trained Men-An Electric
Emergency Wagon, in Reality a
Ladder Truck for Use in Fire De-
partments.
Washington. Aug. 25.-And now the auto
mobile has become an engine of war on
Sept. Is a company of cadets in command
of Maj. R. F. Davidson of the Northwest
ern Military Academy near Chicago viii
set out for a thousand-mile trip to Wash
ington with an automobile cannon car
riage. carrying a colt automatic gun. This
gun has just been completed by the Dur
yeas of Peoria, III. 1t win be propelled by
six-horsepower gasoline motor and it
weighs about 1000 pounds. The cost will
he something like 81 800. It will have three
rubber-tired wheels, two behind and one
in front, with seats over the rear axle for
four gunners side bars being provided as
on gun caisson, TO which the men may
cling when the cannon carriage is driven
into action. The gun is carried on a TRAN
gular frame in front of the seat with
muzzie pointing forward, SO that the gun
rers may operate it with the carriage go
ing thirty miles an hour. The body-work
Of this vehicle has already been thoroughly
tested SO that neither Maj. Davidson nor
the manufacturers have the least doubt
that it win make the trip to Washington
and draw up before the war department
8,
good condition as It was when the compa-
ny started.
Mai. Davidson. who is superintendent of
the Northwestern Military Academy near
Fort Sheridan, has already made himself
known in military circles for his daring
experiments with the bicycle for military
eVolutions. so that his experiment with the
automobile for possible use in the artillery
will be looked upon with great interest.
The equipment of the gun on the eXpedi-
ton to Washington viii include everything
necessary to take it into battle. 1t will
have beside 200 rounds of ammunition all
of the necessary tools for repairing break
downs, some duplicate parts where weak
ness is suspected, and a supply of gasoline
sufficient to carry it for several days. Be
sides this, the manufacturers have devised
an apparatus for pulling the carriage out
of bitches and over entertainments. 1t con-
sists of a light but strong windlass and
expect to have any especial use for II on
goods roads, 1t is an adjunct which will be
invaluable in battle.
The advantages which piece of artil-
lery of this nature offer to a military
force are extraordinary. 1t is capable of
travelling thirty-five miles an hour, where
as horses are doing well to cover ten
miles an hour, and having Travelled at
this rate for two hours, they are worth
less for further work. Think of the ad-
vantage in initiative which such a fighting
machine would have 1t could advance
with hardly less swiftness and force than
a cannon ball itself, make a sudden spir-
tied attack and turn and be out of the
way before the guns of the enemy could
be brought to bear. There would be no
horses to stumble or be wounded and
owing to its compactness and small size 1t
would furnish a poor target even for ex-
pert rifemen. Neither would there ever
be any loss of time in getting into position
for firing. The ordinary modern gun must
be detached from the horses which draw
It, turned about by the men who have
followed in the lmbers, and then pre-
pare for action. The automobile gun has
its muzZle always toward the enemy, and
1t is ready for action even while the
wheels are still in motion.
While Maj. Davidson believes that
his new machine will be of
the greatest importance for actual
military operations in the field where the
country is rough, he suggests that it's most
evident use will be in the subsection of
mobs and riots where it can be brought
| speedily to the scene by small number
of trained men. The cost of the gun and
carriage being only 81 800 will make it
| available for any municipality, or indeed,
for any metropolitan police force for use
at such time and place as necessity may
dictate. The object of Maj. Davidsons
| trip is not only the testing of the gun
! carriage as an engine of war, but to fur
| nish experience in the field for some of
| the cadets who attend the Northwestern
! Military Academy
For Municipal Uses.
| While this development is wonderful
| enough in itself, it is only one of many
! Indeed, so rapid Is the advance of the au-
tomobIle for all manner of uses that 1t is
! difficult TO follow its newest wonders. Just
| recently one of the foremost eastern man
ufacturers has built what he calls an cleo
trio emergency Nagon-in reality. a ladder
truck for use in fire departments Ii some
what resembles an ordinary police patrol
wagon. 1t carries ladders which can be
erected at moments notice, and porta-
bic fire eXtingushers, lanterns axes, and
| other iremen's implements. When an
| alarm rings in 1t can be loaded with fire
| men and reach the seat of the fire long
| before the engines or the heavier hose
J. Gal - nave tiAiS 10 Stt tlltI6s 50 lndt II tDG
| blaze is small it can be eXtinguished with
| hand eXtinguishers before it gets any head
way. In any event, this pioneer crew will
! have the doors open and everything in
| readiness fer the coming of the eng mes.
Another manufactures is preparing TO
! build an automobile compressed air fire
! engine which he claims viii have great ad-
| vantages over the present horse-Dropelled
! engines 1t will have the advantage of do
| ing away with the cumbersome boilers
and it will be much less DANGEROUS in a
| crowded city street than four galloplng
| horses, for it can be controlled almost IN
stantly by a mere twist of a lever. Ii ne
! cessary it can make a speed of thirty miles
! an hour. "A compressed air engine would
cost no more than an ordinary fire engine
and all Of the men now employed for car
! Ing for horses could be dispensed with A
! close estimate of the comparative COSTS of
| horse and compressed air fire engines. of
| the kind shown in the picture, for a city
| the size of Newark, N. j., show that the
SAVING ha Of h.. ,, l.,