Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-17
CHANCES OF DEATH IN RATTLE.
Soldiers Have n Thousand Times the
ncst of the Fatal nuIlct.

Soldiers Have n Thousand Times the
Best of the Fatal Buliet.
AS is we'll known. the soldiers risk OF
death In battle is not nearly so great as OF
finding a grave as the result Of disease. The
most competent authority, says the Chicago
Chronicle, states than on the average 1t
takes ton OF shot to kill one man. For In
stance. IL has been estimated that in the
Crimean war the British and French troops
fired between them the enormous amount
OF $4,000, 900 projectiles, resulting in the
death of only 81 900 Russians, while on their
side the cars adherents killed some $4,000
OF the allies with an expenditure of over
5O,00o,ooo projectiles. this representing a
death for every 1,0S7 shots fired.
The American civil war returns, which
were got out with very great care, showed
that the loss Of both federals and confed-
crates was about per cent of the forces
engaged. to bring about which involved the
expenditure of nearly twenty-five hundred
weight OF ammunition per man.
At the siege Of Mezieres, in the Franco
German war, the Prussians threw no fewer
than 10000 projectiles into the ill-fated
town, but, strange to say, less than 400 peo-
pie were killed by them. Then, at Trouville,
two people only were killed after some
$1,000 odd shells had been discharged. At
Sedan. however. the aim OF both the Ger
mans and the French showed marked i'm
provement, for after 100000 projectiles had
been fired nearly 1900 French and Prussians
were killed.
For the Spanish American war the returns
showed a tremendous amount of shot and
shell fired for very meager results. OF course,
in this case, although the mortality was not
great, the damage to earthworks, fortifica-
tion and government buildings was enormous
and there can be little doubt that II the
Spaniards had not made themselves scarce
the death roll would have been appalling.
Again, when the American marines landed
at Santiago, during fusllade upon the en-
emy lasting two nights, the machine guns
and rifles alone accounted for the consump-
ton OF over $4,000 rounds of ammunition.
Sixty-eight dead Spaniards were found as a
result of this enormous expenditure of am.
munition.
Great Britain's experience in recent wars
has been very little if any better than the
results just recorded. Take, for instance
the Chartered company's expedition into
Matabeleland. Everyone 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 impi advanced on
the British lines in solid masses, it would
have puzzled blind man to have missed
shooting some of them. The mortality was
very small considering the vast number of
cartridges expended, but this is accounted
for by the fact that on examination some of
the dead bodies contained more than fifty
bullets each. On another occasion, at an
attack on laager some twenty miles south
of Buluwayo, $4,000 rounds of ammunition
were disposed Of with result OF 346 dead
Matabele.
Military authorities now regard rapidity
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 inflicted on the elemy's lower
extremities, statistics showing that on the
average 45 per cent of wounds occur In the
legs, SO per cent in the abdomen, 21 per cent
in the arms and chest and only 1 per cent
in the head.