The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-15
THE CHANCES OF WAR.
1000 to 1 Against Being Killed on
the Battlefield.
From the London Mail.


1t is certainly a crumb of comfort to
a man about to fight for his country to
know that in battle not more than one
in every 1000 projectiles of all descrip-
tions and weight takes effect.
Competent authorities state that on
the average 1t takes ton of shot to
kill one man. For instance, it has been
estimated that in the Crimean war the
British and French troops fired be-
tween them the enormous amount of
45,000,000 projectiles, resulting in the
death of only $1,000 Russians, while on
their side the Czar's adherentS killed
some $4,000 of the allies with an eX-
penditure of over O0OO 900 projectiles
this representing a death for every
1,0S7 shots fired.
The American civil war returns
which We're got out with great care
showed that the loss to both the FEEDER
ais and COnfederates was about per
cent. of the forces engaged to bring
about which involved the expo ndture
of nearly twenty-five hundredweight
of ammunition per man.
At the siege of Mezieres. in the
Franco-German war, the Prussians
threw no fewer than 1917 900 projectiles
into the Inflated town, but, strange to
say less than 400 persons were killed
uy them. Then at Trouville, two per-
sons only were killed after some 81, 900
odd shells had been discharged. At
Sedan however the aim of both the
Germans and the French showed
marked Improvement, for after 100000
projectiles had been fired nearly 5000
For the Spanish American war the
returns showed a tremendous amount
of shot and shell fired for very meagre
results. OF course in this case, al
though the mortality was not great,
the damage to earthworks fOrtifca-
tions and government buildings gem
orally was enormous and there can be
little doubt that if the Spaniards had
not made themselves scarce the death
roll would have been appalling.
Again, when the American marines
landed at Santiago, during a fusilade
upon the enemy lasting two nights,
the machine guns and rifles alone ac-
counted for the consumption of over
$4,000 rounds of ammunition. Sixty
eight dead Spaniards were found as a
result of this enormous expenditure Of
ammunition.
Our own experience in our little
wars" has been very little, If any,
better than the results just recorded.
Take, for instance, the Chartered COM
pany's expedition into Matabeleland.
every one will remember how the war
riOrs of Lobengula We're 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 cart.
ridges expended. but this is accounted
for by the fact that on examination
some of the dead bodies contained more
that fifty bullets in each. On another
occasion, at an attack on n laager some
twenty miles south of Buluwayo, $4,000
round of ammunition were disposed of,
with a result of 346 dead Matabele.
Military authorities now regard ra-
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
hicted on the enemy's lower extreme
ties, statistics showing that on the av-
erage As per cent. of wounds occur in
the legs 3S per cent, in the abdomen,
q per cent in the arms and chest and
only per cent in the head,
1t will be interesting to learn how
many Boer bullets 1t taKes to kill ;
British soldier, and vice versa, If only
for the sake of really ascertaining
whether the Transvaal burghers' abili-
ties as crack shots have not been con-
siderably overrated.