Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-23

WITH an exceedingly narQ point. Its OBJ
ject, rs its name implies, is to penetrate
the arnor-plate of an ironclad and
then to burst; hence it can always be
recognized in pictures by its having n
sharp point instead of flattened nose.
The bursting charge is comparatively
small, and these shot are provided with
fuse in the base.
Common shell are merely travelling
mines. fired from gun and made to
contain as large n bursting charge as
possible consistent with sufficient
strength to avoid breaking up in the
bore Of the gun after firing. They are
therefore merely hollow skins of east
steel filled with either cordite, powder
or lyddite. They are flat-nosed, and
have two varieties of fuses, either time
or percussion; that is, shell can be
timed to explode practically when de-
sired, the velocity being known, or it
may be made to explode against shelter
trenches, ETC., by impact.
Shrapnel, invented by Gen. Shrnpnel.
and first used ut the battle of yimiero,
consists Of thin iron case filled with
bullets set in resin. The bursting charge
is contained in tin at the base, to-
gether with the fuse, while the head
and nose of the projectile are strength
ened to make 1t capable Of being rough
ly handled. 1t is especially man-kill-
ing missile, the case flying off at
range Of 1000 yards, while the bullets
search out an area of about 100 yards
at that range. With the exception of
few common shell and fewer cases.
all European horse and field artillery
corps are mainly provided with shrap
mel. Modern tactics lay down as an
axiom that sooner or later troops must
advance in the open, and hence pro.
jectile like sllrapnel is most useful.
Against shelter trenches It is. however,
of little use, and artillery firing it are
outranged by an enemy firing common
she'll, for the reason that it breaks up
at 1000 yards, while common shell does
not. To sum up, against an enemy who
plays the game" shrapnel is "facile
princeps," but against one who does
not it is distinctly Mt a disadvantage.
Case shot are simply flat-headed cyl
inders of thin iron, filled with bullets,
and this missile is never used save In
the direct emergencies. The horses Of
the battery are all down, and the per-
sonnet, with orders to delay the enemy
at all costs, see that they must die
vhere they stand. They load with case,
and at n few hundred yards range dis
change their stream of bullets into the
midst of the advancing savages. Crhe
word savage is used avisedly, as
against modern troops armed with the
small-bore even this resort is not prac-
ticable-as witness the artillery loss at
the Tugela battle.
In heaps of shell it will be noticed
that their bases have ropes twisted
round them. This Is for the purpose
of protecting the safe copper gas-check
from any risk of injury during transit,
and is removed when the shells arrive
at the magazine. Filling shell, although
apparently delicate operation, is by
reason of the precaution taken, n safe
one; for the interior Of the projectile is
lacquered to prevent friction, while in
the larger ones the charge is inserted
in bags.
The United States Department used
dynamite for filling shell with, and, al
though it might be thought liable to
explode in the bore of the gun, this is
not SO. One point must be steadily
borne In mind when artillery fire is
botDO discussed md that 10 thot its
effect is fur more moral than a ply
sical one. The noise, and the sudden
collapse of twenty, or even more, men
cause more disturbance of the soldiers
mind than double the loss by rifle fire
Wounds from shells form very small
total in modern warfare. but, none the
less. the presence or absence of III
overwhelming strength In guns decides
the fortune of battle to-day,