The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1900-03-31
DEADLY sHARpNEL SHELLS
Awful Effect of Modern War Ma
chinery In the South Afri-
can War.

x
past five years and there have also
been marked advances made in projec-
tiles. The shrapnel which the English
and Beers are using in South Africa
is regarded as ahead of any shrapnel
which has been used in recent war;
fare. Only few years ago 1000 yards
| was deemed the maximum range at
which shrapnel was effective. In South
Africa and at Omdurman the British
shrapnel has been used effectively at
ranges of $500 yards. The shrapneI
shell is an ordinary looking projectile
| filled with a number of small balls.
The majority of field guns of 2.95-inch
caliber use shrapnel containing about
$50 small balls. In the center of the
shell is charge of black powder, and
in the head of the shell time fuse.
This time fuse resembles in its work
ing the combination mechanism of a
safe-door lock. There is a graduated
arc cut to seconds and fractions of
seconds. Now, knowing the distance
away of the enemy and the time re-
quired for the shell to travel that dis
lance, the fuse is cut accordingly; that
is, puncture is made through the walls
of the fuse at the desired number of
seconds. The discharge of the gun ig-
mites, through the medium of percus-
sion arrangement, the illuminate, and
at the expiration of the elapsed time
the fame dashes into the powder cham
Der and the discharge follows. The
effect of the burst is to release the
small balls within. AS the shell had
downward trend, it being near the end
of its fight at the time of the burst,
the small balls are carried onward and
downward. At the same time there is
a slightly scattering effect. In general
the trend of the shrapnel balls, follow
ing burst, is that of cone inverted.
The artillerist endeavors to burst his
shrapnel in the air at a point about
30 yards short of the enemy's posi-
ton. The effect is very much akin to
that of $50 sharpshooters suddenly
opening fire on one head not over 30
yards away. In experiments made with
the shrapnel for the United States field
guns of 3.2-inch caliber it was found
that at a range of 1000 yards the None
of dispersion is about 16 degrees, which
cover circle about % feet in diam
eter at distance of 81 yards. The
number of balls and fragments of the
shrapnel contained within this cone of
dispersion is about 260 for 13.5-pound
and $50 for the 16.5-pound shrapnel.
The shells. used in the United States
field guns are heavier, as rule, than
those employed in Europe. The 1885,
pound American shell contains 200 |
small balls and the 16.5-pound shell 236
balls.
At Omdurman Lord Kitchener's force
opened on the advancing dervishes with |
shrapnel at ranges in excess of 5000 |
yards. The effect of the shrapnel |
bursts along the dervish line, it is re-
ported, was to NOW down Is to 80 men
at each discharge.
The shell as employed in field guns
is used nowadays almost wholly in |
operations against buildings or against
protected positions. Against exposed
bodies of troops or forces of the en-
envy lying behind intrenchments shrap-
mel is brought into play. So impor-
tant is shrapnel considered to-day that
the ammunition supply for many field
batteries in Europe consists of IS per
cent. shrapnel and As per cent. shell
and canister. The high velocities OBJ
tainable by reason of the introduction
OF smokeless powder and the fitting of
recoil mechanism. have yieldedrgreater
ranges for shrapnel. While C,500 yards
is recorded for field guns when using
she'll, range of $500 yards is deemed
maximum for shrapnel from the general
type of field gun. The shrapnel balls
depend on that velocity of the shell
proper remaining just before the burst
for their own velocity, and this re-
naming velocity must be sufficiently
great to afford power to infiict danger
ous wounds upon horses. The least en-
ergy essential is placed at 2S2 foot
pounds. For the average run of small
balls employed, say AZ to the pound,
IN energy of 2s2 foot-pounds is OBJ
'ainable from a remaining velocity of
about STA feet per second. This CORE
spends to a muzzle velocity of 1000
and affords an efficient
shrapnel effect at $500 yards.
The French, however, in their en-
1eavor to increase shrapnel powers
have added to their artillery a number
Of howitzers of 100 millimeter caliber,
designed almost exclusively for shrap-
lel work. These guns are employed
With the small-caliber field pieces. Now
hat the French field artillery is to be
reduced to four guns per battery it is
'urmised that the howitzers will be
in independent organizations.
The British have recently dispatched