The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-01-25
SHOTS THAT REPRESENT 5000
APIECE.
With the Increase of Range in Or
dnance the Cost of Using Big Guns
Vastly Increased.

The use of artillery in the Anglo
l3oer wIr-the most extensive and skill
full, so it S claimed, in any recent con-
test between nations-lends peculiar
interest to the following statistics Of
artillery-fir published in La Nature
paris, December y. The excellence
of the Boer artillery is said to be large
~ due to their use Of French ordnance,
which, especially for shrapnel (Which
was what drove back General Buffers
troops at the Tugela), is now unexcell-
ed. The statistics given in the note are
not only for French, but also for Ger
man (Krupp) guns. Says the author:
THE importance of the range of can
non and artillery combats is now well
proved; the Transvaal war is a new
demonstration of it, the advantage re-
naming generally with the side that
has guns of the longest range.
During the war of 1870 and parti-
Cularly at Sedan, the German artillery
covered us with a hail of shot, our own
shells and balls falling 200 yards short
of the enemy's batteries, and produce
ing no effect.
"Since this time we have made a
great progress, and our new field al.
tillery has reached the maximum of
range for small-caliber guns. Longer
ranges are, of course, reached with
siege guns.
"Thc first rihed cannon of 16 cent?
meters (61a inches) caliber could not
carry further than 5000 yards. In 1870,
Il range of $500 yards was attained. In
1875, by using steel guns, 10000 yards
was reached, and, by increasing the
Caliber 1900 yards was attained. Since
this time, by using new powders and
by frightening the guns the range has
steadily grown
1. r
of Queen Victoria, the English artil-
lerists at Shoeburyness fired a cele-
brated round of shots under the name
of the Jubilee round, which attained a
range of about 10000 yards. The Ger
mans initiated the English and reached
about SO yards further under the same
conditions.
THE French artillery is not behind
hand. 1t has now a cannon of "a cent?
meters Q3h inches) which. firing with
an initial velocity of 900 yards q sec
Ond, can send a projectiln to a distance
of % kilOmeters 13 miles,. A longer
cannon, which is not yet in servic,,
could, it is thought, send its Shell 81
ltilOmeter 04h miles) with an initial
speed of 1,200 yards When this initial
speed shall have been attained with the
"a caliber, the range will reach 80 kilo-
meters-jusr the distance from Dover
to Calais.
1.-THE expenses of making a cannon
and of firing each shot have enormous
ly increased of late. A German mill
tary review has just published inter-
esting figures on this subject There
are on the other side of the Rhine can
non of 40 tons, the most powerful that
the Krupp factory has turned out,
which cost, every time they are fired,
exactly $500 francs 81, 700. The pro-
jectile is worth $3.50 francs ($65O), and
the powder not less than $50 francs
$500.
"The German navy has had recently
d 0-ton gun costing 25O,OOO francs ESQ.,
GOO), which can be fired only 124 times.
Each discharge represents the sum of
900 francs $500.
1.-THE 45-tOn guns can be fired at least
$50 times. At the Essen factories they
can be built for $4,000 francs 1886, 5000.
The price of each shot does not be ex-
coed $500 francs ($500).
Finally. for less powerful arms, the
prices fall 20 S5O,417, and even 1876 francs
(S17O, $S3, and s65) for each shot."-The
Literary Digest.