The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15

dlOuS tHf SIOuul. anu LutSt dlbIt dit l'hN
ly to do any harm. But their velocity il
very speedily reduced by the great resist
ance of the air, and unless there are a
number Of men within say, ten yards OF
the place of burst, it is most probable that
no one will be hit
man standing upright and fairly in IN;
cone of fragments, but twenty yards IRON
the place OF burst, would escape sever
times out of eight; or If eight men weTt
standing at this distance from the place o.
burst only one would be hit. II the She
be large and the ground stony this might
be some what modified, for the gases from
the shell will pick up a certain number
of stones, and thus increase the number
of splinters. which are always more nu-
merous from large than small shell
but even then common shell is not very
much to be feared in the open.
Composition of the ShrnpneI
When a common shell bursts among
walls or buildings or in a confined space il
is seen at its best. The fragments and
gases from the shell glance off the walls
escaped. Men are blown down who would
have been untouched in the open. and the
moral effect is generally much greater.
D'' NNNh Tic illuSt ldNOl dblt tolibi-
lions common shell leaves much to be
desired, and it has therefore been almost
entirely superseded in the field by shrap-
mel.
The common shell fails because of the
small number of hits that can be obtained
with a single shell. The shrapnel is de-
signed to carry a large number of bullets,
which remain in the shell until it has al
most reached the object. The bullets are
then blown out by the bursting charge,
and act like volley from a number of
muskets or pistols, so that a hundred hits
may be made by a single shell.
Externally the shrapnel is very like the
common shell, but the bursting charge is
very small and lies in the bottom of the
shell. The body of the shell is filled with
bullets numbering some two hundred in
the ordinary field gun shrapnel They rest
on a diaphraghm which separates them
from the bursting charge. In the older
patterns of shrapnel these bullets were not
very dissimilar TO those of the old Brown
Bess, which weigh fourteen to the pound.
But the anxiety to obtain more hits has
resulted in the reduction of the size of
the bullets, which now run thirty-five to
the pound-that is to say, they weigh
somewhat less than half an ounce, and
being round they greatly resemble the
pistol bullet of a hundred years ago. The
head OF the shell is somewhat loosely riv-
eted on. so that it is readily blown off by
the small bursting charge. At the apex of
the head is the combined time and per-
cussion fuse, which communicates by a
tube passing through the bullets to the
bursting charge in the base. The fuse
is the most important part of the shrap-
mel, and. indeed, without good fuses it is
impossible to obtain any satisfactory re-
suits with modern field artillery. And net
only must the fuses be good, but they
must be properly set. The best fuses will
give only poor results when manipulated
by Impractical hands.
In shrapnel practice a certain number of
rounds are deliberately wasted in opening
ire in order TO ensure the efficiency of the
remainder. The initial rounds are fired
with the safety pin locking the time ar
of the fuse, so that the shell
does not burst till it strikes the ground,
when it is exploded by the percussion part
Of the fuse. There is some effect, but not
anything like that obtained by burst In
he air. The point of Craze of the shell, IS,
however, most carefully observed, the OBJ
ect being TO ascertain whether it is short
If or beyond the target. If short the ele-
ration of the gun is then increased; if
,ver, it is decreased. and this is continued
Until 1t is certain that the shells are
striking close to the object. This finding
he range, as it is called, sounds easy
but really is most difficult, and
here are various systems in vogue for
carrying Ii out.
With all its killing power under favora-
de conditions, the shrapnel shell has not
! high moral effect. The comparatively
eeble burst nearly 100 yards away is not
IL.
heaf of bullets may not be pleasant, it is
lot nearly as disconcertiDg as the roaring
'ush of the comparatively harmless COM
non shell. whose explosion is also far
more terrifying. Although the shrapnel
Juliet has less energy when striking at
,ay, 5000 yards range than even a pistol
Juliet, it infiicts very nasty wound. dis
inctly more serious than that inflicted by
my modern rifle. even including in this
ERIN the Martini. This is because the
,ullet is spherical and though the veloc-
ty may not be more than 500 to 600 feet
seconds, this is quite enough to cause IA
al injuries by piercing the body. even
hough the energy Of the blow be reia-
lively small.
Arms of the Infantry.
The sphere of action of the field qua,
With its shrapnel shells. extends from that
ange where the power of the rife bullet
s on the wane 20 the point where the
hrapnel itself does little harm What
hese ranges are naturally depends on the
,ower of the rifle that pTopels the bullet |
md on the characteristics of the gun fir
ng the shrapnel. All the magazine riffs !
With which the infantry are now armed
ire similar in throwing 4 light and ex-
remedy long bullet with a very high We
ocity, which reaches in some instances |
200 feet seconds. The cartridge, with |
harge and bullet complete. only weighs |
bout half what the Martini or Snider
weighed. A soldier can, there !
ore, carry double as many rounds for the |
anne weight, and he can miss twice as of !
en- and still produce an equal effect. This !
ncourages long range firing. Moreover, |
he high velocity greatly improves the |
hooting al long ranges.
The result is that al 800 yards the !
Magazine rifle produces an effect which the |
arlier rifles OF, say thirty years ago pro- |
uced at only half that range. And it is /
My under the most favorable conditions |
osition within less than ! 800 yards Of
God infantry without terrible loss. The !
xtreme range of the modern rife is well /
yer 5000 yards But no weapon save q /
owitzer is ever effective at its extreme I
ange. because the difficulty of directing |
he fire is so great. And as far as present !
experience extends. even the latest rifle /
an do little at COO yards
When the gun fails the howitzer comes
a. A howitzer is to the gun what the
istol is TO the rifie-a short. light weapon
ring heavy projectile with small .
barge; thus the 4.7-inch gun is IS feet F,
ing. weighs A. cwt. and carries As /
ound shell The 5-inch howitzer is fee;
ing, weighs g evil. and carries 80