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

When armor was abandoned much OF
the energy of the arquebuse went with it,
and the musket, OF old Brown Bess, was
gradually DEVELOPED much lighter and
handler weapon than the arquebuse, and
with less recoil, which still delivered a
tremendous blow at close quarters. The
energy of the bullet from Brown Bess was
about 1000 foot pounds, or about forty
times as great as the blow from hard
hit cricket ball, and twice that delivered
by the dum-dum or expanding bullet fired
from the Lee Metford rife at short range.
Moreover, the wound made by the musket
ball was nearly six times as large as that
made by the ordinary Lee Metford bullet
and probably decidedly worse than any
thing that the dum-dum bullet can do. 1t
is most unlikely that modern war will
ever produce such terrific effects as were
caused by the delivery of a volley at close
quarters from old Brown Bess. Those
struck were in a moment violently hurled
to the ground, and the dreadful volley, in
variably followed as it was by bayonet
charge must have been far more trying to
the spirit than the prolonged contest and
tlefeld. Is it wonderful that under this
stress one side or the other usually GaYe
way before the bayonets were eyer
crossed?
II is extremely doubtful if the destruc-
tion caused by modern artillery will ever
come up to that wrought by the smooth
bore guns of 100 years ago-not because
the modern guns are inferior to their pro-
totypes, quite the contrary. but because
. hrl asN Co.,
the target was also far more favorable.
The disappointment which was felt by
many as TO the effect produced by common
shells with percussion fuses is not alto
gether thing Of the past. Only short
time ago there appeared in the papers a
statement that the Boer shells were very
inferior; one had struck between a mans
feet and burst, and had done him no harm.
Now, this was just what was to be ex-
pected from a thoroughly efficient COM
mon shell; the man between whose feet
the shell struck was almost bound to es-
cape, whatever may have happened to any
one else.
The Preparation of a Shell.
In order 10 explain what happens on the
percussion fuse of a common shell acting.
1t is necessary to describe the shell itself
and its properties. common shell for a
field gun is in shape and size very like an
ordinary pint bottle; the head. however,
is dome shaped, so that if the neck of the
bottle be knocked off the similarity is
greater. The metal of the shell may be
either cast iron or steel If the former is
used there is less room for powder be-
cause the weakness of the castiron neces-
states thicker sides to the shell than If
1t was made of steel. Cast iron, however
breaks up well. What is required in a
shell is that it should stand heavy pres
sure from outside safely and yet burst
readily into large number of pieces. 1t
is also desirable that it should hold as
large bursting charge as possible. The
metal most in favor in England for the
manufacture of shells is cast steel; it is
much stronger than cast iron. and there
fore allows of the walls of the shells be-
ing made comparatively thin, so as to ad-
nit OF a large bursting charge. 1t also
breaks up into numerous fragments on the
burst taking place. Forged steel has also
been used; but it is too tough so that
shell made Of this metal only tears up into
a few large pieces, much as If it was made
Of leather. The preparation of shell is
q very simple matter; it is simply filled
with powder as full as it will hold, and the
fuse is then screwed in at the top. Some
shells, such as those used in the naval H.
that case there is a hole through the base
corresponding to the bottom of the bot
t1e) through which the shell is filled and
into which the fuse screws. The fuse ls
invariably made OF metal, and acts as a
plug for completely closing the shell.
When a shell bursts the action is not by
means instantaneous. After the ignition
of the fuse the bursting charge OF the shell
takes some little time to develop sufficient
hss~c aI,a1l
TO the comparatively deliberate way in
which gunpowder behaves on being ie-
nited. There are many explosives that &C.
tomato in oDe-millionth of a second or
but a shell charged with
will take some FIVE thousandths
Of second to burst. The time does not
appear long, but il the shell be travelling
at LOCO foot seconds II will have moved
ave feet from the point OF impact before 1t
bursts. II the velocity be as much as 1000
foot seconds the shell will not burst till
Ii has gone ten from the point struck.
Hence e shell which glances off the OBJ
ject struck flies from five TO ten feet IN
the new direction before exploding and
then bursts well clear of the object
Effects of Explosions.
And what is the effect of the burst?
Our bottle-shaped she'll breaks up into
htt Ntig dloSlL1lldl ~ must lHib
which glass bottle breaks. 1t is common |
TO find the base of a shell entire, though |
II sometimes breaks into two or three |
pieces. bottle behaves in much the |
same way. The sides break up very un- |
evenly; there are some large splinters,
each one constituting. say, one-twelfth of |
the original shell while here are some
tiny fragments smaller than a pea. The
head. like the base. sometimes remains
entire and sometimes breaks into Two or
three pieces. The distribution of the |
fragments depends in the first place on TIE |
velocity and direction of the shell al the |
instant when ii bursts.
Most shells in the field are exploded BY |
striking the ground. If the ground be !
hard and the range be moderate. so that |
the shell is not falling al a very steep an |
gle, 1t rebounds from the ground common |
y turning to the right as it does So and |
bursts when 1t has risen a foot or two. |
The effect OF the burst Is that the head |
and base continue TO travel in the same
direction that the shell was taking before |
Il exploded-that is. they continue 10 rise
sharply. The head goes somewhat faster
than II did before, the base somewhat |
slower. The pieces from the walls are
thrown TO either side Of the new track of
The shell, at varying angels and at vari-
BUS velocities. But all continue to travel
onward with about the same velocity at
which they were going when the shell
burst The result is that the fragments
iiverge from the place Of burst. forming
; cone, the angle at the apex being about
IS degrees. Outside this cone there is alb
solute safety, while inside ii there is some
chance OF being hit. depending mainly on
The number of pieces into which the shell
breaks and the distance from the point Of
burst An ordinary. common shell may