The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-04-02

the army, and both subjects are or greater significance in the colonies than at home because in the present state of general national hygiene poor drinking water is much more apt to be found there than in the mother country
 For purifying water filters are com monly used, and the rate ot filtration IS hastened by pressure, which latter may be effected by increasing the height or the column of water above the porous Altering material, or by producing d partial vacuum below. Now this rate of filtration is particularly important in apparatus for military purposes, pe- cause transportation in the field IS al ways limited and the number of filters required to produce the necessary duan- tity of potable water in a given time is therefore often a vital question.
 During the past year new model or Pasteur- Chamberlain filter has been in- troduced in the French army, and spe- cial instructions for its care and man agement have been isued. The candle of ungIazed porcelain is inclosed in metallic tube, the latter being screwed at top to the water spigot Tn this way the necessary water pressure for rapid filtration is obtained, provided that pressure corresponds to a height of col umn about forty inches. Otherwise the proper pressure is obtained by means of so-called pressure accumulators which are cylindrical vessels of sheet iron, capable of withstandlng a pressure of three atmospheres. in which the requir- ed pressure on the surface of the water is produced by means of an air pump.
 The experiments at Versailles show that with a pressure of two at mospheres even with very impure wa ter a single candle will furnish "A liters of pure water day, and will therefore be sufficient for seven men. To remove the sediment on the outside of the can dle it must be cleaned once a week, and to sterilize it it must be placed in boil ing water for half an hour
 Another improvement has been made called the Andre system, in which number of candles G, 12, 25 or 5O) are connected together and placed in metallic resrvoir which has an arrange ment for mechanically washing off the surface of the candles and keeping them clean. Such a filter of fifty can uleS IS SullIClGIll lO PlpNiN'N '' S'NN''''iSii' on the war footing with all the drinking water it needs.
 Although these filters may not be available for transport ation with troops constantly on the march, yet they are of immense value when more or less permanent quarters are occupied, espe- cially in countries where the water is not good.
 A new automatic pistol is being man. ufactured in England by the Mars Au- tomatic Firearms syndicate. It is made in three different sizes, 0335, 0,S6 and O. 45 inch The magazine is contained in the handle of the pistol, different mod els carrying from eight to eleven cart ridges The weight of the pistol is two pounds ten ounces The mechanism is peculiar in that the breech remains closed until the bullet has left the bar rel. so that there is no chance of the cartridge bursting by it's being with drawn while ther is still pressure in the bore. consequently this pistol can fire very heavy bullet with large charge. The weight of the Mars bullet is 220 grains, the charge 14 grains of cordite, the muzzle velocity 1,250 foot seconds (nearly double that of the Colt revoly- er) and the muzzle energy 760 foot pounds (nearly three times that of the service revolver).
 An expert can fire twenty-four shots in ten seconds, and in accuracy it is stated that when fired from a rest at 1 ,O0o yard range it will keep all its shots on a four-foot square target, while its penetration is 16 inches of pine, against the Mauser pistols 10, and the Colts s. From the New York Sun.