Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-12-10
FRENCH WAR CHARIOT
Military Automobile Armed
With Rapid Fire Gun,
MACHINE OF THIRTY HORSEPOWER

al Leaps Diichcn and Moyvs Down % |
battalion In Two Minutes Runs
Lightly, Is Turreted and Invulner. |
able - Twenty Ordered For tho |
French Army-Has Great Speed III |
Attack npd Flight.
An armoled automobile "gannping" |
across broken country, ieaping bitches |
like hunting horse, impenetrable to
l.cbci bullets and shrupnc, firing It's |
hidden battery ut the rate OF 600 rounds |
in siNiy seconds, moving down a bat. |
talon OF infantry in Two minutes and
W!plnS out squadron Of dragons at
n hundred yard range. Such is the !
thing Of terror with which the French f,
army is providing itself. says a Paris |
correspondent Of the New York Amer.
lean and Journal.
This sounds, L know, like the 70,
inanccS of our late Jules Verne or the
English NJ. Wells, but il is all plain
military fact, as witness these details
which NJ. George Lcfcvrc now makes
public in lie Vie au Grand Air.
An order for twenty OF these war
chariotS has been placed by the French
government with = French firm. This
order follows n series OF experiments
conducted with great secrecy on field
Of military lnancuvers and Of which
NJ. Lcfcvrc was II witness. 10 these
experiments all the heads Of the mill
iary departments were invited by card
and by them the most cXacting condi-
lions were imposed Oh The experiment.
icrS.
IL was insisted that In n state OF war
She automobile artillery would not be
able to use the public highways and
that IL must be able TO como to the
front across any sort of country, that
il must be impcrvloUS TO infantry tire.
that its interior organs must he cf-
icctivciy protected. that its crcw-driy-
ing and Grng-muSt be "out Of hit"
that its running period must be long
and that its wheels must not bc at tie
mercy oi any destructive agent. All OF
these conditions were met In the most
remarkable Fashion.
The war automobile, which Is OF dir.
~ horsepower. was seen To be com
llet,ly incascd in arlnor, yet It, ran Is
lightly as a road machine. Neither the
driver nor mcchnnician was visible,
while the crew of the mi;rallleusc were
likewise Invisible, being concealed in
rcvo!vin. turrct.
IN" first Test was one Of speed over
every class Of country, the result being
an average rate OF thirty kilometcrs an
hour. Next came the test Of the ditch.
as, and Girartot. one OF the construct.
ors, accomplished the feat OF lcaplng
into and out Of IN excavation ten me.
tcrs deep and twenty meters wide
without break Of speed
Next came n inaueuvcr directed
against Il battalion OF infantry. \
lIotchiliSS was installed in the turrct,
and the machine. dashing into The in
fantry, With lis turret swinging TO cy.
cry quarter, succeeded IN firing 1901
rounds In three minutes. II was the
unanimous opinion OF the military
judges ihat not q soldier would have
remained 10 fight after this discharge.
Next regiment OF dragons was
sent charging into the plain, neither tho
crew Of tie war chariot nor The com.
uiandcr OF the Dragons having been
Informed of the foe To be met The war
chariot did not see the Dragons until
they were but 800 meters distant. Then
crashing ont Il hail of projectlcs that
would have swept hale the saddles
clear, 1t fed across country and was
out Of danger in a minute.
Next came the test of the war auto
mo0i'o's armor. a company OF infan.
try was drawn up, die motor car re
naintnG stationary target At TWEEN. |
~ 10 thirty meters the Lebel bullets
penetrated the armor, which Is light,
supple and wonderfully resisting. All
fifty meters they remained imbcdded In
,ho plates. At 100 to 100 meters tho
bullets produced depression and were
thrown of.
Lastly The tires were ATTACKED, ana
II was found that even when pierced
with ten bullets they were scrvicenbIe
Tor twenty minutes OF time enough 10
eet-out Of danger.
such Is The new arm, an artillery of
great swiftness IN attack and fight.
practically iny,inerable and capable Ia
me hands of clover handler of deliv.
crlng terrific attacks In various parts
OF field OF. battle in IN exceedingly
short time. 1t Is 70 be hoped that these
new infernnl machines will so add to
ihe horrible pros .ects OF combat that
war VIII soon become an impossibiilty. |