The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-07-27
snRAPNEL DIED A
DISAPPOINTED MAN
Inventor Of the Projectile That
Revolutionized Warfare Had
Checkered Career.
USED FIRST At sURINAM
Majsr Wilson, Who Commanded the
British Artillery There Says u
Had Such IN Effect ss 10
Cause Them to Surrender.


counts Of the great land battles In
the far east Il 10 clear that no far the
results have principally turned upon
the eflicacy OF the victor's artillery IRE
Both combatants seem 10 have suffered
heavy losses from their opponents con-
cOntrated batteries, firing shrapnel
This recalls the circumstances that
century has elapsed since this weapon.
which with every army goes BY the
name OF its sEngiish inventor. was In
troduced into warfare.
IMAM killing protectile. inasmuch as
its sole object In to strike down the
enemy by means of the balls which
q contains. thus repeating the function
Of musketery IRE Mt range Ear ex-
ceeding that Of the rifle. Unlike COM
mon shell IL innicts practically no IN
Jury upon surrounding objects. The
eject OF common shell. or the locomo-
tive mine IN twofold. Upon the explo-
SION OF its high bursting charge per-
sons In the vicinity are liable To de-
otrnction both from the flying frag-
ments OF the projectile itself and from
the damage inflicted ON the walls.
buildings magazines, etc. But the
effect OF common shell is very local.
with schrapnei. however. man and man
only n the target. and the bullets rain
down over large area.
Henry Shrapnsi, the Inventor.
Henry Shrapnei. the inventor Of this
murderous weapon. was born I'm 1851.
and received his first commission In
the Royal Artillery on tho 9Th OF July.
i77s.
while present at the siege OF Glib
rAltar In 1851 young Shrnpnel was
much struck by the poor results OF the
British gun practice. For example. for
1000 l-pound round shots fired from
the Rock only twenty-six Spaniards
were seen TO fall. Therefore. an exper-
iment WINS recommended by n Captain
Mercier, viz. TO fire out OF guns 3 IA
tuch mortar shells with short fuses.
which was carried out with consider
able execution.
BY one man ut least the lesson was
taken TO heart. shrapnel realized that
the effect OF both round shot and case
or grape against troops In the Held was
very trivial except At short ranges. His
theory was TO Increase the range OF the
moro effective projectile. viz. grape. by
producing a collected IRE ut long dis
t-=ces. He therefore suggested the
manufacture OF a shell. filed with car
bins halls. and containing small
quantity OF gunpowder. only sufficient
60 open n. ut chort distance previous
to its execution. whereupon the balls
would scatter with great force. derived
from the momentum OF the protectiie
itself. over large area. by which
means the Dire would be equally severe
at all distances.
Took Years to Form.
At Gibraltar during the same year
ohrapnei exhibited to General O'Hara
- new method OF extending the use OF
Of ordnance" This small memoran-
dunn OF Shrapners In the first indica-
tion of the great idea, the carrying out
Of which occupied the best years OF his
life. However, his labors took some
years TO crystalline. as may be judged
from the fact that II was not until 1904
"a Table Of Practice With Lieuten-
Case Shot" was published at woolwich
- m artillery textbook. On the 9Th
Of May. 1908, the inventor had the
honor OF exhibiting his new proJectile
In the presence OF the king and a great
number OF general officers, no foreign
srs being invited 10 attend the demon
stration; and few weexs later he was
sent 10 the carron iron works, I'm Scot
land. there TO superintend the manu-
eacture OF his spherical case shot"
for immediate issue to the army"
Consequent upon the introduction OF
this project. there was a complete
change In the sytem OF fuses then In
use. Shrapnei classed his fuses In
boxes for different ranges. Thereupon.
the gunner's task became greatly sim
piiflsd. for ne no longer had to trouble
about degrees or minutes or rates OF
burning.
First Use in Surinsnn.
The first occasion upon which shra D.
mel was employed on active service was
. at the bombardment Of the Batavian
settlement OF Surinam. April 30. 1904
Major Wilson. who commanded the
British artillery. says: "Shrapnel had
20 excellent an effect as To cause the
garrison OF Fort Amsterdam TO surren-
der after receiving the second shell. The
enemy were so astonished at these
shells as not 20 be able TO account how
they apparently suffered from mus
kerry at so great distance as 2.05(
yards" Here we may note that al
though from the outset army men I'm.
variably referred 20 the new projcctile
BY its inventors name. IL was not I'll
1855 that this weapon was officially des'
lgnated "shrapnel." when Henry Scrops
6hrapnel obtained authority from tho
war ONCE that IL should bear his faith
er's name.
Writing Of the defeat OF 5000 French
troops In Calabria by 1000 British In
the year, iso6. Admiral sir Sidney
Smith. n spectator. says: 1T was EVIL
dent the HnellS OF (OlODcl cnfupuet
invention. when burst I'm flight and
short OF their objects. as they ought e
be, did great execution" The gallant
admiral asked the admiralty TO intro
duce the shell into the navy. and wher
they refused he purchased quantity
&C his own expense and by employing
the projectlles covered the landing o.
the boats OF the division In the face o
. huge Turkish force at the Dardan'
Giles In February, 1907.
In the Peninsula Campaign.
In the Peninsula campaign shrapne
was employed with amazing effect
proving itself To be the greatest artil'
iery discovery OF the age. while hat
our enemies possessed 81 and not our
selves. the result OF many OF our bat
ties might have been very different I,
what IL was. After Nimiera Wellington
wrote Shrapnel that his shell had haC
the best effect In procuring that vie
tory. and Sir william Robe. coramnd
Ing the artillery. added. 1T Is admirable
10 the whole army and It's effects
dreadful"
The French troops were often panic
stricken by the English shrapnel fire
Prisoners asked, Mails que diable .
await Il dams vos boulets?" for the I'm
preston was that the latter were pol
0oned. Napoleon sent instructions az
ter vimeria that nonexploded shell
were TO be picked up and examined.
can easily be conceived how masses o