The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-07-27

guns such as Napoleon used crueheo
everything before them and decided the
fate OF actions.
hut what would have been the result
had they fired shrapnei. TIN the very
last the French generals regarded the
power OF Shrapnei's shell as a phenom-
enon. inexpiicable ut that time. but
not likely to endure. In 1917. before
Salamanca. Marmont was bruised by a
spent ball from n shrapnei shell and
British lines had not been reported a
mile Distant To the answer that
such was the case. the Marshal rcjoin-
ed. How then. do you account for this
musket bail?" After the war Marmont
visited England. and while at Wool
wich the very man who had laid the
gun which fired the shot In question
was introduced to him.
Turned Tide st Waterloo.
Lastly, at Waterloo. according to SIR
George Wood. who commanded the bril-
gade OF artillery. had IL not been for
this shell IL was very doubtful whether
any effort could have recovered In
Haye Sainte farm house. "and hence on
this simple circumstance hinges en-
tirely the turn OF the battle" Shrapnel
iabored necessarily to bring his inven-
ton TO perfection. and partially sue
ceeded. But he appears never To have
quite overcome the difsiculties connect
ed with the transport OF loaded shells.
The long peace was attended by tho
decadence OF the projectiie. The lack
OF n proper range nj wooiwich pre-
vented the young school OF artillery om-
GERS from obtaining the practice neccs-
sary for acquainting themselves with
It's proper application. Further. from
motives OF economy. the services OK
General Shrapnel az inspector Of ex-
plosives were dispensed with. and be-
rcft OF his superintendence the shell
manufactured In the arsenal became 10
Inferior IN quality as 60 lead TO the
wholesale condemnation OF shrapnel AZ
more injurious TO Its own side.
The inventor was first allowed roy
atty OF Ess per 1000 rounds I'm the
East india Company's service. Subse-
qucntly the Board OF Ordinance broke
this agreement, and took to supplying
tho shell. when such was the deprecia-
ton of the shot that the duke was In
duced TO alter his opinion OF It's value.
on this account he declined to recon-
mend the family OF the deceased In
ycntor for public favors.
Died . oisappointsd Man.
Shrapncl died In Is42. n disappointed
man. In 1919 he petittoned that no
should be recompensed for the many
thousands OF pounds OF his own money
which he had expended on this and
other inventions. notably the excava-
tons OF the rock galleries mt Gibraltar.
the brass tangent slide and disappear
Ing gun mountings. All he got was =
pension OF El.20o q year. which grant
was so niggardly interpreted that he
would have been better or had IL never
been made. William Nv announced his
intention OF creating him n baronet.
but died before giving effect to his
resolution.
II is a fact that the action OF shrap-
mel shell was unknown outside OF Eng
land until 1894, when Captain Bor-
mann, OF the Belgian artillery. COM
menced experiments with the projsctile
founded upon the inventors treatises.
and the successful Issue OF his effots
attracted the attention OF German ar
tiiierists. At the outbreak OF the Cri-
mean war the British artillery, thanks
TO the gross misrepresentation con-
corning Its utility over long period or
years, decided TO renounce Its employ
ment: but. subsequently. the naval
guns. mounted In the trenches before
Sebastopol. fired shrapnel with great
effect. Meanwhile the Russians were
unacquainted with IL.
The revival OF shrapnel was due 10
the Germans. who fired IT, equipped
with an improved form OF fuse. In the
campaigns OF 1864 and 1885. In the
latter. the Prussion smooth-b bore guns
firing shrapnel beat of the Austrian
rified ordnance. which relied on COM
mon shell. TO the surprise and incred-
ulity OF foreign and even British artil-
lerymen. Again. In the war OF lS1o-1l.
the Germans proved their superiority
over the French artillery. which had
some defective shrapnel. by the same
means. The experiences OF this war
led TO shrapnel being adopted by all
armies as the standard type OF pro-
jectile for field artillery.