The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-30
Bullets Fired in the Air

LONDON. September est IS he
hcNcd among tho troops that bullet.
hiea vertically upwards at airc,sfi
never descend az bullets. tho in,onso
ana prolonged friction OF their Hight IN
me limit Of the trajectory and the sub
APpuch' descent OF what IS lott OF then,
r"Ihplctcly usSipnt!ns them into va.
poT. thousands Of bullets have rccer:
- beeh ilFcd at aircraft nut none has
pee" poSt,ively known 10 descend.
thtil the advent OF ;,iroraf, i,s,
what happened TO the bullets v,b.,
tired perpendlcularly into Ill. dir ~.
. matter Of purely nctdcmi. in,.r..,
~ nns now become 4 Question ~ ,t,.j
practical Importance
Very Few b"llistic Investigation hn,.
foup'cI - experiment ,rith vcr-
ucaily hred bullets The urst man T.,
,h!" so was benjamin tohins tho
Hther OF The Modern Art Of Gun.
merry VINO, tn a book Published In ~.
pi"rcd On record his experience in hi,
direction with Il smooth bore AS :,
,..".t'l 1i TACT hobins did not IRE trul,
vertically possibly because no w,s
hiiaId that the returning bullets MINI,
cause INN considerable personal IN
convenience. Instead. lac nrcd a, m
angle somewhat out OF tho perpendicu
,"r anu 10 windwarG lie claims 10
"u'c recovered tho falling bullets. and
aS *ood hs intimatcd that the distance
"hlch INC hullcts did tall out OF the
Nt'hc"l WAS due entirely 10 The efrec,
OF wind upon them.
Com,ns to more recent times. W.
nave the experiments Of pr. T. X
Nahn leisure Is spent entirely I'm
Illie experimentation and h,. hook
he bullcts Fiigh, From Powder 10
'a'HcI - devoted TO an account OF
many Ec?rs' labor IL the nel1 OF small
arm baliistics Tho problem Of tbe
vertically nred bullets vas tactIad ~.
Mann. but he soon Ravo up tho exneri
meHt In disgust as be!ug deyoid Of re-.
sui,s ON perfectly calm day no
i""K boat into The centre OF a iars.
:" 80, and hxtng "a rinc into n trni,
Fc'tical nositiou. no fred into the mr.
hoping to be able TO put on record
me return OF the bullets and tho lime
taken In their blight Althouuh bo
IRE" sevcraI rounds OF ammunition In
ms way no rcSrctfuily admitted thai
'm AS unable 20 either hear or soc
any OF The returning bullets fail into
INC placid waters OF tho lake.
among the English rifle inv.stt.a
''t' -. Is. irp!ns, OF Manningtrcc. Es-
sex. mas also devoted some time N ~.
prooicin. IL, was luctier IN his results
~" "a"i'' anu has actually observed
INC return 20 earth of Tho bullets /
IicFschei !iardcasue, who il nmonr.,
'na foremost English rifle authorities
'',er several attempts is also abIn To
.'u, Oh record the recovery of scver,l
pui'''s "red in the perpendicular posi
Speaking theoretically. bu,,e, s-.a
rom q smooth bore gun bnld truI,.
icipchnicular and on a ncrfcrt,, III,
10y should return to the noin, frn,n
y men II left tho earth. PracticaIjy
- - never the case Indeed, Tho
=, - " IN all probability the firiur point
ne observations OF lfardcastI. ,,,d
ippins, who workcd iu,ic,,cndonti,
en- VS. that the English service bullet
'NeS somewhere about tittv.nyc soc
mus IN Its perpendicular ntrlit in tb,.
iir and return to The earth ,nd ~
c"chcs height Of between < ono on,
49, rect rus Is confirmed l,v cal
"l"ions based Oh tho resistance of
~ ar ana IN" force Of gravity. The
'hI,rt atNriS OH with velocity %
pout 100 feet per second. but il
"s"s speed very considerably In thc
,pper regions Of the air; 50 mucb so
nat Tor about half The zinc OF lis
hurc hight the bullet is travelling az
+, n"' n'ucn greater than that
i'h'loon observation. particul,rt,
nose made ~ Lindctburr. show th,ti,,
ne upper atmosphere the wind ma.
10" Win force three or four times
nay al which Il blows in proximity
o the earth Again il has bron fo,,n1
iine after time that on am ununrcntl,.
ann DAY the wind in tho upper .trot,
> blowing with considerable force
'ero' then, We have an explanation Of
ne soldiers belief thai tho bullet
returns" When towards the
lSh"r part of its Hight tie bnlIc, il
F"Er'ssins at a very small speed. aud
: therefore easily carried AWAY Ia,
nc tore" OF even II light wilma Tia,
lt Iuilc, descend* Is, of course. IN.
" ,,1S . ana II does 10 with worry
I II th,n
M weight Due TO the shin given
IL ny the riiiing. it in all proba-
'hty returns rs 1t ascondcd--tbat 4.
18th its point uppermost. "'