The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-22

Improvement on all previous designs
me bullets are packed in three sue
cesslve layers Of different grades Of
/ explosives. in the composition OF
which 7. y. T. predominates. The
mead contains two explosives, acting
successfully. When burst in a time
snrapnel the flash travels direcs from
the fuse TO the base burster. the bull
lets are blown out and the head goes
on and acts as a high explosive shell
on Its own account.
, the shell bursts on impact. il
IS stated that complete re
suits When Germany adopted the
above universal shell. the Woolwich
authorities IN England, were com
planning that the war office would
not permit of Experimentation along
the same lines because of the ex-
penSe involved. Here we see an in
stance or the value of permitting d
great private plant TO keep up the
artillery service of the nation. Krupp
must experiment constantly. and in
doing SO spend vast sums of money.
II Tor no other reason than to be
aple TO say that Essen knows. and
that no 4 is more advanced or
better posted in all that pertains 10
artillery than is krupp.
Austria brought u recently a
selSe howitzer of ga inches, throwing
a proJectile weighing $50 pounds and
having a range of six miles. This
gun can be transported in a Daimeer
motor on good roads at a speed OF
ten miles an hour. This $50 pound
she'll contains 1000 bullets, and thi.
mass of balls can be plunged at mil.
ranges into a target so yards Wild
by 100 yards deep.
All of late years, ant
especially since the Boar war. hav,
been to employ heavier guns in tn,
). field. The standard howitzers in tn,
United States service are the g..
inch thirty pound projectile; Al incl
f sixty pound projectile and the 6 incl
: 12O pound projectile.~
; The British are using heavie
:, hoWitzers and Couet howitzers, mad
, in France, Of II inch calibre, employ
= ing projectiles weighing 700 pound:
: This COuet howitZer can be dis
= mounted, packed on four carriage
: and made ready for the road in on
, hours time.
= BOmbardmcnt of Liege.
Krupp has gone into the develop
. ment of siege guns far and away be
yOnd all competitors, n the SHOW
ing made by the German siege CUR
; at Liege and at Namur indicates til
= frightful havoc which can be brougl
= about by a heavy mine effect. Fl
- explosive used by the Germans
4 | manufactured Ill the SOtcIOIllei
laboratories, but it is believed TIN
= ommonel is used to some extent.
y is known that ommOnel has been e
perimented with to considerable e.
:. tent by the Germans, and the Su
stance, while possessing enormous
= destructive properties, is regarded
:, safe to handle. 1t is certain thu
= whatever the explosive employed,
:. possessed sufficient mine power
!, bore downward into concrete al
masonry and to fairly up-end t
heavy caiSSOnS supporting the armo
- ed CupOlas. SO long as the Lie
- forts had opposed to them only fie
~ guns firing fifteen pound shells t
III cupolas could be depended upon
&c resist all impact.
"a But when the heavy calibre sic
guns were brought up, throwi
- shells weighing approximately o
thousand pounds and contain
e high explosives, no one army in e
istence could be expected to wit
&c, stand the destruction which folio
IS ed. The main and important poi
ne brought out to artillerists by the CT
- man works reports that a very hi
'Ch explosive has been found which c
nc be safely fired from a powder 81
and that this explosive, as used
~ the Germans, is undoubtedly mo
powerful than any known eXplosi
in use in service elsewhere.
us To the United States the lessons
~ the European conflict point to o
re conclusion, and that is that no {
IN pense should be spared to bring t
artillery, field and siege guns of Il
country up to a quality and efflcleT
ler equal to the best hat has been
'er yeloped abroad. To fall short
range and power Of the guns Of
ne possible enemy is to only court l
" tional disaster.