Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-28
U.S.N0110BO|LD
BIG siege GUNS
{
officers Watch Development Of
Artillery in European War
q Zone.

Washington, Nov. 27.--ln Common
with the military observers Of every
other nation, United States army Off.
GERS are watching with keenest inter
est The artillery development OF the
warning nations of Europe as disclos-
ed upon the battlefields of Belgium
and France. Every news dispatch
that mentions the great German guns
is read closely and photographs are
studied with greatest care; but SO far
nothing conclusive has been found to
confirm the report that the Germans
are placing their main reliance upon
~ centimeter mobile howitzers.
American officers believe that he
Germans have accomplished the de-
struction of opposing forts With stan
dard 1l.inch howitzers and modern
high explosives which are virtually
the same for all nations. The key to
German successes of this charac'e r,
they say, lies in the t~horoughness
with which the work is done and the
accuracy of their shooting with H.
inch weapons. " 4" .'
Liege, 7Namur, Antwerp and else.
where in the war zone show turret
forts completely wrecked by German
fire. There is nothing to indicate,
however, that the damage was inflict.
ed by l1.inch or even smaller shells,
ordnance experts believe. The enor-
nous destructive forsa of these shells
has been well known ever since the
fall Of Port Arthur in the Japanese
Russian war.
Strong Fortifi !ations. t
The city was taken by the Japanese
Notwithstanding modern Notifications
OF the highest type; naturally strong.
err than any that have been assailed
during the present war since the forts
were located on high hills rendering
turret protection against fire unnec.
essary. They were reduced by II.
inch coast defense howitzers brought
from the Japanese coast with great
labor and mounted after the exercise
of engineering skill of the highest or
der to get them over the rough
ground and into place where they CON.
manded the Russian fortresses. Once
established behind nearby hills, abso-
lutely safe from the fire of the Rus.
sian guns, the hOwitzers disposed of
the enemy's Boosted d%efenses with
the same ease that the German guns
have battered to pieces the Belgian
forts.
American officers have studied with
interest photographs Of the Austrian
mobile siege mortars. No scale has
accompanied these photographs but
comparison Of the size OF the men as
shown in the pictures with the bore
or breach Of the weapon beside which
they stand, indicates the guns to be
not greater than the 1l-lnch and in
many instances eve smaller. ' =
How They're Moved.
The most novel feature about these
weapons to military eyes is the sys-
tenn of transportation employed by
which the gun and it's carriage are di-
vided on two trucks equipped with
trimmed wheels and special devices
to distribute the enormous weight
over as much road service as possible.
The whole train is hauled by a trac-
ton engine pl opelled by steam or gas
oline. Undoubtedly this has served to
increase the mobility of the giant
weapons: but officers are not satis-
fled that the necessity OF carefully
preparing the ground upon which the
guns stand when discharged has been
done away with. 1t is still a Job for
engineers to place these weapons and
the long delay necessary to permit
the emplacemen. of siege weapons,
while a little reduced, is still a factor
in military operations.
The United States is not eontem"i
plating The construction Of very large
siege guns because the roads of, the
country are not suited to carry such
enormous weights. The radius of &C.
ton Of the weapons would be limited
to the immediate vicinity of a few Of
the larger cities or to a highway here
Or there that has been improved for
a long distance. In the event of in.
vasion it would be impossible to con-
fine operations to territories best
suited for defense and the guns would
be virtually useless.
MISSOURI FREE FROM ICE.
Williston, N. D., Nov. 27.-The I'D
per Missouri was entirely frozen over
fn,s c,nvoro1 Iore a,,1,, - lsa.1 49, -