Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-04
.sHRAPNEL MOST DEADLY
OF MODERN EXPLOSIVES
Locomotive Works Soon to Be Turn.
ing Ont Enormous
Order.
HOW SHELLS ARE CONSTRUCTED
Steel Cases Cover From 200 to 800
Bullets, Which Are Fired Mt Fixed
Range With Deadly Precision.
Great Care Needed in Manufacture.

plant OF the American Locomotive Com
pany upon the manufacture OF shrapnel
Richmond Will come prominently to the
front as source OF supply for one Of
the dealiest projectiles that modern
warfare has developed. While tho an
nouncemcnt that the big plant here will
shortly begin the manufacture Of
shrapnel on Il large scale lacks final
confirmation. unofficial assurances OF
tho highest character leaves no doubt
as to its reliability.
With rapid fire machine guns and
highly developed field artillery shrapnel
ranks ms the greatest destructive agent
employed in the present world war.
The practical assurance that Richmond
Will shortly become an important point
OF supply for this projectile. lends Inn
mediate interest to the following do
scription OF its character and method
OF manufactures which appears In tho
current number of Machinery:
Shrhpnel possesses greater man kill.
ing power than any other kind OF an.
munition used in modern field artillery
and that is why more than 1000. 600
month are being used by the Eu.
ropcan armies now in the field
MOST DEADLY OF
MODERN EXPLOSIVES
Thousands of shops and factories in
this country and in Europe are work
ang night and day to supply this de-
shrapnel shell discloses little to indi-
cate Its destructive power-it Is sim
ply small steel shell attached to
the end OF brass case: but when prop
crly adjusted and fred from modern
Held gun this steel shell becomes q
rertible demon OF destruction Within
the brief period of four and three
sourths seconds IT has travelled over one
mile, and seventeen and one fourth sec
onds later II is nearly three and three
trt1 ,u ft,t1 u
any time during this rapid flight 1t can
be made to explode with marvellous pre-
ciston and deadly effectiveness
Each shell has a time fuse that is
mado with tho accuracy OF watch.
Ihis fuse Is graduated in seconds and
is set TO explode at given range as
determined by the panoramic sight or
other form Of range finder. AS soon as
the gun IL fired, the fuse Is ignited uu-
tomatically and when the explosion oc-
ours IN the base of the shell Itself, the
forward end is blown out and a shower
OF lead bullets hurled forward in cone
like formation, the she'll acting as an
aerial gun. Tho velocity of these bul.
let's exceeds the velocity OF the she'll nj
tho time OF the explosion by from $50 to
Soo feet per second and they cover n
zone about thirty yards wide and $50
yards long.
METHOD HAS RECENTLY
BEEN GREATLY IMPROVED
Tho flrst shrapnel shell Invented In
Fs4 by Lieutenant ShrapneD was mere
ly cast-iron ball filled with bullets
ano powder. which was exploded by n
crude fuse screwed into the shell. This
type WAS unsatisfactory because bull
lots flew In all directions when the
shell Exploded later this defect was
partially overcome by inserting a sheet
iron diaphragm which separated the
bullets from the bursting charge
Modern shrapncl Is sim!lnr In principle
TO Its early predecessor, but is a marvel
OF mechanical ingenuity.
The shrapnel shells used by different
governments at the present time
operate on the same principle, but differ
somewhat as TO size ana in the ar
arrangement OF the fuse. a complete
shrapncl comprises n brass case con
tanning heavy charge OF smokeless
powder Tor propcllinS the projcctile, d
hollow steel she'll containing large
number OF lead bullets and . bursting
charge, and the combination time ana
percussion fuse which forms the point
of the she'll. The sudden motion OF the
shell al the time Of firing causes Il
small plunGer in the end OF the fuse
to fly back and strike IL cap which
ignites the fuse.
TIME OF EXPLOSION
DEFINITEI.Y FINED
This fuse is composed OF IA slow
buring composition that Is pressed into
annulnr grooves enc or these grooves
80 stationary ring and the other il
a. graduated movable ring. Ry tur-
Ing the graduated ring. the length OF
this fuse Is varied so that The shell
may be exploded AT any time within
period OF about twenty seconds
During this brief period thrcc-inch
American shrapnel VIII travel about
$500 yards. or nearly three and three
quarters miles
The French fuse differs from the
movable ring type used in other coun-
tries IN this respect. The iow-burn-
Ing composition IS contained in a tube
wound spirally around the fuse head.
The fuse is set by piercing hole
through this spiral tube. So that CON
nection 81 made with the interior OF
the fuse body. When the gun IS fired
and the primer or cap In the fuse head
IS exploded, name passes out through
the pierced hole and ien!tes the rope"
powder fuse. The effective length OF
the fuse depends upon the position OF
the pierced hole. which is made by Il
special machine attached to the gun
the hole being located with reference
TO suitable ordinations. Most fuses
are SO arranged that the shell viii be
exploded by conclusion if II should
strike before the ring OF powder burns
around 10 the exploding charge This
is effected by secondary plungcr In
the fuse head which files forward when
tho shell strikes and fires the burst
ing charge !nstantaneously.
EACH TIIREE-INCH SHELL
CONTAINS 500 BULLETS
Shells OF the throe-inch size contain
from 210 10 36G lead bullets about one
half Inch in diameter, which are en-
bedded in rosinous mixture. This
matriX. hs II is called serves two pur-
poses: II holds the bullets in position
and also acts As tracer TO indicate
by cloud OF smoke the point at which
the shell expiodes. This smoke cloud
IS important. especially at long ranges
and when adverse atmospheric condI-
lions exist
The development OF shrapnel she'll
represents vast amount OF experi-
menting and study. but the shell itsel,
fs not comparable with the wonderful
processes and Tools which are employed
in its manufacture. The Interesting
phases OF shrapnel manufacture are tho
formation OF the brass case, the forging
q of the steel shell and the n1iShlut, ., /,