Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-12-14
MODERN BoMBSHELLS
Those Containing High Explosives
Most Effective.

Those Containing High Explosives
Most Effective.
The high explosive shell is being
heard around the world, and it has be-
come, If not the decisive factor Of the
war; at least a greater factor than be-
fore the war the generality Of military
men belieYed it would, according to the
Washington Star. Shells are as old as
gunpowder and cannon, or even nearly
so, and the high explosive shell has
been experimental with ever since
ordnance experts turned their thoughts
to explosives Of higher efficiency than
charcoal gunpowder. In the early sos,
Capt. Zalinski of the American army,
was firing iron shells, charged with a
light weight Of dynamite, across the
Golden Gate between Fort Point and
Lime Point at San Francisco.
There are many varieties Of the high
explosive shell. Each nation has its
preference, and exercise it in the mat
ter of it's shell. It is believed that the
high explosive shell was used first in
action in the war between the British
and Beers in 1S99-19O2, when the Brit
ish naval ATS and six-inch guns fired
projectiles charged with lyddite. In
that war the British high explosive
shells were found very useful for de-
stroying buildings and attacking
strong intrenchments, though these
were rarely constructed by the Beers.
In the Russo Japanese war, accord
ing to the reports Of the British staff
officers with the Japanese army, the
japanese arrived at the conclusion
that shrapnel is Of little use against
strong, deliberately prepared infantry
intrenchments, and produces but little
effect against artillery in gun pits. For
that reason they used a mixture Of high
explosives and shrapnel, and when
shelling strong infantry intrench-
ments they use a preponderating num-
Der Of high explosive shells" The pro-
portion carried in the Japanese bat
teries was 80 per cent Of high ex-
plosive and 10 per cent Of the shrap-
mel.
The United States before the pres
ent war batteries carried 80 per cent
shrapnel and 20 per cent shell The
high explosive shell is made of steel,
both forged and bar stock" 1t con-
tains no bullets, but charge Of high
eXplosive-in the British army and
navy usually lyddite; in the French
army melinite, which is similar to
lyddite; in the Japanese army shimose,
which is a variant Of lyddite; in the
German army and navy usually trim
itrotoluene.
A British ordnance authority, point
ing out that the effect Of a shell is
much more local than the effect of a
shrapnel, has written:
1T is immensely destructive within
a very small area. The splinters of
an 1S-pounder field gun high explosive
shell cover an ellipse so yards broad
by ten yards long, or an area Of only
500 square yards, one-fifteenth the
area affected by shrapnel. But whereas
a wooden screen has often proved suf-
ficient shelter against shrapnel bullets,
the splinters Of a high explosive shell
wreck everything near, and the mere
concussion may be deadly to human
beings.
In addition to high explosive shell
and common shrapnel. there is high
exnlosiye Shranne which combines or
compromises shell and shrapnel quail
ties Soon after the opening Of the
twentieth century the German field ar
tillery favored the employment of
nothing but high explosive shell in
their field guns. and though no such
startling step as the complete abandon
ment of shrapnel was taken by the
German army, the allowance Of high
explosive shell was made very large.
1t was about this time that the Krupp
works brought out combination high
explosive shell and shrapnel which is
now being extensively used by German
artillery and also by the field guns of
the other armies.
A writer on artillery thus describes
this form of projectile: THE shell is
in two parts. The head contains
fuse which may be set for either time
or percussion ignition and a charge OF