El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-23
! ASHINGToN. D. c., Feb. "a
M Should the criminal be
$1,000 - = y--.----.. t-os,.-- -

! ASalNG4ONs u. - req. 90
M Should the criminal be
treated as a human being OF
as wild beast?
This is a question which the fed
eral government is trying TO solve by
practical experiments of a kind both
interesting and novel.
In some Of the southern states=for
instance, In Georgia, Florida, South
Carolina and North CaroIina-con-
victs are employed in making roads,
and in farming tracts acquired for
sold and the proceeds turned into the
public funds.
The evil doors thus employed. when
not at work, are usually confined in
cages on wheels, much like those Of
menageries. But the cages that &C
company travelling circuses allow
PLENTY Of room for their occupants,
whereas the human prisoners are
frightfully crowded. one cage (of
ordinary circus size) commonly af-
fording sleeping quarters for 80 men.
Prisoners not in cages are secured
up its nuzzle velocity It would 20 90
miles IN a minute. or 1900 miles IN an
hour. II would fly from New York 10
Chicago within 80 minutes. and from Bos-
NoA ~ s7t-I AdnlA1~t III AE11 lAAlL4 wv
hours-
Boston to Berlin IN Three Hours.
II we could keep up the speed with
which the shell starts out OF the gun we
might fire the shot in Boston IN the early
morning and within less than three hours,
drop the shell down on the palace OF the
kaiser in Berlin Or II we let II pass On.
II would so clear around the globe and
come back to Boston before we had yet
gone to bed.
These figures give you some idea Of the
force with which these mighty bodies Of
steel are sent out from our great ships
Of war. The nuzzIe energy is more than
10000 foot tons: that IS, Il is strong
enough TO raise a weight OF 10000 tons
to a height OF one foot. II will carry
the shells distance OF more than II
miles at one shot, and Il VIII make them
90 through more than two feet OF solid
nickel. or HarTeyized steel.
The projectiles used by the navy ars
different from those OF the army They
have to be constructed so they will no;
break upon striking They are so hard
and so tough that they will pass through
heavy steel plates which form the armor
Of battieship and explode inside, thus
doing great damage, wrecking the ma
chinery or disabling the boiler. They
may break the propeller or set the maya
zine OF munitions on fire such projec-
tiles must be OF the finest Of steel and
the alloys which form their points are
50 hard that 10 tool VIII cut them A
point contains a large amount Of carbon.
ana lL1 hardness Is somewhat Ike that
OF the diamond which Will cut almost
anything The diamond is crystalized
carbon
Must Be MsrvelousIy Accurate.
The gun and the shells must be made
30 that they fit to wonderful degree OF
accuracy. The shell for the I4-inch gun
Is exactly Il inches in thickness II IS so
formed that when It goes forth. II whirls
around with It's point always in a direct
line overhead This whirIing motion Is
made by the rifling OF the gun and the
way the shell fits into IT, This Is Of such
a nature that the greatest OF mechanical
skill Is required 70 make both guns and
shells. In many respects both may be
said 10 be built like watch.
Harmless" Powerful Powder.
The powder used IN firing the guns Is
made from a by-pr duct OF coal tar which
under ordinary c yndftions 4 perfectly
harmless You c=fn light # and it will
burn with a fame or II left out in the
open It may be struck with a hammer.
But II II IS confined in the gun and de-
tonated It bursts forth with a force
greater than dynamite. and this force
gradually Increases until It gives the enor-
nous power which I have described. This
growth OF power starts the movement OF
TO the gun. but the force increases 80
rapidly that the destruction created Is be-
yond ina gination. II sends the enor-
nous projectile 1 have described out with
such force that II viii pillow through steel
and iron. perforstins the older ships
though they were so much paper. It viii
make its way through 4 foot or more OF
solid steel and the strongest combinations
OF metal cannot Withstand IT.