El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-23

, three feet in length and about as big
around as a mans arm az the biceps. II
consists Of steel sheu. which Is perhaps
Is inches long FILLED with lead bullets half
an inch thick There Is a hole running
through the center OF the shell from
front 10 back which Is filled with powder.
and this connects with a little chamber
Of black powder IA the end Of the she'll
This lower end Of thedsheu IS fitted Into
a long brass container. which is filled
with suokeless powder the explosive
which sends the shell forth from the gun.
The front end o. nose Of the shell is
rounded Into cone. and the tip consists
OF a brass cap containing the fuse This
Is an intricate piece OF mechanism which
may be set by the gunner so that it viii
ignite the powder within the shell az 5ust
the right time after siring and that In
such a way that the cap will blow off and
the hundreds Of bullets within pour forth
IN a shower on the enemy.
The steel shell IS the projectiIa It
does not burst during the firing The
shell might be compared 20 a gun shot
from a gun, its charge IN the shape OF
the bullets within going of only when 10
reaches the enemy. The range OF a three
miles Il goes out Of the field gun at a
speed o. 1900 feet per second. and flies
from q 70 % seconds before 1t drops TO
TIIs Air with Bullets.
when still flying TIE frss bursts forth.
and the bullets pour out n a great cone
covering a space about as long as city
block and as vide as the street running
through IT, The effect IS 20 make single
projectile a flying mine. which showers
something Ike 800 bullets. any one OF
which can put a man out Of the fight.
and which covers a radius which IS co or
more feet in width and $50 feet long.
This is supposinE that the fuse be set 20
90 or within one Dr. two miles Of the
end OF the gun from which it IS fired.
During its retreat from Belgium 70
Paris the French army iu one week fired
about 900. 600 rounds Of ehrannel. and that
shrapnel alone is said 70 have cost over
$4,000. 000- The amount being used on
the western fronts IS many times as large
as that used by the French during their
retreat The first shrapnei sent from
America TO France during this war cost
something Ike SIS apiece. The cost IS
much greater today.
Evolution Of the shell.
The story % the evolution o. shrap-
mel dates back 90 The beginning OF
history. Cain used club when he
fought the sirst battle. but missiles ana
projectiles were used soon thereafter. We
all remember how David with a sling
end with a stone" defeated the Phiiis-iues
by killing thc great Goliath q Cath and
how later on mighty catapults and other
machinery were used 20 throw stones al
the enemy Then came the inventions u
powder and or lead and iron shot OF one
kind or another The cirst pro1ectiles
fired from cannon were darts. and stone
shot The darts had iron heads or were
wrapped with Leather 90 fit the bore
Of small guns: they continued in use
even after the discovery Of America.
stone shot were employed on account OF
cheapness and later still shot OF cast iron
II was along about the time that Co
lumbus crossed the Atlantic that case
shot, or bullets OF lead or iron were
packed IN wooden casts OF canvas bags
and thus shot forth from the cannon. and
about the same time Erapeshot were used
The latter consisted o. iron balls laid up
IN tiers. and separated by iron plates
They were held together by iron bolts
through the center or the plate
In the siege Of Gibraltar IN 1852 the
English used redhot shot to destroy tho
Spanish dsot and ths French batteries