Much has been written, and probably as much will be contradicted, about the new—French gun and its deadly and weird effect upon the enemy who come within range of its shells.
We learn upon good authority that the principle of the weapon is not that of scattering deadly fumes from bursting shells, such fumes as cause instantaneous death and hold the bodies of soldiers exactly in their attitude at the moment of death. The new shell brings another force into play—vibration. Soldiers who may be at the point where the shell bursts are blown to pieces, and all who may bs within a radius of fifty yards succumb to an inconceivably intense vibration set ip by the bursting of the shell.
The gun at present in use is a modification of one which has long been the subject of experiment. The first model made was mounted in a fort, and fired electrically from a distance, it being known that the tremendous concussion set up by its discharge would be dangerous, if not fatal, to the gunners. Sheep were placed inside the fort, and thes: were found dead after the gun had been fired by electrical contact. This was one of a number of experiments tried before—the model now in nee was generally adopted.
The story of "deadly fumes" annihilating whole companies of men doubtizss an exaggeration. @he probable explanation is that men who come closely within the radius of the bursting shells may suffer a sudden paralysis dus to the intensity of the explosion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.