JACKETED SHRAPNEL.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15896, 9 May 1917, Page 4

JACKETED SHRAPNEL.

Plain, ordinary shrapnel is merely a lot of round, Lali-inch lead balls loaded into a shell just a.* shot is loaded into a shot-gun barrel. When the propelling charge in the, ihell is ignited by the time-fuse, the little round lead bullets arc kicked out with I ' IU vclocitv of —I/O fL-ct a about the speed of a well-thrown baseball. This, however i» in addition to the speed ol the shell iueli' had, and the total speed of the- bullets is ample to drive them into the human body. Despite the loud noise. of tho hidi explosive shell -and the luss niudo about thein and their big guns, the most fatal projectile on tho lighting fronts is the shrapnel, the suduen muffled bang overiiead, and the fatjl shower of L'OU round bullets that sprays the ground ior yards and yaids around. The weakness of the slirapncj is tho fact that it is easily stopped, being only lead and travelling at 110 great speed. The French and British helmets stop it; the r.ew French cuirass for the body Mops it: and light protection on the trench or the motor-ear halts the soil lead bullets. 2sov/ (.the "Scicntihc American'-' anJ

nouneai;) eonirs a (li;i<l:;m with a improvement on the old loi in of sl' r . B P" ncl, a jacket of lough metal liko tl,u oa the army bullets. cither fctocl 0 ■ copper-nickel, hard am! tough, aU ' crimped around the le:nl ball after ' is fonnii!, 'I'liis is ;i horse of another colour. The jacketed leaden sphero no longer flattens out at. vhc h ast provocation, its toujrh jacket hold* it in sll#P c i and enables "it to penetrate much in<M£ into protective substance.,. I'robaU. the general adoption of armotfrcd jacketed shrapnel bullets would cut down the n.'H'ulni ss of the now coranion shrapnel helmets —and so is written .mother step in the interesting between armour and projectile tint ha* been transferred from tlie. battlcsh'P to land lighting. With the (nrmans usinc supnlcrnentarv armour on tneir helmets lor trench 'fighting, and ii c > n Sj trench that cover the whole head and stop even rifle hi'.lle!?, w'th J ll Wench usin<j a cuirass that is bcjns wld comme; c:al!y in Knc'and as wc ' the jacketed shrapnel bullet and then American armour-piercer bullet tna Cotsvthroiißh an inch of stcei mere-., put armour hack a lao in trace.