DISASTROUS WAR EXPERIMENTS.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1600, 6 February 1906, Page 6

DISASTROUS WAR EXPERIMENTS.

UA.Nt.EJi.-5 ot: MODERN EXI'EUI . MENTB. ihe nuval dUanter that »xcum<il off Kid the other day, when in tbc iiitfhi manoeuvre-, the commander of the German iorp.-dobout Si'Jti jfuvf « urong order, which lebulU-d in the- vessel s t unning on lo Or- uteri ram of th« cruiser Indinc and the drowning of thirty* three men, once more cmpbasisen the tcrribh danger# attached to the art of learning warfare. h\ery yar nrcni.ijis occur through experiments with gum* and »übuihnn««< aiid at Jield and h oa manoeuvre*, which send hundreds of poor fellow* \*» their hut account, beoidt* being re* ai|Miiibibli* f*>»: KH'at monetary lotted. Naval manoeuvres bavo b**m proli lit* in disasters, and tbai fearful weapon of di'Ntructioju, tb« ram, hati bouu one of tbe printed culprit*. In our own Navy one of the gruatcitt tni«hups hum the sinking (1 f the Victoria by the t'aiuperdown, who»« rani ploughs! its vwiy into the Victoria for a distance of nine f, v ( ( H truck tb# vessel with wuch terrific force tbal wbfc was K.-nt bodily sidewayu for a distance of HtWnty feet.

Another great mishap occurred when the Iron Duke ramtiM*d the Vanguai'd in manoeuvres oil the thirty \car« ago. Fortunately tlktij was time for the crew to leave, but an hour afterwards tl«- Vanguard, throuuli a hole in uhottc Kide, mcaxuring twenty live feet square, the water poured like a torrent, whirled round two or three limeM, and then hank to the bottom.

i'AjH'iinH'iit f» uiih huhmrtrini'B ha\e«-w likewise demouHtruted what- dotilh" trupH tln.'e ut-ujionh of war ure to I li<iKt* v\ hose duty it 'm io learn their intricacies ami powers.

I In* «'\|>|i>Hiun which ocuumid a f*'W w*-.-kK buck on the bubmtirilie Al, ■while klk- ai»l other M'KRcls were carryinu; out evolutions outride Portsmouth Harbor, will lie readily rememlwrw]. On this oiruvion, fortunately, all the " Ul ,v *uved from u t< rribio death, though tin* Milmmrine v\m« u Miotcrbont lo i||,- ill-fab*] Al which lust vear Wi-nt down ofi IWlKinouth with all her nv\v nil Itoard. IJuite recently, too. j-j t Ji»* sinking of the Kreneh nubuiariii:' larlodet, with ull handw, while immoeuvriuif u fF Sidi Ahdalluh harbor.

Almost itri productive of diitti*ter in tunc (if j•« ace in the torpedo lumt, par licularly in manoeuvre# with dentrov- • is. So t r<*fjiii'iit ace thi-H* accident*, indeed, ihat they haw often ritM to the supposition that they could !«• averted if more cjiiv were taken by the oUte.-rs in command.

Hie hiuh will-id and toi'tuoiiK movements of \\\.* - (rati, however, ur<\ in almost .\.ry r;is.-, entirely rcMpollHible. 1 till ss I Jh' f\ohll(01iW o/ torpedo flo tillas wer* earned out in nueh u tnatv a••!", the • \j»-ijm'tits would he practically lis- |< ss, 'I lit* torpedoing of the cruiser Uellartto in manoeuwvK in JeiMs Hay " ill, anions other numeroUM acrid' lit -, be recalled to mind. I'' ll ' ordinary collision* during ui.inofitvii h ate iit,-t «k fruitful a Sonne 4,|' di*unbr, and the damage done i* usually tuori' Kteriou*. Tin* collision bet We, 11 the battleship* I'nni-e <n oi jje and Hannibal while manoeuvring oil IVriul, and that lawt year wh*n the destroyer Decoy wa# *<-nt to tlii' b'>ttoin by the dcntroyer Ai tin, arc the iuok! notable in»laneeM. Altogether, irreHjMK-t i\e of tieekh 111K at experiments, Komi' forty to <i\t\ ( usUaltieK occur every year to in <nir Navy.

By comparison with the N«vy, the Ajin \ is practically fri-e froin accidentui • lui inu hj/htu and munoeuvrtti. Net only this year two tv^tvltable inililury bluml- rs ..icurre*!. i 1"' li>>l happ< tied at "here field nperutioiiti Heiv rttPtic] out b> tlii* |wt Cawdry liiijrndiand the IKt Foot <inard-. The Oranoons Were Mi eveited that they rhurU i (I l ivht up to ihe (iunnifi and uctiially slashed at them with their -uords.

11l tile seelie of will] lAeitrmelit which followed It tliianlK* mljiiluHt had hid hot-he disabled |i\ „ Mvortl <»1.

Mm- ruvulry tlii-n code ilown u yroiip nf lyclistH, übo ),.f< thfir muchincK mill K'uU.'Vtil Imiriitlly, tht> liicyclci Id iii!.' smuklihl up l>y tiic buriHiimi. Kvi-n mmc ili*a«lr<jiiK wn* Iho fatal I >l'i uilir j.iinl]\ ai Ciirrn'/li rump, ('oiinty Kililurr. „( llH' l!»lli lliisniir* ami a vijuadron nf •111- "'l' UIIKSHfH < ill-K.-.l into <.«(•!, 'Mini. Tliimitjli an I'lror, the lilth ij;il!<>|>i•<l out i tl (|„. ]>l u in uml rode llliUtl tile Ihll, \\ III! \\ t'l'l* iMit iii tin- irun<. In u iiiniiii'til mi'ii, (oil's. K. uml uun- «| ||. I'MtMiitiltil in iiiiii'siTilmhli. iDiifii-ii n, uml, imfmtii liati'l;,, „ man „ml a l 1(irKl . '■< l. 1 lII' Si'l'VKi-. villi liiiuiK rai'l at our Yoliiritii'r lIIMIIH IIVIVS liiif I'l 'MI 11 111 |„ for,. if lint iii si'iioiiv (a <Ti'utint{ i'. <l< - ;il i>f I'M'Hi'iiiciit. \ !'.■« \i'iir» uu<» nil infantry liriiriiilif «iiv I'll::ap*il in m , oMciikivi' ►llHlll iiylii i'i l.mliilii;o«»lij r ,., |„ "iii''. iiliwanl# of I>-|) i'i mud* of bull ■ ""Munition «,. n . iliKcov,.)',,) um „„ K jh" .■:iHnil,.','s almut to l„. Uml.il out 111 till' mm. U fi'arfiil illmhslj-i' tlmii ill"- fiM'tnnuti'ly |ui vi'Diii], 111. llllsl. llhl„v« H , TOl|*.|»i(*uollK lit A,.!■ r>ln,i, lias siniitni'lv Intii tin' '•"'i"- " f '•« M "'l«i-> I" I'nv .M'arh ? «|.„, tbruitcli this \i i\ raiisi-, fiKit-c tliuti «»m* wet inn «m tin- Quii-ii s |ia>< -lumhl.vl jut,. s, will, si'lioiiH I'l'siiltk in mum f'hsis. 'lVm'sun'*.'