Show DONT SHOOT SOLID SHOT artillery lias abandoned tho use of that projectile the use of solid shot in warfare has been practically given up the projectile of today to day is a conical shell of steel and sometimes loaded powder so as to explode or by a time fuse it is wonderfully different from alie shell of twenty five years ago says the washington star in those days one could watch the projectile as it sailed through the air in a graceful curve at length bursting there was een time to get out of the way under favorable circum stances but the new style of shell moves at the rate of a little more than half a mile a second in striking a metal target its energy being transformed instantaneously into helit it becomes red hot and a flame is actually seen to burst from the point struck such a projectile moves one liht say in a straight line and its impact at a distance of a mile seems almost simultaneous with the discharge of a gun such a shell passing near a man will tear his clothes off merely from the if it comes very near though without hitting him it will kill him de drops dead without a sign of a wound whereas an old style shell would burst into a few pieces the modern projectile fides into a myriad of small fragments each of them moving with tremendous velocity it may easily be imagined that half a dozen six pound shells finding their way intha essel would scatter death and destruction in every direction protective armor owing to its great weight can be placed only over the ships vitals that Is to say along the middle part of the hull near the water line so as to cover the machinery in future battles gunners will direct their fire against the unarmored ends of an opposing vessel |