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Show ARMOR VSJ GUNS. , ! ' , The : Minister . of Austria-Hungary says that, guided by the lessons of the Japanese-Russian war, Austria has perfected a new 'and greatly improved gun, for both light artillery and siege use, and that preparations 'are going on to improve the infantry arm to give the guns more range and more efficiency. ' "We wonder when that trouble between guns and armor will be settled. Of course it cannot be until a gun shall be perfected that can pierce any armor. The modern battleship are built on the theory that no gun can penetrate their irmor. When the keel of the Dreadnaught was laid, the statement was made that her armor would be invincible against all known artillery and also that it could stand off an ordinary torpedo. It was Admiral Farragut's idea, in his lifetime, that it was only a question of a short time when the. nations would cease to put armor on their ships, the same as soldiers, on the invention of gunpowder, put away their coats of mail; but so far the armor has had the best of the guns and unless this new invention inven-tion in Austria is something clear out of the ordinary, ordi-nary, armor plating will still have the best of the problem. ' . It comes pretty straight that a new steel is about to be made; that the great secret of transforming steel crystals into fibers- has been perfected. In that case ships will only need about one-half the thickness of armor that they now need, unless, at the same time guns are manufactured "out of this steel which cannot be exploded, no matter how heavy the charge. s If this should prove true, then the old struggle will come back between the best armor and the best eun. Speaking of armored shops, we hope Congress will respond to the President's call for a greatly increased in-creased navy. "We have thousands and thousands of miles of coast that must be protected, and the most certain way to prevent war is to have the reputation that should a war come, the nation is so protected by its ships, fortresses and guns that no other power can prevail against it. |