THE PRODUCTION OF EXPLOSIVES 147 



equally inexperienced officials, there were but 1.25 per 1000 

 killed per annum during this period, while for the last previous 

 five-year period in peace time the killed were I per 1000 per 

 annum. 



Some data as to the extent to which explosives were used may 

 be of interest. Naturally since magazine rifles, machine guns 

 and rapid fire cannon were used extensively and large caliber 

 guns, of greater caliber, more numerously than ever before, 

 the expenditure of ammunition exceeded that ever known. All 

 calibers above small arms used high explosive shell. High ex- 

 plosives were also used in mines and torpedoes, which attained 

 dimensions greater than in former use, in depth bombs devised 

 for attack on submarines, and in drop bombs designed for use 

 from airplanes and airships. 



Data for small arm ammunition is not at hand but of artillery 

 it may be said that while the total number of rounds fired by 

 the Union Army at the battle of Gettysburg was 32,781, the 

 British Army at the battle of the Somme in 1916 fired 4,000,00x3 

 rounds ; and that while the total number of rounds fired by the 

 Union Army throughout the Civil War from 1861 to 1865 was 

 5,000,000, the United States, British and French armies in 1918 

 fired 160,615,000 rounds. Of high explosives it may be said 

 that the 75-mm. shell originally designed for one-half pound of 

 black powder, in 1918 contained 1.76 pounds of high explosive. 

 The United States naval mine carried 300 pounds of TNT and 

 there were 70,000 of them anchored in the North Sea mine 

 field. The charge used in blowing up the Messines Ridge is 

 stated to have been 466.6 tons in weight, consisting princi- 

 pally of TNT. The largest single charge previously recorded 

 was 141 tons, principally rackarock, used in blowing up Flood 

 Rock at Hell Gate, N. Y. 



