AMMUNITION 



237 



AMMUNITION 



in the business of cold storage and in the 

 making of ice. See ICE, subhead Artificial Ice. 



As already noted, ammonia is a compound 

 of nitrogen with hydrogen. Nitrogen is the 

 most abundant constituent of the air. It is not 

 very difficult to separate atmospheric nitrogen 

 from oxygen, the other chief constituent. Hy- 

 drogen also can be made without much expense. 

 Recently it has been found possible to com- 

 bine the elements nitrogen and hydrogen to 

 form ammonia. This is done by mixing the 

 two gases, one volume of nitrogen to three 

 of hydrogen, putting on a very high pressure 

 and heating almost to redness. This process 

 is called the synthesis of ammonia synthesis 

 meaning putting together. J.F.S. 



AMMUNITION, am yu' nish un, a compre- 

 hensive term used to describe all that is neces- 

 sary for firing guns of all sizes. Armies in the 

 field are supplied with what is called fixed 

 ammunition for use with machine guns, small 

 cannon, rifles, carbines, revolvers and pistols. 

 This ammunition consists of a cartridge made 

 of drawn brass with a charge of some explosive 

 and a bullet or shell. Being in one piece, it is 

 easily handled and rapid fire can be maintained. 

 Field artillery firing shells of more than 4-inch 

 caliber is supplied with ammunition in which 

 the explosive propellant and the shell are 

 loaded separately. A modern howitzer fires a 

 >h 11 weighing as much as 2,800 pounds, and 

 special mechanical contrivances are necessary 

 to hoist the shell into the breech of the gun. 

 The powder is loaded separately, in cloth bags 

 which are placed in a brass cartridge, after the 

 shell has been forced into place. Such big guns 

 can fire not more than two shots per minute. 

 Lighter artillery firing shells weighing twelve 

 or eighteen pounds may discharge six or eight 

 shells per minute. 



Explosives. There are a great number of ex- 

 plosives used in ammunition, and though all 

 are based on the same principles, no two armies 

 use exactly the same formula. Lyddite, cord- 

 melinite and maximite are among the most 

 powerful used, and, so keen is the desire among 

 ns to possess the most deadly destroyer, 

 constant improvements are being made and 

 fresh discoveries announced. All shells of more 

 than one pound in weight fired from big guns 

 are explosive. Each shell contains a charge of 

 powder which causes the shell to burst, by 

 means of a time fuse, at a certain distance from 

 th mm, or on striking any object in its flight. 

 In tin- \v a of the Nations a very high percent- 

 age of wounds was inflicted by "shrapnel" .hrll. 



the most destructive form of projectile yet in- 

 vented. It consists of a metal base, containing 

 a charge of powder, and from 350 to 700 bullets, 

 according to its size. The shell is burst by 

 the charge and the bullets are released, plung- 

 ing forward and spreading with terrific force. 



Modern Bullets. The modern rifle bullet is 

 made of a core of lead, covered with a coat 

 of nickel or steel. It is oval in shape and has 

 rather a sharp point. Each soldier in the field 

 carries 100 cartridges, his store being replen- 

 ished from ammunition carts which follow the 

 troops into action. The effective range of mod- 

 ern rifles is about 3,000 yards, or nearly two 

 miles, while big guns will send a shell weighing 

 considerably more than a ton a distance of 

 from seventeen to twenty miles. In the War of 

 the Nations the Germans possessed one style 

 of great gun with a range of twenty-six miles. 

 Cartridges of the 'highest type for shot guns 

 are made of brass or paper and brass and 

 loaded with a smokeless powder and a charge 

 of pellets or shot varying in size according 

 to the. game to be" hunted. Cartridges for sport- 

 ing rifles are similar to those used by the mili- 

 tary, but the bullet is usually heavier in order 

 to kill big game. 



Naval Ammunition. Ammunition used in 

 naval warfare differs from that used on land in 

 that the object aimed at is the destruction of 

 ships rather than men. The shells fired are 

 therefore designed to pierce the armor of the 

 vessel and sink or disable it. Naval guns of 

 12- and 15-inch caliber are used by big vessels, 

 firing shells with hardened steel points. The 

 effective range for such shells is as great as 

 eight to ten miles. The War of the Nations 

 brought into greater prominence than ever be- 

 fore in the history of the world the destructive 

 value of the torpedo, a cigar-shaped cylinder 

 containing a charge of powerful explosive 

 which is discharged by percussion on coming 

 in contact with a vessel (see TORPEDO). 



There have been many international con- 

 ferences concerning ammunition that may or 

 may not be used in warfare. A certain amount 

 of humanity may be exercised even in war, 

 and it is generally considered that it is not 

 necessary to mutilate men in order to put them 

 out of a fight. Hence the use of expansive bul- 

 lets, called dum-dum bullets, which flatten on 

 impact apd inflict a terrible wound, has been 

 universally condemned. Supplying modern ar- 

 mies with ammunition is one of the greatest 

 problems of war, for the expenditure of shells 

 is enormous. The German armies before Lem- 



