Popular Science Monthly 



819 



The guarding of this railroad bridge across the Pecos River on the Mexican frontier was 

 accomplished by means of acetylene search-lights located on the banks below the bridge 



Protecting a Bridge from Villa 

 with Acetylene Lamps 



DURING the trouble in Mexico it 

 was feared along the frontier that 

 the Mexican desperadoes might destroy 

 American bridges, thereby preventing, or 

 more or less seriously hindering, the effort 

 of the American troops ordered across the 

 border in capturing bloodthirsty Villa. 

 On several occasions bands of maraud- 

 ers threatened to dynamite the bridge of 

 the Southern Pacific Railroad, which 

 stretches, a delicate steel thread, across 

 the Pecos River. The Southern Pacific 

 Railroad bridge which is three hundred 

 and twenty feet in length, spans the 

 lower course of the Pecos River where 

 it flows into the Rio Grande. The 

 bridge is one of the most important 

 connecting links in the southern branch 

 of the Texas division of the railroad, 

 and its demolition, a comparatively easy 

 matter, would cause a tremendous loss 

 because of the delay in freight shipments. 

 To forestall the plans of a possible Villa 

 dynamite squad, troops were stationed at 

 regular points along the roadbed of the 

 river. At several places underneath the 

 bridge, powerful acetylene search-lights 

 were turned on at night. Because of the 

 vigilance of the 19th United States In- 

 fantry, which was stationed on the bridge, 

 the Mexicans made no attacks. 



The Gentlest Bullet 



A CAT may be killed i^y shooting, but 

 the use of chloroform is generally 

 considered more humane. Shooting has 



its merciful side also, and during the 

 period of the present war, much has been 

 said regarding the most humane bullet. 

 The bullet used by the French infantry 

 •cannot be said to be desirable, yet it is 

 perhaps the least painful and produces 

 the fewest bad effects of any now in use. 

 Its swiftness enables it to pass right 

 through the body and to cut a very 

 small, clean hole, without tearing the 

 surrounding tissue. The chance of^ 

 escaping important nerve centers is thus 

 greatly increased. 



The greatest injury is caused by tear- 

 *ing open the tissues and splitting the 

 bones. Many heavy bullets act in this 

 way as well as the dum-dum bullets, 

 so much talked about last year. Shrap- 

 nel balls are not so disastrous in their 

 effects. They have so little force back 

 of them that they 

 seldom penetrate 

 bey^ond the outer ^. ^y 



muscular 11^ -r 



coating. if 



Vigilant American troopers kept the calcium 

 focused on the delicate steel structure all night 



