Shields For Modern Warriors

1900

Recent experiments at Sheffield, England, suggest the possibility that in the twentieth century shields may once more form an important part of the equipment of an army.

Steel shields, three millimetres in thickness and about 150 square inches in area, have been devised, which afford complete protection against bullets fired from the service rifle at a range of 400 yards. The small size of the shield, which weighs only seven pounds, requires that the soldier shall lie prone on the ground in order to be sheltered.

Each shield has a loophole for the rifle, and studs at the sides so that a series of them can be linked into a continuous screen. The idea is that by the use of such shields the necessity of digging trenches may often be avoided.


Decline of The Yellowstone Geysers

Prof. E. H. Barbour of the University of Nebraska, after comparing his own observations in 1895 with those in 1899, and collecting the opinions of other visitors to the National Park, expresses the fear that within a decade many of the scenes now most attractive in the wonderful Yellowstone Valley will have disappeared. He gives details showing that nearly all the hot springs and geysers have declined in activity.

"Old Faithful" geyser still does honor to its name, but the interval between its eruptions, formerly an hour, has increased to 75 or 80 minutes. Meanwhile there seems to be an increase of ebullition in the water of the greatest of all the geysers, the Excelsior, whose outbursts have always been separated by irregular periods, covering years at a stretch, and there is hope that it may be preparing another exhibition of its power. — Youth's Companion.