Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/296

* BOMBARDIER. 260 BOMBARDMENT. military title used in the British artillery. Act- ing bombardier is the first rank above gimner or driver, and bombardier the rank immediately higher. It is an ai)pointment of the major com- manding the battery, and, unlike the rank of ser- geant, which can only be taken away by a regimental court-martial, may be canceled at any time by the commanding officer. BOMBARDIER BEETLES (for origin of name, see liclow). Ground-beetles, Carabida-, of the genus Brachinus. They are black, green, or blue beetles, with reddish-yellow legs. They live on the surface of the ground, and when closely pursued by an enemy, such as a predatory beetle, they discharge from the anus, with an explosive sound, a drop of fluid which turns to visible smoke-like gas on contact with the air. By the time the pursuer has recovered from astonish- ment and the inconvenience of this gas, the bom- bardier has frequently made good its escape ; but, if needful, the discharge can be quickly repeated several times. When the reservoir which con- tains it is opened by dissection, the liquid effer- vesces and evaporates instantaneously. It changes blue vegetable colors to red, and then to yellow; produces sharp pain when ap|)lied to the tongue, and leaves a yellow spot upon its surface like that produced by a drop of nitric acid. There are about twenty-five species in the United States. See Ground-Beetle. BOM'BARDIN'IAN, General. The name of a general in a burlesque play, Chrononhoton- tholuqos, by Henry Carey (1874). He insults his monarch by inviting him to a dinner of hashed pork, and when the latter calls him 'traitor,' slays him in mortal combat. BOM'BARDIN'IO. The pen-name of Wil- liam Maginn, founder of Fraser's Magazine in 1830. BOMBARDMENT (Fr. bomhnrdr, a cannon, a musical instrument; It. hombarda, a musical instrument, a cannon; from T;at. hombus, boom- ing noise; cf. bomb). An attack upon the forti- fications of an opponent by artillery, cannon, and other heavy ordnance. All modern battles begin, when possible, by a heavy bombardment of the enem.v's position. (See Attack.) The bombardment of a fortified town is a much more ditlicult undertaking, owing to the practical im- possibility of knowing what results are being accomplished, or with what degree of accuracy the aim is taken. With reasonably strong de- fenses and time for preparation, together with means speedily available for the suppression of confiagration. the modem bombariiment is more formidable for its moral effect and usefulness in blockading than for the actual damage it does the enemy, great as that might possibly be. It is an established fact that few modem bombardments have l)een particularly destruc- tive. At the siege of Paris by the Germans, in the W'ar of 1870-71, an average of 500 shells daily actually fell within the city, but accom- plished comparatively little damage. In the British-Boer War of i81)il-l!)02 the bondiardment of Ladysmilh and Kimberley was of daily iK'Cur- rence, the deadliest of modem ordnance and ex- plosives being brought into use; bvit there also little damage was inflicted. Buildings under the flag of the Red Cross are required to be some distance away from the combatants, and are supposed to be exempt from bombardment. According to international agreement, 24 hours' or more notice of bombardment is given for the protection of non-combatants and their property. The attack of defensive positiims by naval vessels is not generally regarded as likely to result in serious injury, but much depends on the character of attack. Moreover, permanent in- jury may not be sought. In many instances it lias been foimd possible to smother the fire of a fort by rapid fire from the small and medium calibre guns of ships. Where the guns are mounted behind low parapets or breastworks, and the embrasures are large, this may easily be done, if the preponderance of fire of the ships is considerable. At the attack on the de- fenses of San .Juan, Porto Rico, in May, 189.S, by the fleet under Admiral Sampson, the Morro batteries, armed with very recently constructed six-inch guns, were silenced, tlunigh not much injured. Protected in this way by the fire of the fleet, the torpedo-boat Porter was able to go close under the guns of the fort and examine the harbor, in order to ascertain what Spanish ships were in the port. In the various bom- bardments of the batteries at Santiago, the men were driven from the works, but the damage done was of little account. The bombardment of the town by the vessels of the fleet was very successful, and was the leading immediate cause of the surrender. The guns used were of eight- inch calibre, the shells weighing 2,')0 pounds. The naval vessels fired over an intervening rise of ground with a range of 4 miles, the fall of the projectiles being reported by the Army Signal Corps. For fear of striking in the Ameri- can lines, the first shells were directed too far to the left, and fell into the water. The ne.xt lot — about 25 of them — all fell on the water-front street, in a space about 200 yards long and .SO yards wide. The third lot fell in a space of about the same area, about half way from the water-front to the palace, wrecking the interior of every house they struck, and in some cases destroying the exterior walls. The direction of the firing was again changed, and three shells fell just beyond the palace, passing close to its roof, when the signal to cease firing was seen. The Sjtaniards realized that the Americans were slowly feeling their way to the intrenchmcnts, and that it was only a question of a very short time when they would be reached and made un- tenable. As the majority of the inhabitant.s had left Santiago at this time, no one was hurt by the bombardment. At the same time that the ships w'ere bombarding, the army field-artillery was also throwing shells into the city; but they were too small (weighing less than 20 jiouiids) to in- jure buildings or to have nnich moral effect on the enemy. All other recent bomliardments liave taught the same lessons as may l)e learned from these; which are, that the damage dime to forti- fications is trifling compared to the expenditure of annnunition, but that, when the bombardment is directed against trenches or troops in the open, the actual and moral effects are consider- able. It must not be assnnieil that because ships cannot successfully attack forts the latter can stop a fleet of mixlern armored shijis from running by lliem. Of cours(' some of the ships may be badly damaged, but if the channel is clear and not too close to the enemy's guns, the greater part of the vessels will probably get bj' without serious injury. In the Report of the