New-York tribune., 1890-03-31
RANGE IS KNOWN.

cIusion as TO tie suitability Of The herlan range hnder
Range Finder Board IN IT. report; recommends 'na a.,
allotment of 5000. or 80 mach iicl',i a, lnH @ w.
proved September o. 49, FOR the o7, 9' ale io
mis- instrument be to the Light Artillery Scho" in
Hct bcaring mon IL, advantages and Disadvantage
as an Instrument for general use in The military
The Boari regard. such tct c-cnal l"are saiis
factory conclusions can hc drawn u, - ,'' ~.
Ills instrument for the actual conditions "t III" ar
iillery service; - .c,orrrrD
MajorGcncral L. :. Army. I'rc..idcrt q n'aa'
captain Ordnance Department. Recorder.
"pprCsGg signed, REDrIFLp PROCTOR:
-. rotary 4 War.
Tho Rancc Finder Eoard consisting of Captain
Casey. c,p;ain Greer and Captain Riley. have been
cNpcrimcn,lns with the Ec,ian range finder at Gov
eruor's Island and It woud seem that having f'hna IL
valuable to lt branch of the service they have recon-
mendcd II, trial the field 10 scc Il il VIII prove u
be as satisfactory there
The instrument consists of pivo'ed base al rsr
angles 10 one end 81 which a telescope }. hA.".
Another telescope 3. pvo,od 20 The Other end 81 tir
ta.. and may Dc -wtnS about u, PIVOT ~ m,i"
meter screw. Whose motion j. mNi"P..en ".in. . "'H
and carried g. a graduated drum anc pAhi'r. ilr
edge of steel ribbon nar'f the N''u'"' '''' '''
u fhc mode OF operation t.en is TO swing Tic ba.c
until the telescope liked there POM. ca, ~.
The OBJECT. This occar' whc- a sihM'r :" ',". ~, -
lust p,rcepiiblc icfwc,n TIE ciG' % the ".Jc an.
The odsc OF The ribbon In tlr Telescope INr pHV'n
telescope Is tl"u swHnc b, Hrtn' ~ t"' A,'
screw nn,.l a-o pllnl- directly a tlc o!', i".
reading OF the saase th"n el.r 'ne cFt's s r,,ii IS
dne 10 The familiar property %. similar trinf- Nli'n
renders their -lc- proportional, IL VIII ~ '.'a. ,
there arc similar Triangle, here "lr oi Nl." "a
for ,s base the di tnCc moved bs tho nicfom"cr r."
while ono side +, hNcd and known qnnntt' ''nS
tho d'ianre from thc pV"i on VIZ" '' o'n|. ~
Anrie one side j. lnpwn and nScd being the icn-ih
Of The base oi TIC machine or distance hc"'rn '.c
two telescope. Having these iis'" .dr- '' hN''ns
Of tho foari-thc d'ianc" 10 ne 'r & l,.H ",j'' , .
simple matter Of multiplication aid 'N''4'"' l'o
ra;io being De- .sInlncd H. ans Nay ~ D. 80 - -
Il tho scale that a. shall Indicate ihr ''h di'th''
aud render these simple calculation, rh"e'cs
in speaking about the u-c- and development O.
hi, Iau gc-andcr General Bcrd,n recently aid
range fnder ds'~ back to leo. when Wa orrfh'
Ing my regiment q -.l' .e3c's D. 'r ~ n.i's
the range. oven with tie ir-t II marl-mcu. ""
no" J.. a. r'ru'-i fi~'4 10" a''-' ".'"''N n'
cii GERS and ,of - whether We should Arm tir
men men. w'aa aa. 7il lDr =" "' u, ,'l ,,,' ,.
We could d. well enough Mia M lighter shape
ie nlld Win ci'Aer ID thai ~ practical purp,.-
the -harpr- fncs wc.. -un.cient IL prove thl,
fed of na'ins rlcot ,.,e.dns iwa- ioaasd ,n.
capitol. ont Of the mcile oi whl % r'.c Nile lE.h.
W 100 me men. armed With ici"t1p' rn,' ,rrrd tl,n
{" fire al j.. They banged away, brit not oIo - them
ordered 10 nrc again. one nulie oni o the De- 'dri
tooh effect ~hcn we had each man report h.. g.
bullets explained fh' mtn who rHes-'i n'tf,,t
was 800 'ard, mort Itc .s.e men were iNcr c~'cn ~
sharpe rife. nci,rc "a fourth Of the compat ha
obcyci The barrel had disappoar from sight. reduced
to hirdlug-wo"d hy the rain ol bullet
'1hc moral Of mis- lijlc si3s. teaches that. Il
that body y ,.aaol mlrasiaen had rn a,.., ed L,
,Ie l,f" cloud 81 G.t ihisrn ND ny Tine .pcnt ball.
81 rr Of If /
Willie II they bad had dn accurate rttf"-iiitlcr u ~
have annihliatod force Ten time. thcir number
From that tim" ~ ! w;o.'cd with Tire range
finder problem cNp,nilrr olioe tier. .upio.c 300.
came % me one day wnle wa it'i 'ilns by me
icca worried over and over uniil insinmcn;
of absolute accuracy i' produced. whatever error
thinAne that he ha, TIE telescope, ppntlny directly
a; the object when in reality iey are htilr q" one
size the other. b1' Il va, found by a long s"fl"'
II experiments prusta that ihs ma ,iuum average
error wa only unity three yard. at distance ~
range Of . gun ishtcd for thai distance which re
snlt from inequalities In the po~d'- oc 50 that for
all practical pprp,,e, the instrument hao the necr,
Tncy a.c made in several silc- the smallest. d.
signed fG use WIN t" Infantry !, transported on
pack mule. and when in usc on the held /, carried
coast defence and siege worl. has base Eve meres
long and j. mounted IN case Oh fonr wheels look
s nni i fbc tro% iU OF 'ingic cvei ITS ali hc pyo,
points and knife cdacs on which tie accuracy of The
instrument
rangcindcr j. n0' IN nsr or J. under transportation
The Instrument with which thr Boaid experimental
on Governors island was one o thc largest ,le. and
four artillery EOr-r~ Nanhcd 10 arOuhd tho |
roughcst roads and sOn.cs lcachcs until the running
gear wa, nearly ruined. hn tho accuracy OF the range
finding apparatus was unahcctcd
Another advantage re.nlting from his construction |
Of range finder J. that not 1nN viii 10 fc exact
distance Of a stationary movable object Ia f.W !
.cconds. but IL j. also possible to set u for nXri
dfS'.rcc. ard by Keeping IL Oh moving object irii |
tnc rxac moment whsn that object alprcaclcs Within
tho fixed distance. THIS = c,den,ly Of gfcat valno
fin coast Gcirncc. Suppose q lritish r0ncad Is
ing up sandy Ilorh BAY and hattery II twenty |
gnns at Fort Hamilton arc trained rpDr her The |
oldcre arc 10 give hcr Il vocv every 500 metres.
20 as IN rive the correct elevation for 1000 mclrcs.
and each cunuc: keeps his piece trained ON the bows
of the aprfOar hing Lonclad. The rnyc finder Is set
nj 5000 metres The officer looking through
telescope Keeps II pointed c>acily II the smoke stack
or some other convenient object the ship The |
tIe smoke stack. IL hcrr In the hcid II the glass.
Int il is not in line with the edge Of the ribbon.
tbe ship apprOachcs The 5000 metre point she
nearer and nearer 10 Tie focus ~ The two lines of
eight and the observer ~ the second telescope sce,
inc smoke stack creeping m toward the "ibbon edge.
Finally thc two darh objects come together and
Inc last gllmmcr Of light between them disappear,
n ON ihc Observers vision he tpurl"r lr, that Ii"S
thc entire batter, hy electricity. and twenty hugo
Drojcctiles leap into tho air and pDnncc on the
doomed ship with Gciii, accnra'y and cheerful
nnanlmty. This Is repeated AT 800 ncirrs. aciin
nt 900 and ae long rs there T hnvfhing lcff
al which to Wth This range finder and twenty
guns artillery officers guarantee - pnt enough shot
INTO an arpfoachin. ironc!nd TO sink her simply hv
thc dead weight thereof before she couli get up TO
What vii; be the elect the art Of Of tho