The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-03
TARGETS ON THE SEA.
How the TarS Learn to Hit a Mark
With Big Guns.

For a Lady's Dress Is Blown Up
With Every Shot-The Character of
the Report-A 3-Pounder Rapid
Fire Gun Has the Most Vicious Bark
Of AIl-Hardening the Big Projec-
tiles.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
Target practice as carried out in the
ravy today consists of stationary and
moving practice, the former a more or
les preliminary form of exercise, the lat
ter to enable the gunner to apply knOwl-
edge previously gained, under conditions
supposedly approXlmatlng those of actual
-rinC in time of war The target is Ordi-
rarily tationary; that is to say, it is al
owed to float freely, but it is not moved.
announcement and practical method of
Giving it rapid motion has yet been de
used. But this will-nay, it must-come.
still. vessel passing a target at the
sneed Of twelve knots gives practically
HE same practice as if both target and
vessel were moving in opposite directions
alta speed of six knots each
The regulation target, which has re
NAMED unchanged for years, consists of
y triangle of boards lying fat in the
water: through the center of the triangle
q vertical staff is supported, carrying
shot AT the lower end for ballast, two or
Of the staff is stayed to each corner of
the triangle by a small rope. On this
rope is secured triangular piece of white
cloth its inner edge parallel to the staff
and the bottom to the surface of the
water The inner lower corner is tied to
the staff,
WHAT THE TARGET LOOKS LIKE.
Each of these three right-angled tri-
angles has black semi-circle painted on
It's inner edge, the diameter of the circle
against the staff. The appearance of the
target at the usual distance, is always
that of a white equiangular triangle with
ablack ball in the center, no matter how
it may twist and turn about. Barrels,
boxes and wooden floats of various forms
are used for rapid fire gun, small arm and
sub-caliber practice Owing to the long
range of heavy guns target practice is
carried on at sea in unfrequented waters
10 avoid danger to vessels and other
property. All cruising ships are required
TO have practice once each quarter with
all Calibers of guns on board. Complete
records of the firing, with a diagram
showing the distance of each shot from
the target as it passed it, are forwarded
to the navy department
The guns of ships battery are di-
vided into groups called gun divisions,
each in charge of a lieutenant or ensign.
Each gun is ordinarily fired by the sea-
man in charge of il, who is called the gun
captain, though occasionally it may be
found advisable. to allow particularly
good marksman who is not otherwise
qualified for a gun captain to aim and fire.
The officer of the division exercises gen
eral supervision, but would not Ordina-
Tlly aim the guns.
FIRING GUNS BY ELECTRICITY.
In turret ships carrying heavy guns
the officer of the gun or division usually
aims and fires, and in ships fitted with
arrangements for firing the battery by
electric means from the coming tower,
the captain of the ship may do the firing,
the guns being kept trained on the target
by the captain of the gun as usual. If
Tor any reason the gun no longer points at
the target or enemy, it is cut out of the
firing circuit by the gun captain, who
breaks the connection. 1t this way only
those guns trained on the target will be
fired, no matter how many there are on
the circuit.
In order to determine the accuracy of
fire, two observing stations at right angles
TO each other are established. One of the
observers Is usually on board the ship, the
other in boat which is to keep as nearly
as possible on a line through the center of
the target right angles to the line of fire.
The observer on the snip notes the dis
lance from the target to the right or left
Of the splash of the prOjectile where it
touches the water for the first time The
observer in the boat notes whether the
splash is short of the target or beyond it,
and how much. The target and Observ-
ers being in position and everything in
readiness, the crew are sent to quarters,
and the vessel having attained her dis
lance, she is started ahead and the firing
begins
FINDING THE DISTANCE OF A TARGET.
The distance of target is ascertained
by u range finder or by sextant angles.
When other means are not availa-
bic ii may be determined eXperimentally
by trial shots from the guns of the
secondary battery. The practice with
the secondary battery is usually at
shorter range than with the larger guns,
running from 500 to 1 200 yards, as against
LOCO TO $500 yards. The percentage of
mts and good shots is much higher natur-
ally, for the rapid fire and machine guns
are handled like rife on rest.
long bar is bolted to the gun slide
and has a hollow rubber tube fastened to
the inner end to rest against the shoulder
as buffer. This bar is used like the
stock of an ordinary musket-by means of
ID the gun is elevated, depressed and
trained in the smaller Calibers, turning
upon the trunnions and training horizon
JIcally about a vertical pivot. The rapid
hre guns are all fitted with quick work
Ing breech mechanism; a single motion
sufices to open the breech, turn the plug
out OF the way and eject the empty shell.
THE POWDER FOR BIG GUNS.
The ammunition for the great guns is
put up separately the projectilc slowed
"a lu the shell room Tor shot locker if armor
PIERCING and without q bursting charge
ana the powder in copper cylinders in the
magazine. Guns of l0-inch caliber and
above have their powder charge in two or
more sections. This is necessary for con
Ienlence of handling, as the charge OF a
ipinch gun weighs $50 pounds, that Of a
I-lnch gun 425 pounds The powder
grams are heXagOnal prisms, hard as
stone, an inch across and three-quarters
VI an inch high, with a quarter-inch aXial
mole These are stacked up like so many
poker chips.
49, number Of the piles brought together,
Netng closely into each other by reason
VI their heXagOnal shape, form charge
ot section of one which is tied up tightly
IN silk and wool bag-so tightly that
me grains cannot be loOSened nor dis
paced. The use of silk and wool is not
UQe TO pride nor style Any persons who
may feel called upon to deplore the OK
FdFdgant expense thus entailed are likely
10 nave their economical instincts further
narrowed up by learning that the firing
VI I@-lnch gun, in addition to blowing