The morning times., 1895-07-25
HIT INVISIBLE TARGETS
Delicate instruments By Means
of Which This Is Possible.
CALLED RANGE FINDERS
Interesting Experiments Made at Fort
Hamilton, New York Harbor, by
the Ordnance Board-G uns, Aimed
Ont of Sight of the Target, Would
Have Blown Vessel to Atoms.

The proceedings Of the regular monthly
esslon of the board OF ordnance and forU
fication, which held its meeting in New York
City last week, afford very Interesting
information gs 10 the progress made by the
board in the development and perfection of
important implements of modern warfare.
The development during the past ten
years all over Europe, and later in this
country, of the modern hgh-power breech-
loading rifles has rendered necessary on ac-
count of the great range of these cannon, the
abandonment of the old methods OF aiming
and firing cannon.
The old muzzle-loading cast iron smooth
Dores were very cheap affairs s compared
with the cost of the present breech-loading
steel rifles, which vary for the eight-inch
from about $15 900 TO SAT 900 for the
twelve-inch, and therefore the loss Of one
OF the latter is a very serious matter.
DISAPPEARING CARRIAGES.
In order, therefore, to render these guns
as little exposed to the fire of the enemy
as possible and at the same time to afford
the gunners more protection, the so-called
disappearing gun-carria ages were de-
vised, whereby the gun can be loaded behind
the protection OF the fortification, raised
disappearing from view again. If the gun
were laid" Chat is, given the proper di-
rectIon and elevation to cover the necessary
rangal when raised into the firing position,
some little time would necessarily be con-
sumed during which both gunners ana gun
would b. open TO the fire oil the enemy.
The desideratum, therefore, has been TO
devise some means whereby the gun could
actually be aimed out or sight or the enemy
and without the Euuners even seeing the
object which they are to fire upon. This
| difficult problem has been accomplished
| by the so called range and position finders
| delicate instruments for automatically
! obtaining the range in yards of the enemy'S
vessel, and also the relative position tor
azimuth angle, as it is called of the ship
| with reference To the range finder
| DECISIVE TESTS.
The board of ordnance and fortfication
has purchased and had tested the most ap-
proved instruments OF this class IN Europe
! and in the United States. These tests
! have been in progress for the past four
| years, and while il would be premature 10
state now what instrument or instruments
! viii be adopted Tor our service, Yet the
tosts thus far had Indicate that our mill
tary service is TO be equipped with instru-
| ments of this class at least equal, il not
superior, to any Used abroad and these,
| too, are Instruments of American design
and manufacture.
The board witnessed at Fort Hamilton
New York HarDOr, One of the forts which
afford the protection of ''1he NarrOws,
the practical working of one of the most
! successful Instruments under test III con
junction with a gun, which was aimed out
OF sight of the targets aud in each instance
when the command Tfire' was given, after
the gun had been raised into firing posi-
ton, a telescope sight fitted 10 the gun
showed that without exception the NOV
ing vessel, unconscious OF the great danger
it was in, would have been blCwnint atoms
if the guns had been loaded and fired. Th'
tests before the board was highly sue
cessful.