The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-07-14
FINDING THE RANGE.
HOW BIG COAST DEFENSE GUNS ARE
ACCURATELY AIMED.


Inc many mathematics froplems ihNoiV-
ed and the Great Rapidity with which
They Must Be Solved In Locating the
~
A reporter for the Boston Herald rivcs
this interesting account of a talk with one
of tho regular army officers at Fort Ham
ilton. i'm Boston harbor:
I'm the DAYS of the civil war ranges
were so very short hat the gunner had mo-
difficulty i'm seeing his TARGET md laving
his Gun directly upon II. Wind and spepd
bf target cut no figure because the project
ne had such a short distance To pass over
that neitber had enough time In Not To
mako anv auprecinbIo difference But
novy when firing at n targot eiobt miles
ovvav ali If those THINGS ,n,ko tbn,psnIyes
felt There il tho riOing i'm tine bnrr
which gives the proicctile the rotation
noccseory tn Lopp IL From, tu,nbIing and
which win i'm orr service carry the pro-
ioctiI, II, tb, ripbt Than tho direction
and foroo of tbr wind thc direction and
snood ~ t,rcot tbe ter,uorotprc and bar.
np,otric rrossnre of the mir. which affect
the resistance of the mir to MASSAGE of the
nroinctiln the kind of noyder ana weight
of nroiectilo An those THINGS have to b,
taken into account. and they each vary
under all sorts of conditions. so that thew
can only he figured ont for each uarticular
shot Mt tho limo fine pin is fired
"Nost of this Inflammation must he
yorLod ont from dat, obtninod from, FIR
inc tests and must he thoroughly assimi-
Intcd bv tbo cy,ort ,rtiTrrist yrbor Inv
tnting obsnrvotions nj thn time of Grim
d,+, ar, oLt,irod rr,,, ,gbi.b r,s,,ltl ann
bn cor,rptoI
uTbam ,st ,,r,rt,nt mint Of tho o,or,
tion is of cou,sn Ia Ioc,ti the ta,g.t mn,
iryontion which has or,bIod me 4, do mi.
is somotbingw wholly Arcricnn-a dcvoIon-
mont ~ oIr rogllnr army Tbie Invention
Is tho rance finder II looks "a einnIe af-
f,ir-o tai mndorn toyycr With a sub
startinl foundation built on a command
ing hoigbt and connected with the gur.
nprbops half "A mil, distant nv t~elnnhonr
AT tho ton is a largo telescope' adjusted on
a nolishcd steel c~ircular table a dial ON
tbo tolescone fratnc is cogood with TN,
cdro Of tho circular +ablo and givns at amy
Instant fine direct reading i'm azfmutL
Another dial is So urranord that elevation
or denrossion Of tbc teIo,cone gives IFS
indicator a corr,.rnrdip movn,ncnt Tbi.
&c ILL tho orJiro,,. tr,nsit fttod 10 rod
~yortjco1 anrlcs b,5t in this CASA Instead
of rooding anoIcs Of donr.ssion dist.nro.
oro indic,fod In y,rds 70 tbo noirt cher.
tbo Iinoof sirbt riar.os tho ,g.+,r An
adirs+,nort cGrrocts for b,igbt Of lido
STt 10 onIy nocossory +bc1 20 roirt o,r
talescone of the water line of the shin
and road directly azimutb and distance
these are ranidlv transmitted Inv tclophon,
IN tbe puns and nlottcd ON a niece of draw.
inc nanor Tbrcc Of these nh.prvntions
On seconds onart orc n1otted ana tho gIr
has to mo drod 20 seconds after the last
observation is taken or AT the end of tyy,
minutes total time We have tho location
of fine TARGET mt three different Times II
is nov necessary ia counuta where il will
he at tbe end of thc 40 seconds
"a vessel runninp - knots an hon,
will mass over I POO feet i'm ono minnie al
1000 feet in so seconds. SO that if we fire,
Mt tbe noint whore she was at tbc last OH
seryotion we mipbt miss her I 500 feet NJ
some fraction Of that d~enending ON he,
dircotion of soiIirg Win ra~rarance to ms
If we 0rcd noint bIank-i o ainIing rigbt
at bor yvn would miss nc much as sb,
would mass over in tbe time of 0igbt of
tho nroinctiIc This for a 10 600 yard
rance rSipbt no on seconds
,syyo have INV the nosition of tbe target
at a yivon futi1ra instant but IL is referred
IN tho n~osition Of tbo RANGE tower w,
must now correct our data TO refer to the
gums u~osition Thon we are ready tc
mako corrections for drift due to rining
effect Of wind. condition of atmospher,
and abnormal powder and proiectile. III,
pun Is laid with the resulting data b,
means of degrees and minutes marked or
the traverse circle of the pun ulatform AN,
elevation arc on the side of the carriage
and we oro ready TO fire IT. is nccessarv +,
r nllow tiro-caiIod time of nigbt,- fn
+bo rroinctiIo to roocb tho tarret at fin,
opd 6f III, IA socoDds 50 tba g,rs must h
Orod tbot Iorg abrad of time
"When Won consider tbnt ali Of this worl
must Lo dane in so snconds Won see h
ono has to count his time nv fractions o
seconds 70 work like an nutomaton n,
Iongor time cnn hn allowed for comnu
lions etc as Undergraduates increase a
ahout tbe nftb mower of tho time
Tho aiming of the gun is all soieno
now and needs ovnorts Tho firing an,
loading nro the onIv work which The nm
trained mind can find work at. and ever
, in those tbinas Won understand. there Il
need of GOODNESS and experience, for thes,
bip fellows are delicate machines, aftel
ali, and are worked by levers. have cleo
trical appliances and are in other WAYS to,
I nrecious To trust to unframed hands,
= ~, "