The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-08

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AUrOMATl NIGHTS o ARTILLERY.
Drawbacks to Even tho Hest Rang. Finders
The New Sights and Their Operation.
According to the military literature Of the sub.
Iect, the nations which have given tho greatest
amount Of attention In recent years to the study
Of coast artillery, In the order Of the interest they
have taken in the subject, are: Great Britain.
the United States AMI Austria Hungary. Great
Britain. with her ~alimportsnt second line OF
defence In her notifications at home, and her
numerous colonies and cosling station abroad.
has always been foremost In improving her coast
artillery: but the United States, with their new
armament nearing completion, which will place
them In the front rank of well defended nations.
have done more than any other nation except
Great Britain In their endcavor u perfect the
! system Of FIRE command fire control and range
finding In seacoaSt artillery. II Is q little re-
markable that France, with her extensive coast
line and important posts, has apparently taken
40 little Interest in coast defence systems, for.
| although her coast iortinc stions are modern.
many guns OF old patterns are mounted In them.
and she has tsksn no part In the discussion Of
the great problems OF coast artillery of the pest
ten years; perhaps her Navy and he, held army
have absorbed her attention TOO much. Austria
Hungary. on the other hand. In spite Of hU lin.
tied coast limo, has produced some excellent studies
on the subject. and quite recently Rusas offered
q prize for the best essay on q system Of coast
artillery Ere, which brought forth q system that
will he adopted b. her.
| M $500. l..tl....- H. Ill A. .-rx.ru~ <~
| managing The Are OF coast batteries has been a
range finder which will be accurate and at tho
same lime quick In action. 1, Is very difhcult
~ combine these two conditions In one instrl-
mrnt. but tho recent introduction OF he auto
/ matte sight In Great Britain has been a great
advance In the right direction. In order 70 under
stand the advantage Of this new aid TO coast ar
| tiilerv fire, it will be necessary first ~ acquire
a clear conception OF the general principles VI
range finders now in u.e These are q, two
general kinds horizontal base and vertical bare.
and b,th are in common Use, even at the Same
| fortifca,ion,
The principle Of action Of the horizontal base
range finder may be explained thus a long hori-
rpntsl ba-e hne is carefully measured along
the coast near The ior!hcauQn, and al each end
a station Is established, in which An angle meas.
uring instrument, With a graduated horizontal
circle, is -c' up Now 70 cb,ain the distance
the hnrbor IL is necessary merely TO direct tho
, telescope Of the instrument at each station on
tho ship and read the angles a. each instrument;
the reading OF the distant station 10 telephoned
10 the near station, aud rs in ordinary surveying.
the position Of the ship can BE- plotted on q MAP
Of the channcl and base line, and the dis,anse can
ru'- Is prepared ITO the scale Of the map from
which the distances can be read of directly. But
, = ans, Il H = ;o Linz usually .s SsTv .st !sT ~ ,ss s Sis
tance obtained Is the distance from he base-end
station plotting %stationl and not from the guns,
4 ,apra NhtaipAt must ha con varted intn distance
! ,di ,'ance Of ship from gum The distance %
tanned at the base erd plotting station is Therefore
tc.ephoned 10 each battery and there converted,
this is called relocating
Now, all This takes considerable time. so tina,
by ,ne time the gun Is s, ilTrf t. the f.r ; ID ID has Ia 81 m ysgn
lar intervals Of a few minutes the data, for the
consecutive positions Of the ship, and relocating
giving the direction and rate Of motion Of tie
shin, and 50 It's position at ire moment OF firing
may be predicted with consid Ter able accuracy.
The vertical base ra~nge-fnder ~ placed at a
certain height above the sea level. either on s
natural bluff or in A tower constructed for the
purpose, and has q vertical arc on it fr reading
distances by directing its talescupa on the water
line % points in the hnrhor Lighthouses, whaIfs.
&C. nt known distances. To Obtain the, d;s-
the telescope on ia water line and read of. the
iistanc, But, again, this Is the distance from
the ranre5fnre1 and not the ,snre from The he
converted at the battery into distance from the
gun, arlmuch time staten IN, IN the process
much more acciratr than the Vertical base in,
strument, because Of is much longer base line,
hut it ie open e. the objection that when n feet
NJ vessels enters the channel there Is danger Of
the two observers taking different objects for
the ga me observation, whereas, with the vertical
base instrument, rs but one observer Is required,
no such error i, possible.
Afar the ranre of 4 ship from the gun II de-
terminel, there is still an interval Of time lost in
sending N The individual guns Of battery their
proper ia,a. elevation and a,imuth ,r d~irection)
FOR correct firing.
An these Considerations have led 70 many
/ efforts to abbreviate the time between taking
an ohssrr alton and aiming the gun, and many
improvements have resulted. Bat the best range
finders in uss still leave much To be desired IN
this rsspect In ENGLAND however ths problem
the automatic sight, by means Of which q gun.
when it, sight Is dir"cted on the target, Is ny
thai very act %corrrctly elevated ti the range and
iached n the gun In such q way thai i can he
brought Ia bear on the water line of a ship only
ing it hor,ontally 10 give II the proper direction.
or aNmuth The gun will then necessarily he
laid so that its p~rujectile should strike that spot.
The principle is dependent on the solution OF
the triangle formeI by ,hr sra level as the base
the height Of the gun above. the sea level as the
perpendicular, and tho limo. from sights TO water
line VI the targat as the thir' side; that IL, II IL a
vertical base range Under applied 10 each gun.
The rapiditv Of FIRE NJ heavy guns Is thus rnor-
mouslv increased, and the ACCURACY, Judging
from the published results Of actual firing. is all
that could be desired, at lcast Al fighting ranges
The point thnt %aDreals 70 the nrtilI",ist, above
iii others, is the fact that by means OF the auto
matte sight the gun can b. kept on tho target,
ami tho latter can he constantly followed during
the entire time II remains within affective range.
The British do not intend to have the automatic
sight displacc the ordinary range|in1er system.
which for rifed mortars and disappearing guns
is still essential. hut they contna its usn To- the
great fighting armament Of a battery, the aoun
H., ,,nIt,,, calibar aFu,pY niprclp0 Hlncl or n
inch guns in tarbette,
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