The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-10-22
GREAT TARGET PRACTICE.
Heavy Guns Tested at Fort PEBBLE SAT-
urday.

The annual target practice with heavy
guns at Fort Preble terminated Satur-
day with the following results: Prompt
" at one p. m. on October 18th, Battery
Z, 7th Artillery was marched down to
the big eight inch rifles and practice
commenced at once, preparations having
been completed In the forenoon.
In mentioning preparations 1t is by no
means intended to convey the idea that
the Fort is not prepared, If necessary, to
repel anything hostile approaching the
city; but. in time of peace, it is CUSTOM
airy to leave the new and delicate pow
ders employed In modern warfare In
the original, waterproof and damp proof,
cases, to prevent deterioration through
atmospheric influences, and to take 1t
out and load cartridges as required from
time to time only.
On arriving at the battery the electric
his storage battery ready for the electric
discharge of the primers in the guns. The
Instruments such as an emameter, ba-
rometer, engineers transit Azimuth in
struments, etc, were III place to determ-
inc the distance to the target and to re-
cord the impact of the shots.
The average citizen entertalns the
idsa that soldier has only to go to his
gun, aim it, and fire. and that he stands
a fair show of hitting his target without
further trouble. Such is, however, not
the case. The most careful calculation
as to distance, force of wind, atmospheric
pressure, density OF his powder and con-
seouent propelIing force, must be accu-
rately made and the shells and shot must
be weighed, and their inertia calculated
accordingly in order to determine the in
itial velocity and resultant energy to
overcome the resistance offered by the
air. These calculations are Of a necessity
OF the incest accuracy, SO as to obtain
the best possible results; and, in spite of
the popular belief to the contrary, all
these difficult data and mathematical
puzzles, are invariably the work of the
soldiers themselves OF course the results
are verified by the officers in charge, but
very seldom errors are apparent in the re-
suits attained by the men.
The firing was done at target placed
81 miles from the gun. Not to repeat
technlcalities regarding the practice, or
detailing each shot separately, it is sutfic-
ent to state that, out of ten shots fired,
nine would have hit ship placed at the
point where the target was anchored-a
creditable-record, indeed, and fair guam
tity of efficiency in time Of danger.
This gun can be fired at intervals of
two and one half minutes, II necessary,
and til , delay causing the ten shots to be
fired at ten minutes interval (more or
less) was caused by the fact that for each
shot different non commissioned officers
had to do the calculations and timing,
contrary to the practice in real action,
when the gunner serves his own piece
until disabled.
The heavy gun practice was resumed at
one O'Clock October 18th with the new
modern high-power mortars. hurting
shells loaded with gun cotton or nitro
gelatine, from five to six miles high in
the air, and dropping them on hostile
ships at distances up to eight miles. The
precision OF calculation necessary to fire
these monsters, with the required accu-
racy can be easily understood when it is
known that the target is not visible at all
from the guns, they being placed IN deep
pits for the protection OF the gunners. The
only data given the chief of piece Ga non
commissioned oficer) are, the distance to
the target, and the direction counting
from north ana south. All other observa-
lions are made by the gunner. and al
1oWances made by him. The target for
thsse guns was placed slightly over five
miles distant. The target itself was not
hit in fact. that is not desired, but the
target proper, representing a ship coming
toward the guns, md covering the space
which hostile ship would cover on ap-
preach, was hit three times in TX shots,
and, on account of the terrific impact
Of a shell, falling from an altitude Of five
miles, not to mention the enormous force
of the explosion of the shell, 1t would
undoubtedly have sunk the enemy each
hit.
Only one Of the monster mortars was
used IN this practice. Imagine, then the
terrific effect of the simultaneous dis
charge of all sixteen at an approaching
foel With the accuracy displayed It is
safe to believe that an enemy cannot Sc
riously contemplate entering Casco Bay,
il the guns are served with the admirable
precision displayed by Battery f., 9TH
Artillery.