Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-19
Something Abouf Scientific Gunney

shot and the drift" OF tho projectile.
There can be no guesswork In secur-
ing such artistic results as making
hits with successive shoe.
The effect of all OF these factors
In the combination under all possible
conditions has been worked out by
experiments and computations and
the result utilized In devlslng appa-
ratus which automatically registers
the information which Is essential nj
such n speed that half dozen half.
ton shots can le thrown into shin
from single battery In the space OF
less than four minutes Tho "drlft''
OF the shot is the distance to tho right
which revolving projectile from n
riiled gun will go in the course OF n
given distance. The range and the
point where q vessel will be at the
moment shot could reach Il are
reckoned In actual practice at least
once In every twenty seconds. Tho
establi shment of twenty seconds nc
the interval when a fresh survey shnI
be taken Is based upon tho fact that
no boat could change It's speed or its
course sufficiently In that SINCE az
time to affect tho probability OF
hot fitting It.
The gunner may have all tho know
ledge OF what to do when hostile
snip appears, and know exactly whit
MS gun will do under any given con-
d'tion. but there are two things which
cannot be learned until the exact mo-
ment when the gun is to be fred
One Is the direction in which the pun
's to be pointed and the other ia tho
amount of elevation or depression
winch must l., given the muzzle I'm
order to have the shot reach tho ex-
act spot where the vessel will he
when tho shot may be expected 10
reach there. Attached to the carri-
age or the gun, and high enough so
tnat The gunner can look through n
over inc parapet Is telescope with
mar lines crossing the opening at
right angles to each other. The tole.
scope Is set so that II can be moved
from the left to the right by means
of thumb screw.
RMS permits right and left correc-
.iohs to be made in sighting the pun
a a,tef the range has been determined
me amount of elevation which IA no
cessary In order to make the shot
uatIy 10 the exact spot where tho
enemy Will be is "set OF" at tho gun
means OF another mechanism. Al
,'i points In the fort are heavily
uh. towers containing instruments
LOT securing the range and the anna
81. ior automatically working out
me me calculations instantaneously-
Ne are Two OF these instruments
at known distance apart
omn hostile warship is seen In the
mant. me TWO surveying instru-
nr, are turned upon 1t from their
t,Ies ', Nv, angles while the gunner
tanb ms place at the telescope at
an s nc 20 me gun. Others are buslIy
: 81 IN loading the gun. The n,an
tha .a .eiescope shortly receives from
s.i.h, owuis directions how to set his
wiz, az wi,iie the other men charged
e,eu,,,ns 'hs the gun In direction and
thev III IeceiVe thf data by which
sw,r maze settings" at the gun. They
wh,oS INC gun around until the olyiect
cent? - 20 De struck appears In the
teiasool the hairline eyepiece of tho
wi,i , rl ana set the fechanism which
.he gun rises from its cradle S.'i
yIn .,ha ,me gun springs up. The muz-
OF smoke bursts forth. and a., e.ouu
VINO nave not taken the 'nT.aco,,t, men
rise on their toes and omen ,ho ~
nonths receive shock that distnrh,
lneir equilibrium and threaten ', .ha,s
eardrums. The gun settles hoo lne ~
It's place once more. soon ,t asn ~
hostile e sh,i. that the shot and the
TO The sn,p nve miles away have mot,
decl,s ua,mage OF the warship. Tho
men run back and forth. S.oa CPL anu
pierced '' H eor steam pipes have been
nnered o ocientiiic gunnery has con-
hundrads ana at the expense of few
steel a vessel which cost s 60 mn a naa
OF 100000 has been incan ga, c,to,.
New York Tribune. eapac''a'ed.