The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-29

ICES The amount Il Experimenting that
must De done before ar accurate fuse
II developed.
A few years ago one ~ the urixsts
ordnance plants IN the United States
l-one now holding numerous big con-
tracts-determlned 10 20 into tn. fuse
business and to develop a mechanism
that would safely and surely function
| IN detonating high explosive fired
| from modern guns II has a proving
| ground of Its own. but this had not
sufhcient range 10 meet the require
ments OF projectiiee Of this ser, Ac-
| cordingly a quick firing gun was sent
| down TO lonely place on the New
| Jersey coast. where for thousands OF
/ yards shells could be hurled over a
range accurately measured and with
out Tear OF falling upon human hath
| Iations.
/ previously the fuse had heen plan
nea In the drawing room and fahri-
| Gated with extreme nicely. Theor.-
1 ucaly II was expected Ia dc certain
thAnss and the engineer inventor fes
conhoent OF success Inhappils h.
was doomed 10 disappointment. and
fuse after fuse was fired with ~
tremely erratie results.
| Week after week the eNperlmenf,nr
party went 10 the practice range only
10 return 70 the distant manufacturing
plant more or less disguised But bit
by DIT defects were overcome and
regularity secured. In the end thai
1use could be set for various time ~
: terVafs, and accordingly for CORE
spending ranges. At the appointed IN
stant, within certain toIerable allow
ances the screaming shell could lie
, | made TO burst in flight
ii But before everything was perfec,
months had passed and thousands of
dollars had been spent This serves
1 ri he
81 viii confront any manufacturer who
r undertakes for the first time To turn
8 out fuses of this character. II also
I explains why some American engin-
a eerlng concerns have already de-
v cilned contracts of this sort.
= While the guns of Europe are ex.
: pending hundreds of thousands 81
Y proJecules daily il takes long time
d TO fabrlcate an acce ptable shell. 1t Is
IS sad that the French pieces can fire
is at the rate of twenty-five shots a
( minute, and because of the manner in
IS winch the recoH Is taken care of the,
h can do their work accurately and hurl
# double the number of shots possible
d with the German field gun.
s With hundreds of these weapon.
l. croWding short spans of the BATH,
IS fronts 1t is not astonishing that tn.
is problem of supplying them with am
munltlon is grave one. The per
Or fectlon of modern ordnance. and r.
sd perfection is meant accuracy of fire
r hinges upon the extraordinary car
a. with which these weapons are buil
e. and their bores rifled. This work
lr done with the exquisite care Of
ey matchmaker. The usefulness of th
as piece ceases when these twiS1in
ne grooves are impa ired.
rs Logically, the projectiles disch re
: ed from ordnance of this sort must 4
a. fashioned with we'll nigh correspond
e ing precision Their bodies must cor
form to prescribed dimension With
al a minute fraction of an inch. and
1t secure this accuracy the shell mu:
les be machned. This takes time.
at Finally, the projectile has shrun
at upon it near its base ring Of COZ
n per slightly greater in diameter tha
OF the bore of the weapon.
ny Projectiles of this sort cannot /
turned out over night. There al
- many phases of their manufacture
io and care must be exercised at even
'oe stage. This is quite the opposite fro
u the rapidity with which these instr
"a ments of destruction can De eXpen0s
iat | when once they are delivered at Il
" firing line
M To return to Mr.. Woods book dea
,te ing with the battle of the Marne, Y
itc read, LAS far as we could observe II
nd German attack at Fere Champenoi
of had been unsupported by any hea'
,is artillery. This was probably co
on | tributing cause of their defeat. ~
also their arrogant overcOnfidence
I'd themselves and their underestimate. II.
M OF their enemy"
1as] The Germans have profited since
me that lesson and day by day il is bell
ETY. brought home to all Of the beIligerer
of how much ultimate victory depen
the upon the field piece and its ann
len supply of high explosive prolectli'
tile The latter will do all that is possif
ard with the shrapnel, and do much no
16eSi6<S