120 Ghms and Projectiles. 



Tke advantage of great velocity and capacity for extreme 

 range, is not contincd to distant shots, as it is a most important 

 element in facility of kitting any object whose distance is not 

 exactly known. Suppose it possible for a projectile to move in 

 a straight line from the muzzle of tke gun to the object skot at, 

 no ckange of elevation would tken be required for different dis- 

 tances. Now tke nearer you can approximate tke patk, or 

 trajectory, of a projectile to a straight line, tke less it matters 

 wketker you guess tke distance a kttle more or less. If the pro- 

 jectile goes kigk up in tke air above tke object, and tken rapidly 

 tumbles down to it in a descending curve, accurate skooting 

 may be managed at targets wkose exact distance is known; but 

 an error of a few yards in guessing tke distance and arranging 

 tke elevation would cause an object tkat was not very tall to be 

 entirely missed. Again, in firing at an advancing body of men, 

 tke ball tkat goes up in tke skies and tken plumps down, is, 

 very unkkely to kit more tkan one if tke best aim be taken, 

 wkile tke comparatively straigkt-going ball may knock down a 

 dozen, one bekind tke other. 



We must now consider anotker point — tke power of projec- 

 tiles to penetrate iron plates or otker skock-resisting medium. 

 Tkis needs, first, great velocity ; secondly, sufficient weigkt 

 and strengtk in tke projectile ; tkirdly, suck a skape as will 

 enable tke projectile to break tkrougk the resistance, and not 

 be broken itself. Pointed skots fail against great resistance, 

 because, at tke moment of striking, tkeir pointed ends, being 

 unsupported, give way. Flat-headed cylinders appear to answer 

 best, and, if proceeding quick enough, easily punck tkeir way 

 tkrougk targets like the sides of our " Warriors/' whick were 

 supposed, until tried, capable <>f resisting any force. An inte- 

 resting epitome of various experiments witk tke Wkitwortk 

 and Armstrong guns is given by Sir klmerson Tennent, but we 

 shall not dwell upon these incidents: lirst, because they are 

 pretty well known; and secondly, because further experiments 

 may throw them into the shade. 



We will, however, recall two experiments, in one of whick 

 a solid hexagon shot weighing L29 pounds was tired from a 

 Whitworth gun at 1)00 yards. Jfc struck the target within an 

 inch of a white spot at which it was aimed, and pierced 4^- 

 inrhes of iron, and shattered, though it did not pass tkrougk, 

 \H inches of teak lined with iron |thfi of an inch thick, and 

 Supported by upright angle irons, that arrested its course. 

 Mr. Whit worth afterwards fired a, shell through tke same 

 target. When the projectile struck the target a bright sheet 

 of name was oeoNdoned by the sudden arrest of such an amount 

 of mot ion. 



Wken rifle ordnance was first seriously discussed, it was 



