THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
819 
The results for the time fuze arrangement, three rounds, were:— 
Segment shell, breech-loader, 1 hole through mantelet, 0 hits on target. 
n muzzle-loader, 1 hole ; 4 hits. 
Shrapnel shell, Whitworth, 14 holes; 37 hits. 
With the percussion fuze the shells were burst by the action of striking 
the mantelet, and made the following hits on the target beyond: only two 
rounds were fired:— 
Segment shell, B.L., 170 hits. 
n M.L., 200 ,i 
Shrapnel shell, W., 216 u 
This shows that such mantelets are not sufficient protection against any 
12-pr. shells with either kind of fuze. It also shows a decided superiority of 
penetrating power in the round bullets of shrapnel shell over the angular bits 
of segment shells.^ 
(5) Walls . 
Three walls, 18 ft. long, 8 ft. high, 28 inches thick, built of the best bricks 
laid in cement, and offering a resistance equivalent to what large houses or 
churches would present in field operations, were cannonaded from 1150 yards 
distance with shot and shell of both kinds. 
The walls were considerably damaged by only 15 rounds from each gun, 
and targets placed 6 ft. in rear bore unmistakable evidence that at this range 
such walls would afford but little defence. No exact opinion could be formed 
as to which gun would be the most effective for similar purposes, 
(6) Stockades* 
These were formed of elm logs, 14 inches thick, placed side by side and 
sunk 4 feet in the ground* Their length and height were 18 feet and 9 feet 
respectively, the same as the walls, and targets were again placed behind to 
show the effects produced in rear. Ten common and ten segment shells were 
fired at 800 yards range. 
It appeared that the nature of the material would save such a defence from 
being easily breached by guns of small calibre, but that troops behind would 
have very inadequate protection against the effect of shells burst by percussion 
fuzes in passing through it. 
(7) Field Artillery . 
In this trial a wooden screen was again used to produce, with a percussion 
fuze, the effect of a time fuze acting at 25 yards in front of a field gun, 
arranged as in action, with dummy figures round it and a limber behind. 
The range was 1000 yards, and 9 rounds of segment shell were fired. 
The B.L. gun struck 29 figures and made 16 hits on the carriage and 
limber. The M.L. gun struck 31 figures and made 53 other hits. The 
results seemed to depend very much on the chance of the projectiles striking 
in favourable positions. I would remark that the general average of figures 
struck is more than 3 per round, so that with steady practice, in positions 
[vol, v.] 
Report, p. 34. 
43 
