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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
but those hitherto issued had failed to stand the climate ; an operation 
was, however, now being carried out with the object of sealing up these 
fuzes so as to render them water-proof, and if this was successful, there 
was no reason why the same plan should not be carried out with any 
other percussion fuze that might be adopted. But the danger in hand¬ 
ling all percussion fuzes must to a certain extent remain, simply from 
the fact of their containing detonating powder. As for concussion 
fuzes, which were only adapted to muzzle-loading guns, being lit by 
the flash, there was no reason why they should not be as safe and 
reliable as any time fuze. 
Colonel Adye said his question referred to fuzes for breech-loaders. 
Captain Browne said the question in that case was more difficult, and 
he thought that for the present they must await the result of the im¬ 
provement in the Pettman fuze, that was in the operation designed to 
ensure its security from damage by damp. Captain Morgan had stated 
that the people at Elswick had great confidence in their percussion 
fuze, and they had at all events this reason for their opinion—viz. that 
in the Dartmoor experiments, not one of the Elswick shells exploded 
prematurely, though many more broke up on touching the ground than 
those of the Laboratory pattern. The best result of all was made with 
the Laboratory fuzes; but there were a number of premature explosions 
—so many that the fuzes were considered unreliable. He thought, in the 
case of the independent firing, in which by far the largest number of 
prematures occurred, this may have been frequently caused by the time 
fuzes not being screwed home, so as to come in contact with the per¬ 
cussion fuze and prevent rebound. There were, however, still a large 
number of prematures which could not be so accounted for; and, in 
explanation of the different behaviour of the Ereeth fuze, made in the 
Royal Laboratory, and the Elswick fuzes, he would note the fact that 
in the former the detonating powder was only covered by thin paper, 
while in the latter it was protected by sheet brass. Hence it was not 
difficult to see that the former, being much more readily fired by the 
needle, was more liable to premature explosion; while the same thing 
told in its favour, in enabling it to act upon graze—for it appears to 
have allowed the shell to burst properly on hard rocky ground, when 
the shells with the Elswick fuzes were split in half. As to the splitting 
of Palliser shell from cracks developed in store, he observed that these 
cracks may have not been noticed, because they would not be looked 
for; a shell which was sound yesterday, would not be expected to be 
found split to-day. This defect had, however, he hoped been remedied 
to a great extent, if not entirely, by casting the bodies of the shell in 
sand, and chilling only their heads. When metal was “ coaxed,” as it 
were, by chilling to solidify in an unnatural, or rather a delicately 
balanced state, it was only reasonable to suppose that it might seize any 
opportunity of making an effort to re-adjust itself. By having only the 
head chilled, there was therefore much less danger of the shell breaking 
up in store or in the gun. Respecting the shells referred to by Colonel 
Adye as having actually burst on board the “ Hercules,” he added that 
the issue of those shells had been under exceptional circumstances ; in 
fact, the question had been raised by the Department whether they 
