THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
167 
reduce the error in range to 50, or even to 20 yds, provided the battery does no 
remain more than four minutes in action. After four minutes, it would pro 
duce an only equally destructive result to consume one minute in ascertaining 
the range within 50 yds.; but it would save 40 per cent, of the ammunition. 
In ten minutes, the destructive results would be much greater with a 50-yds. 
than with a 100-yds. error, even allowing for the minute lost at the com¬ 
mencement. 
At 1100 yds., an error of 50 yds. is of no great importance, but an error 
of 100 yds. produces much worse practice than one of 50 ; so much worse, that 
if the battery is in action three minutes, it will be worth while to lose one minute 
in determining the range within 50 yds., and at the end of five minutes, the 
battery having originally invested this minute would have produced nearly 
double the effect of the battery firing 100 yds. wrong. 
At 1800 yds., a battery expending one minute in finding the range to within 
50 yds.—that is, not firing its first shot for two minutes—would in its first 
round produce a greater effect than a battery laying its guns 100 yds. wrong, 
which had opened its fire in one minute, and consequently had in two minutes 
fired three rounds. In five minutes the former plan would produce double 
the effect of the latter. At this range (1800 yds.) it becomes for the first 
time desirable, though still not very necessary, to reduce the error in range 
below 50 yds. Even should five minutes be lost in ascertaining the range— 
that is, should a battery so doing not fire a round for six minutes—it would, 
in four minutes more, have double the effect of one firing away rapidly from 
the commencement, and an equal total time, or ten minutes, in action, but 
having an error in the range of 100 yds. 
At 1700 yds., a battery keeping the error down to 50 yds., would at the 
first round—that is, in two minutes—have double the effect of guns laid 
100 yds. wrong from the first, and would have in five minutes a five-fold 
advantage. If the range were exactly known, these results would be again 
doubled—that is, a tenfold advantage would be reaped in five minutes. 
Hitherto it has been supposed that the mark fired at would be a company 
in line; but from 1700 yds. upwards, it will be right to confine our attention 
exclusively to columns. 
Table B. —Showing the number of rounds per 100 which would strike 
columns, calculated for the French field-piece (9 centimetres '). 
Column 22 yds. broad, 45 deep. 
Column 22 yds. broad, 
110 deep. 
Error in estimating 
range. 
1700 
2200 
2800 
3300 
1700 
2200 
2800 
3300 
O yds. 
38 
30-7 
20-3 
13*3 
76-9 
63 
43-3 
28-5 
55 „ .. 
17-1 
14-6 
10-9 
7-7 
46-6 
39 
27-9 
19-3 
85 „ . 
6-2 
5-8 
4-9 
3-9 
23-7 
20-6 
15-9 
11-8 
110 „ . 
1-4 
1-5 
1-6 
1-5 
8-5 
8 
6-9 
5-7 
