564 
THE EQUIPMENT OP FIELD ARTILLERY. 
Cartridges. 
Percussion 
fuzes. 
See Note D. 
Time fuzes. 
Friction 
tubes. 
40. For tlie purpose of firing with reduced charges, 20 per cent, of 
the cartridges might be made up in the following manner:—A certain 
portion of the service charge will be enclosed in a papier-mache cylin¬ 
der in the body of the cartridge; if a reduced charge is required, this 
cylinder must be pricked with a pricker provided for the purpose, and 
the powder contained in it shaken out; if this is not done, the cartridge 
can, on an emergency, be used as a service charge. 
41. The fuzes of the future will, doubtless, admit of being carried 
fixed in the shells; it also seems desirable that they should be attached 
at the base of the projectile, especially in the case of the percussion 
fuze.* * * § A fuze of this description was last year patented in this 
country, but, as far as we know, it has not as yet had an extensive 
trial. 
42. Our present type of time fuze may be said to be already con¬ 
demned. “ Progress in fuzes seem to point in the direction of a 
combined time and percussion fuze, so as to ensure the shell acting on 
graze, if not before. Such fuzes are now in use in the French and 
Swiss artillery, and other nations, including ourselves, are experi¬ 
menting in the same direction/' f Time fuzes should be carried fixed, 
they should be minutely graduated, the operation of setting should be 
simple and speedy, and the fuze should admit of being reset if correc¬ 
tion were necessary; they should be graduated in yards in such a way 
that the shell should be timed to burst at the proper distance short of 
the range actually marked upon the fuze; they should be fixed in the 
base of the projectile, as the composition would be more likely to burn 
regularly in the vacuous space behind the shell, which could be made 
pointed, and, if necessary, they could be used with the explosive shell 
against thick earthworks or blinded cover, where the operation of 
the percussion fuze would be too rapid. That metal fuzes are more 
expensive than wooden ones should be no excuse for the existence of 
the latter, which, though trustworthy enough when new, are very 
liable to deterioration, and take up a great deal of room in the shell. 
The introduction, as has been proposed, J of some chemical compound 
instead of a mechanical mixture for the fuze composition would also 
have the desirable result of ensuring greater regularity in burning. 
Metal fuzes also admit of much finer divisions being made in the 
fuze composition; they would, after a stated time, be recalled into 
store and re-driven, the metal cases being available again and again, 
and it should be a sine qua non that every battery should be provided 
with a thoroughly trustworthy fuze equipment. 
43. Our present friction tubes appear to deteriorate from damp and 
the shaking of the limbers, and an improvement in future manufacture 
has already been decided on; but the projecting friction bar will still 
exist, § and it will always be a source of weakness, and an impediment 
* Vide Specification, No. 4172, 15th Oct., 1879. 
f Vide “ Modern Field Artillery.” Capt. W. James, H.E. 
J Vide “ Modern Field Artillery.” Capt. W. James, 11.F. 
§ Vide Changes in War Material, No. 3482. 
