Q.F. FIELD EQUIPMENTS ON THE CONTINENT. 
147 
The alterations effected have been described in an official document^ 
and are as follows :—(1.) A cover to the (radial) vent, to prevent 
the tube being inserted till the breech is closed; (2.) adoption of a 
spade attached to the trail, see Fig . 4; (3.) an arrangement for 
automatically drawing the safety pin from the fuze on removing the 
shell from the limber; (4) abolition of case shot ; (5) adoption of a 
fuze setter for setting the fuze automatically ; other minor alterations 
have also been made such as slight changes of the obturator, shrapnel 
shell, &c. 
By these improvements, a rate of fire of four to six rounds a minute 
is said to be attained. The necessity of the vent cover or guard is 
obvious when a high rate of fire is desired from a gun provided with 
a radial vent. Without it, the firing number might insert the tube 
and fire at any moment, whether the breech block was closed or not. 
The sketches show the way in which the spade works. On firing, 
the gun and carriage recoil from thirty to forty inches, and the springs 
attached to the spade bring the carriage back to within about eight 
inches of its former position. The weight added by this arrangement 
is 48 lbs. The cost of it is said to be 60 francs. It is not intended 
that this apparatus should always be used, but only when the tactical 
situation demands a rapid fire. 
With regard to the abolition of case shot, it may be noted that 
this step has been taken by the Germans too. The new Austrian 
shrapnel weighs 14*75 lbs. (calibre of gun 3*42 inches) number of 
balls 250 (35 to the pound.). A double-action fuze is used with it. By 
some arrangement, on withdrawing the shell from the limber, the 
safety pin is automatically removed; it is not clear how this is done. 
Instead of case shot, shrapnel with fuze set so as to act a few yards 
from the gun is used, and its effect up to 437 yards is said to be better 
than that of case shot. 
* A precis of this is given in Revue d'ArtilleriesZ\ l\j, 1898. 
